The Fundamentals of Patient Care I goals are to:

• Introduce you to the practice and profession of medicine.
• Develop you professionally and cross-culturally.
• Prepare you to have the skills to build a medical history and to present in oral and written formats.
• Provide meaningful patient experiences.
• Increase your knowledge about behavioral sciences concepts.
• Develop your knowledge and skills in medical informatics.
• Acquisition of life-long, self-directed learning skills.
• Train your third-year clinical clerkship.
•  Pass the Step 1 USMLE.

Fundamentals of Patient Care is what physicians actually do! Care, Learn and Teach.  The first year exposure to Fundamentals of Patient Care is the beginning of a lifelong pursuit for excellence in patient care.  We cannot master these skills in a single session, semester, year, or even several years. Physician skills are complex and require constant reevaluation and refinement.  The evaluation and feedback from patients and faculty are constantly needed to hone your skills.  The faculty is to provide you with balanced feedback to address both your strengths and weaknesses. This molding process is essential to the development of the skills utilized during your entire professional career.  Learning these skills requires discipline and persistence. Your educational experience as a first year medical student is very difficult because of the wide range and amount of new information expected to master. In Fundamentals of Patient Care, application of your knowledge, use of your clinical skills and exhibition of a professional attitude are critical for your success.  Sometimes the importance of the course is vague, but be reassured of the relevance and importance of the information and skill acquisition. These skills are important for the continued success during medical education.

Learning activities have been selected to complement one another and maximize active, self-directed learning principles.  These activities are:

• Large group classroom lectures
• Medical communication skills in small groups
• Community-based Physician Experience- One on One Experience
• Case Based Learning Exercises.
• Medical informatics - students effectively search, retrieve, organize, manage and evaluate biomedical information through self-directed learning activities.
• Physical Examination Skills preparing you for the art and science of physical diagnosis
• Basic Science Integration – students integrate knowledge acquired in the basic science courses with the practice of medicine