Enhanced Skills Program: Hospital Medicine Goals and Objectives Community Hospital Rotation

Goals and Objectives: PGY-3 FM-Academic Hospital Medicine

1. Medical Expert

By the end of the rotation the resident will:

  • Independently assess patients, completing admission assessments, providing follow-up inpatient care and preparing for discharge
  • Demonstrate an approach to common general medical conditions requiring hospitalization (the following is a guideline and is not exhaustive):
    • Cardiovascular: Angina, heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmias, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, syncope
    • Dermatology: common inpatient problems, drug reactions
    • Endocrinology: diabetes, thyroid disorders, lipid disorders, osteoporosis
    • Gastrointestinal: GI bleeding, diarrhea, constipation, acute/chronic liver disease, abdominal pain
    • Geriatric: dementia, delirium, recurrent falls, weight loss, polypharmacy, urinary incontinence, chronic pain, decubitus ulcers
    • Hematology: anemia, coagulation disorders, cytopenias, lymphadenopathy
    • Infectious Disease: acute infectious illness (sepsis, meningitis, encephalitis, pneumonia, endocarditis, gastroenteritis, cellulitis, urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis), tuberculosis
    • Neurology: headache, seizure, stroke, vertigo, syncope, movement disorders
    • Nephrology: acute kidney insufficiency, chronic renal insufficiency, electrolyte disorders, acid-base disorders
    • Oncology: approach to workup of mass NYD, appropriate screening tests
    • Palliative: end of life care, symptoms control
    • Respiratory: obstructive airway disease, pleural effusion, infections, interstitial lung disease, malignant disease, thromboembolic disease
    • Rheumatologic: acute/chronic monoarthritis and polyarthritis, vasculitis
  • Make appropriate use of antibiotics/antibiotic stewardship,
  • Recognize disease presentations that deviate from common patterns and requires complex decision making
  • Modify differential diagnosis and care plan based on the patient’s clinical course and available investigations, in the context of patient centered care
  • Correctly interpret laboratory tests, chest radiographs, ABGs and ECGs
  • Demonstrate familiarity and intermediate competence with procedures, including but not limited to arterial puncture for blood gas, joint aspiration/injection, nasogastric tube insertion, paracentesis, thoracentesis, lumbar puncture
  • Manage, with minimal supervision, general medical patients with a broad spectrum of clinical disorders. Recognizes limitations and asks for assistance appropriately

2. Communicator

By the end of the rotation the resident will:

  • Demonstrate an organized approach of gathering historical information from patients and their family
  • Ensure patient centered communication regarding diagnosis, prognosis, medical status and treatment options occur with patients and their families
  • Appropriately counsel patients about benefits and risks of in hospital tests and procedures
  • Participate in patient handover to on-call staff/residents outlining patient status and potential areas of medical concern

3. Collaborator

By the end of the rotation the resident will:

  • Develop strong and effective working relationships with allied health staff, nursing and physician colleagues
  • Utilize consultation with other services appropriately and effectively, and judiciously puts into practice their recommendations
  • Demonstrate effective collaboration with medical and allied health team members to ensure comprehensive, efficient and safe discharge planning occurs

4. Manager/Leader

By the end of the rotation the resident will:

  • Demonstrate time management skills to reflect and balance priorities of patient care, outpatient practices, academic demands and sustainable practice/personal life.
  • Demonstrate an efficient approach to being the most responsible physician to large number of inpatients
  • Demonstrate an approach to inpatient billing practice


5. Health Advocate

By the end of the rotation the resident will:

  • Assess, individualize and respond to inpatients health concerns using a biopsychosocial model
  • Mentor advocacy to team members throughout inpatient admission and through planning outpatient discharge plans
  • Minimize unnecessary test, procedures and therapies