INTL-4018 - Introduction to Tropical Medicine

INTL-4018 - Introduction to Tropical Medicine

Elective Title: Introduction to Tropical Medicine
Course Number: INTL-4018
Elective Type: career Duration/Weeks: 2 Max Enrollment: 99
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Year 2
Additional Requirements: Must take this elective before being allowed to take INTL-4001. C-form required, send form to Bradley Brock (ba2brock@utmb.edu).
Responsible Faculty Director: Melinda Tanabe, MD Periods Offered: 1-13 including holiday period 8 
Coordinator: Bradley Brock Other Faculty:
Location to Report on First Day:
virtual, information will be sent once C-form is received.

Goals
The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to global medicine. It is intended to introduce concepts and information on diseases that will then be addressed in more depth in the Intensive Course in Tropical and Travel Medicine (INTL 4001).

Objectives
At the end of this elective, the successful student will be able to:

1. Identify the major disease processes that disproportionately affect health in low- and middle-income countries, including causes of death in neonates, infants, and children; causes of maternal mortality; and emerging chronic diseases.
2. List the major health problems in different regions of the world.
3. Recognize and describe the main clinical manifestations of Malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, intestinal helminths, and anemia in poorer countries

Description of course activities
This course consists of pre-recorded lectures. The lectures are given by experts in the field from all over the world. The student will be responsible for the contents. Each lecture should be followed by self-guided reading to enhance comprehension. A list of reading materials is provided. After each lecture, there will be a short self-directed quiz based on the lecture’s objectives (suggested but not mandatory). The quiz is not graded but it will provide answers with explanations to assure the content is repetitive and effective for learning. The class is pass/fail. Students are encouraged to communicate with the course director via email if questions arise. At the end of the course, there is a mandatory virtual or in-person meeting with a tutor to discuss key components of the course and a final mandatory quiz based on the lectures provided.

Suggested schedule:
Monday - Thursday, students will have 2 hours of pre-recorded lectures and about 3 hours the rest of the day for self-directed study (flexible timing).
Saturday & Sundays are for self-directed study time.


At the end of the course, students will meet with a tutor provide course feedback, discussed key contents of the course, and perform a mandatory quiz based on the different lectures to assure good understanding of current clinical challenges of tropical medicine in developing countries.
This course satisfies the Global Health Concentration Track

Type of students who would benefit from the course
All students interested in Global Health, working internationally or the Global Health Track.

    Weekly Schedule
          Estimated Course Activities (Start-Time/Finish-Time):
Day of Week   AM   PM
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

 Average number of patients seen per week: None
 Call Schedule: N/A

Research / Other Course Activities
(estimated schedule)
Activity Hours per Week
Faculty Contact-Time
Self-Directed Study
Data-Collection/Analysis
Other


Method of Student Evaluation
1.  Clinical Observation
  A. Where are students observed on this elective?
    Inpatient Service   Ambulatory   Surgery   Standardized patients
Patients simulators   Other
  B. Frequency - How often are students observed clinically?
    N/A
  C. Format - What method(s) are used to document the student's clinical performance?
    Daily oral feedback   End of period oral feedback   Written feedback
Other

2.  Oral Presentation
  A. Audience - To whom does the student present?
    N/A
  B. Frequency / Duration of Presentation(s)?
    N/A
  C. Format - What guidelines are set for the student's presentation?
    N/A
  D. Assessment - Who assesses the student's presentation performance?
    Self-assessment   Peer assessment   Faculty assessment
  E. Method of content selection
    Current cases  Student-selected topic   Assigned topic

3.  Written Assignment (H&P's, notes, papers, abstracts, etc.)
  A. Frequency of written assignment(s)?
    N/A
  B. Format - What guidelines are set for the student's written work?
    N/A
  C. Length of written assignment(s)?
    Abstract   Annotated bibliography   1 - 2 page paper   3+ page paper
  D. Are recent references required?   No    If yes, how are they selected?
    N/A
  E. Method of content selection - e.g. student-selected, relate to cases, etc.?
    N/A
  F. Audience - Who assesses the student's written performance?
    Peer Assessment     Faculty Assessment     Other

4.  Examination
  Format
    Oral   Written multiple choice   Written essay / short answer   OSCE
Other

5.  Extra Course Activities
  What expectations do you have for the student to demonstrate participation in the elective (e.g. small group activities, seminars, thoughtful questions, providing resources, journal club, resident lecture attendance)?
    N/A

6.  Additional Costs
  Please list any additional costs and/or purchases (books, materials, movies to watch, etc.) that are required for this course. Include an estimated total cost. If there are no additional costs, please enter "None".
    None

7.  Other Modes of Evaluation
  Please explain below.
    N/A

8.  If this course is an Acting Internship, please complete the following:
  A. Objectives for the AI should relate directly to the Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). Each AI should describe how the four key Year-4 EPAs that our school has identified as being Year-4 skills are assessed. The Year-4 objectives are:
1. Entering and discussing orders/prescriptions.
2. Give or receive patient handover to transition care responsibility.
3. Recognizing a patient requiring urgent or emergent care and initiating management.
4. Obtaining informed consent for tests and procedures.
Specify how the student will be given formative feedback on their clinical skills.
   
 
B.
Year-4 students should demonstrate mastery of EPAs they developed in the clerkship year, including recommending and interpreting common diagnostic and screening tests, and performing general procedures of a physician. They should be able to demonstrate masterfully and independently skills they mastered in Years 2-3, including efficiently performing comprehensive admission-notes and succinct daily progress notes and perform accurate, concise, and hypothesis-driven clinical presentations, form clinical questions and retrieve evidence to advance patient care. They should be able to demonstrate basic understanding of and beginning mastery of collaborate as a member of the interprofessional team and identify system failures and contribute to a culture of safety improvement.

List advanced clinical skills that a student will be assured an opportunity to practice.
   
 
C.
How specifically will this AI build on developing skills from the clerkship year to prepare students for internship?
   
 
D.
What opportunities will typically be available to all students who take this AI (procedures, required presentations, etc.)? What opportunities may be available based on patient load/presentation or student initiative (ie. Writing a case report)?
   
 
E.
An AI should have expectation of a minimum of 32 hours per week of clinical responsibilities. Duty hours should be capped at ACGME limits for an intern, thus up to 24 hours followed by 4 hours of activities related to patient safety, education, and handoff. Students cannot work more than 80 hours per week averaged over 4 weeks. They can only have 1 day off in a 7-day work week with 8 hours off between shifts.

Clinical responsibilities will vary depending on specialty, but how is the student functioning with work commensurate to a PGY1 with an appropriate level of training?
   
 
F.
How is the student demonstrating drawing clinical conclusions and/or developing a management plan and documentation as an intern would do?
   
 
G.
How and by whom will midpoint feedback be provided to the student? How will you remediate deficiencies identified at midpoint?
   
 
H.
Acting Internship students often seek letters of recommendation following their experience. How many different Faculty will work directly with the student and have knowledge of the student's abilities to detail in a written evaluation? Describe the degree of supervision and interaction with faculty vs. residents or other providers and how feedback will be obtained if more direct work is with residents or other providers.