MEDU-4006 - Research in Geriatric Medicine

MEDU-4006 - Research in Geriatric Medicine

Elective Title: Research in Geriatric Medicine
Course Number: MEDU-4006
Elective Type: research Duration/Weeks: 4 Max Enrollment: 1
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Year 2
Additional Requirements: C form Required - Interest in research. The student must contact the faculty director 90 days prior to elective registration to discuss potential research projects and obtain mentor approval. Note: An R form must be submitted 60 days in advance of all research electives.
Responsible Faculty Director: Soham Al Snih, MD, PhD Periods Offered: 1-13 including holiday period 8 
Coordinator: Victoria Garcia Other Faculty: Mukaila Raji, MD; James S. Goodwin, MD; Kyriakos S, Markides, PhD; Monique R Pappadis, PhD; Yong-Fang Kuo, PhD; Phillip Cantu, PhD; Sadaf Milani, PhD; Brian Downer, PhD
Location to Report on First Day:
Rebecca Sealy Hospital, Room 6.618 at 8am first day of rotation.

Goals
To provide the student with the opportunity to engage in research in Geriatric Medicine. The Division of Geriatrics Medicine and the Sealy Center on Aging offer a wide range of research opportunities, including interdisciplinary research, health care delivery and minority aging. The Edward T. and Ellie Weisiger Lefeber, Sr. Award is offered annually to a student for research during the senior year in Geriatrics.

Objectives
During or at the completion of a four-week course, the student should:
1. Develop an independent research project or actively participate in ongoing research in the Division of Geriatrics Medicine.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the research process including formulation of a research question, hypothesis, study design, data analysis, interpretation of findings, and synthesis of results relevant to effective research in Geriatrics.
3. Present research findings through both a written report and oral presentation.

Description of course activities
1. The student will participate in a research project under the supervision of an assigned faculty mentor from the Division of Geriatrics Medicine, Sealy Center on Aging or another division or department where the research is conducted.
2. The student will perform a comprehensive literature review relevant to the research question and hypothesis.
3. In collaboration with the faculty mentor, the student will develop and refine the research proposal, including the statement of the problem, study design, data analysis plan, interpretation of results, and formulation of conclusions. The student will also prepare and present in both oral and written formats, with the written report suitable for publication as a scientific manuscript.
4. The student will meet with the faculty member on a weekly basis to develop and complete the research proposal. Meeting dates and time will be arranged jointly by the student and faculty mentor on the first day of the rotation.
5. Weekly meetings and milestones will be discussed and defined in collaboration with the faculty mentor.
6. Students completing this project as if this is done as the Lefeber Scholar will receive an award at graduation.

Type of students who would benefit from the course
This course is highly relevant for students pursuing careers in Family Medicine, Primary Care, Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, or Preventive Medicine

    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: 0
 Call Schedule:

Research / Other Course Activities
(estimated schedule)
Activity Hours per Week
Faculty Contact-Time 2 hours per week + additional meetings as needed
Self-Directed Study 18
Data-Collection/Analysis 20
Other The students taken this course are required to present their work at the Forum on Aging.


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?
    Frequency based on number of subjects required for research.
  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?
    Geriatric faculty, investigators involved in aging research, Post- and Pre-doctoral students in aging research
  B. Frequency / Duration of Presentation(s)?
    One short 15-minute presentation
  C. Format - What guidelines are set for the student's presentation?
    Standard presentation, 15 minutes with time for q & 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)?
    Final report due at end of project
  B. Format - What guidelines are set for the student's written work?
    Format will follow peer-reviewed journal article
  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?
   
  E. Method of content selection - e.g. student-selected, relate to cases, etc.?
    Student-selected topic
  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)?
    In addition to the required research project, they will participate in the following activities: 1) Program orientation to review the research planning process, project expectations, and associated activities. 2) Active participation as a member of the investigative team for the duration of the research period. 3) Completion of research related activities, with the schedule and scope determined with the faculty mentor. 4) Attendance at research-related meetings and seminars: a) Weekly or biweekly, as applicable, with other students; b) Wednesday noon core lectures on aging-related topics; c) Journal clubs and other lectures relevant to the research project, as recommended by the faculty mentor.

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.
    1.The faculty research mentor will evaluate the student's research progress on a weekly basis and provide ongoing feedback.
2.The faculty research mentor will evaluate the student written work at the end of the rotation.
3.The faculty will evaluate the student's oral presentation, which will be delivered on the final Wednesday research meeting including PhD students, PhD researchers, and MDs with an interest in aging and research.

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.