Wyoming Foundations Site Information

A Day in the Life of a Wyoming WWAMI Medical Student:

Class time: Students generally have four hours of class per day, with most days incorporating interactive learning or laboratories. All exams and some limited, short, learning experiences may be scheduled outside of normal class hours. Class delivery methods vary across blocks and within each block. All blocks are designed to have predominantly active learning approaches, but there will be sessions that are largely lecture based. Students are expected to attend class and to utilize the required materials to prepare for in-class discussions and activities. All blocks have periodic assessments and a final examination. Block objectives and core content, for which students will be held accountable on exams, will be the same across all WWAMI sites. Exams will have the same questions and format and will be administered in person. The timing of exams may vary slightly across Foundation sites and across blocks.

Summer Quarter 2024 (Orientation; Fundamentals of Medical Science & Research; Clinical Immersion): In Summer 2024, our WWAMI curriculum will begin with program orientation that culminates with a five-day NOLS wilderness medicine experience in Lander, WY. Upon return from NOLS, students will begin their first Foundation block, Fundamentals of Medical Science & Research (FMR). FMR will meet M-F in the afternoon with planned exams on Monday morning each week. Exams will be proctored in-person in the WWAMI classroom. The summer quarter will conclude with Clinical Immersion, focusing on basic clinical skills and reflection on practicing medicine.

Autumn Quarter 2024 (Infections & Immunity; Cancer, Hormones, & Blood; Foundations of Clinical Medicine): The autumn quarter will contain two blocks: Infections & Immunity (I&I) and Cancer, Hormones, & Blood (CHB). Both blocks will generally alternate between 5-day weeks (M-F) and 4-day weeks (MTRF) of class in the afternoon. Exams will be in the mornings (generally Mondays), in-person in the WWAMI classroom.

Alongside these two blocks, students will begin two additional Foundations of Clinical Medicine longitudinal activities: Hospital Tutorials & Clinical Skills Workshops, as described in the accompanying Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM) Course & College Mentor Program document.

Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM) Course & College Mentor Program: Wyoming

Daniel Radosevich, MD | FCM Co-Lead
Julie Carlson, MD | Hospitalist Lead
Dana Govaerts, MD | College Head

The Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM) Course is a comprehensive clinical skills program with four integrated and complementary elements. It formally begins with the Immersion block, which introduces students to medical school and clinical medicine, extends through the Foundations Phase, and culminates in the Transition to Clerkships.

The four integrated elements of FCM are:

Immersion: FCM starts with intensive initial clinical skills training, including fundamentals of doctor-patient communication and medical interviewing; the content and structure of the medical database; basic physical exam; introduction to professionalism and the culture of medicine.  Immersion consists of ten days in September, in conjunction with medical skills, which will be instructed at NOLS in Lander, WY.

Hospital Tutorials: Students work consistently with a faculty mentor and a small group of peer students beginning in September. They have opportunities to practice the comprehensive history and physical examination with hospitalized patients and are observed by their hospital faculty, who provide immediate formative feedback on their skills. During the second half of each tutorial morning, hospital faculty return to see each patient with the group of students to demonstrate interviewing and exam techniques at the bedside. Students perform oral case presentations and complete written histories and physicals for each patient, which are also reviewed and graded by the FCM leads.  Students have their Hospital Tutorial morning based on the hospitalists’ schedules. A team leader for every group will need to be in charge of scheduling with the group’s hospitalist.

Clinical Skills Workshops: Students learn core communication, physical exam, clinical reasoning, reflection, and teamwork skills in hands-on, interactive small group sessions aligned with the content of the Foundations blocks. They also cover other areas relevant to patient care, including communication skills and interview techniques, behavioral medicine, chronic care, interprofessional healthcare, and other areas. Students have Clinical Skills Workshops approximately every other Wednesday beginning in September (please refer to the FCM Canvas Page for details).

Primary Care Practicum (PCP): Starting in January, students will work in the same primary care physician’s office each semester in a longitudinal experience emphasizing outpatient clinical skills, patient relationships and continuity, chronic care, and teamwork.

In the clinic, students will have the opportunity to apply many of the skills they learned in Clinical Skills Workshops and Hospital Tutorials. Students have their PCP on alternate Wednesdays if possible and spend half of the day in their PCP setting, though some flexibility in scheduling is possible for students with extenuating circumstances. Those with questions about scheduling should reach out to their local PCP administrator.

College Mentor Program: In addition to FCM, your clinical development will include time with a practicing physician who will serve as an academic and professional mentor. You should meet your College Mentor during the Wyoming WWAMI orientation and they will mentor you throughout your four-year career at UWSOM. Our College Head will determine College Mentor groups.

The Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM) course is a comprehensive clinical skills program with four integrated and complementary elements.  It is the course in which medical students begin to learn how to think, act, feel and comport themselves as physicians.

The four integrated elements of FCM are:

Clinical Immersion: FCM begins in early September with this ten-day intensive clinical skills training.  During Clinical Immersion, first-year students learn the fundamentals of the physician-patient relationship and medical interviewing, the content and structure of the medical database, basic physical examination skills and an introduction to professionalism and the culture of medicine.

Hospital Tutorials: Beginning in September, small groups of first-year students meet on multiple occasions with a hospitalist physician.  Students have their Hospital Tutorial morning based on their hospitalist’s work schedule. A student leader for each group will be in charge of scheduling with the group’s hospitalist.  During the first half of each Tutorial session, students obtain a comprehensive history and perform a physical examination with a hospitalized patient.  During the second half of each Tutorial session, the hospitalist physician demonstrates interviewing and examination techniques at the bedside. Students perform oral case presentations and complete written histories and physicals for each patient interviewed.

Clinical Skills Workshops: Beginning in September, first-year students have Workshops approximately every other Wednesday.  In the Workshops, students learn foundational communication, physical exam, clinical reasoning, and teamwork skills in hands-on, interactive small group sessions, which are aligned with the content of the Foundation blocks. Students also study other areas relevant to patient care, including communication skills and interview techniques, aspects of behavioral medicine, management of chronic care, and inter-professional healthcare strategies.

Primary Care Practicum (PCP): Beginning in January of the first year, each student will pair with a physician in either Laramie or Cheyenne.  In the clinic, students will have the opportunity to apply many of the skills they have learned in Clinical Skills Workshops and Hospital Tutorials.  PCP provides a longitudinal experience emphasizing outpatient clinical skills, patient relationships and continuity, management of chronic care and teamwork.  In order to broaden the student’s PCP experience, each student will pair with a different PCP physician during the fall term of the second year.  Students often participate in a PCP activity on Wednesdays, as allowed by the Clinical Skills Workshops schedule.  Nevertheless, some scheduling flexibility is often required.

College Mentor Program: In addition to the FCM curriculum, your professional development will also include your spending time with a physician who will serve as an academic and professional mentor. You will meet your College Mentor in July of your first year during the Wyoming WWAMI orientation.  Your College Mentor will accompany you on your journey throughout your four years at UWSOM.

Students requesting a disability accommodation for FCM or any blocks/courses need to contact Disability Resource Services (DRS) directly by contacting UW DRS (uwdrs@uw.edu) or http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/ as soon as possible AND before the start of immersion so that appropriate accommodations can be made available in a timely fashion to allow the student to participate fully. This process can take between 2-6 weeks once your medical documentation has been submitted. Accommodations cannot be implemented until a DRS evaluation has been completed and appropriate accommodations are determined.

If students have any questions, they can also contact Dr. Maya Sardesai (sardesai@uw.edu), assistant dean for student development, or Sarah Wood (sewood@uw.edu), director for student affairs.