Clerkships & Electives
FM 641. Family Medicine Clerkship
The Family Medicine Clerkship is the flagship educational experience in the Department of Family Medicine. Students spend most of their time in community and academic family medicine offices. Preceptors are highly motivated and excellent educators. Students will get hands-on experience in outpatient family medicine. Students also have educational experiences with excellent family medicine educators on various topics related to the practice of family medicine.
FM 641 Clerkship Directors and Staff:
- Lead Clerkship Director: Harland Holman, MD; Department Clerkship Administrator, Joy Hull
- Lansing: Director, Hend Azhary, MD; Community Clerkship Assistant, Karla Cody
- Detroit: Director, Andrea Smith, DO; Assistant Director: Raghavendra Vemulapalli, MD; Community Clerkship Assistant, Linda Tillman
- Flint: Director, Sara Elsayed, MD; Assistant Director: Michael Zerafa, MD; Community Clerkship Assistant:Alicia Ferguson
- Grand Rapids: Director, Steve DeLapp, MD; Assistant Director: Alan Young, MD; Community Clerkship Assistant: Jacqui Evans
- Midland: Director, Scott Ross, MD; Community Clerkship Assistant: Sarah Wagner
- Southeast Michigan: Director, Brandon Karmo, DO, FAAFP; Community Clerkship Assistant: Kenyatta Moore
- Traverse City: Director, Jeff Magnatta, D.O.; Community Clerkship Assistant: Kendry Scott
- Upper Peninsula: Director, Jeff Magnatta, D.O.; Community Clerkship Assistant: Connie Piasecki
FM 610. Outpatient Family Medicine Clerkship
The Outpatient Family Medicine Clerkship focuses on care provided in the office setting, in other words, “outpatient” as opposed to the hospital or “inpatient”. Students will have the opportunity to observe and participate in the care of patients from birth to the end of life presenting for health problems as well as health maintenance. This elective will train the student in the broad range of problems cared for in Family Medicine, with emphasis on patient interviewing, clinical procedures, diagnosis, and the use of community resources. The clerkship often helps students to clarify their career goals concerning Family Medicine.
This Clerkship meets the Primary Care Selective requirement.
FM 611. Geriatric Clerkship
The Geriatric Clerkship focuses on the primary medical care of older adults. Students will participate in the interdisciplinary team evaluation of geriatric patients; gain experience in recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of geriatric problems; and understand the process of advance care directives.
This Clerkship meets the Primary Care Selective requirement.
FM 612. Inpatient Family Medicine Clerkship
The Inpatient Family Medicine Clerkship focuses on care provided in the hospital setting, in other words, “inpatient” as opposed to the office or “outpatient”. Students will have the opportunity to observe and participate in the care of patients from birth to the end of life presenting for health problems severe enough to require hospitalization. This elective will train the student in the broad range of patient problems cared for by family physicians in the hospital, with emphasis on patient interviewing, clinical procedures, diagnosis, and the use of community resources. This clerkship introduces students to the role of the family physician in caring for hospitalized patients. Management of the care of the hospitalized patient, and especially of the relationships among physicians and other health care providers in the hospital, is the major focus of attention in this clerkship. The clerkship often helps students to clarify their career goals concerning Family Medicine.
This Clerkship does not meet the Primary Care Selective requirement.
FM 613: Clinical Research in Family Medicine
Students enrolled in this research elective will learn the practical application of basic research skills through involvement in a primary care research project. Specific skills will be individualized but may include development of a research question, project planning, data collection, data analysis, literature search and summary, and scientific writing.
This Clerkship does not meet the Primary Care Selective requirement.
FM 614: Breastfeeding and Lactation
(Virtual) The Breastfeeding and Lactation course is being hosted by the Sparrow-MSU Family Medicine Residency Program. This course details the relevant anatomy, physiology, and common problems related to lactation and infant breastfeeding. Students will learn how to assess infant weight gain, milk transfer, and appropriate latch, and manage medical problems that can arise in the context of lactation.
Students will complete asynchronous learning activities using a variety of modalities, including reading, videos, online lectures, virtual standardized patients, and online quizzes. Students will also be required to participate in scheduled online small group discussions. Students will need a computer with high-speed internet and a working camera. Some required course materials may require payment of a fee for access.
https://lansingcampus.chm.msu.edu/index.php/electives/family-medicine/79-virtual
FM 616: Rural Family Medicine Clerkship
The Rural Family Medicine Clerkship is designed to enhance the medical student’s ability to integrate clinical medicine with experience in rural medical communities. Students will be placed in rural family medicine offices. The clerkship may include an inpatient experience as well.
This Clerkship meets the Primary Care Selective requirement.
FM 617. Sports Medicine Clerkship
The Sports Medicine Clerkship focuses on primary care aspects of sports medicine. Students will share in the provision of primary health care to athletes including acute and chronic sports injuries. The medical student will have an opportunity to evaluate and treat acute injuries and will gain experience in training of the athlete, emergency care and transportation of the athlete, and diagnostic procedures. The experience will involve office care of the athlete and may also include experience at sporting events at the high school or collegiate level. Students may participate in care provided by athletic trainers, physical therapists, as well as consultants in sports medicine. The student will gain knowledge in the clinical aspects of sports medicine as well as the philosophy of sports medical care and the basic science of sports medicine.
This Clerkship meets the Primary Care Selective requirement.
FM 618: Palliative and End of Life Care Clerkship
The Palliative and End of Life Care Clerkship gives students an opportunity to work with palliative care physicians to manage patients and families faced with end of life illnesses. Students will be able to learn the following skills: Medical care at the end of life, integrating the continuum of palliative medicine, measuring quality at the end of life, planning for death and dying, essentials of pain management, non-pain symptom management, and ethical issues in death and dying.
This Clerkship meets the Primary Care Selective requirement.
HM 618. Telemedicine Experiences in Rural Clinical Settings
The CHM Telemedicine Experiences in Rural Clinical Settings is a three-credit elective clerkship for Late Clinical Experience Human Medicine Students to provide an in-depth exposure to clinical, biopsycosocial, documentation, and ethical aspects of telehealth to address health conditions and patient needs. This course will provide experience and training for medical students in virtual health care services in the systems of care. Experience will include the provision of consultative services for rural patients and institutions through telemedicine services in partnership with primary care physicians and gerontologists. Students will learn to understand issues associated with telemedicine use including forces driving the adoption of telemedicine, liability and insurance and reimbursement, explore career opportunities and become familiar with the provision of clinical applications of telemedicine.
FM 620. Family Medicine Subinternship
The Family Medicine Subinternship is open only to students in The Integrated Medical School & Family Medicine Residency Program (TIP). Students will be placed in Family Medicine Residency Programs that are affiliated with the MSU CHM Department of Family Medicine. The purpose of this clerkship is to give the fourth-year medical student the opportunity to be involved in the care and management of patients at a higher level, closer to that of a first-year resident.
This Clerkship does not meet the Primary Care Selective requirement.
For more information contact:
Harland Holman, MD
Associate Chair of Academic Affairs, MSU, CHM
Lead Clerkship Director, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Site Lead, Spectrum Health Family Medicine Residency Center
