Introduction to Primary Care Medicine

The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University offers an Introduction to Primary Care Medicine (IPCM) block that introduces first year medical students to primary care medicine, the patient-centered medical home model, and provides a foundational context for the curriculum including introductions to the basic science elements.  Beginning with orientation for this one-week credit course, students will be introduced to a patient who has diabetes. This case will unfold over the next five days and will be the basis for 85 activities that provide the context for the basic sciences and primary care medicine; the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model; clinical decision support; evidence-based practice; patient engagement and empowerment; and quality improvement leadership.

This one-week course will provide a foundation of clinical knowledge as it relates to primary care medicine and prepare first year students for further study in their year one medical curriculum.  This course will also introduce and develop clinical reasoning skills through participation in both standardized patient and osteopathic manipulative medicine labs. 

The goals for this course are to engage students in concepts of primary care medicine, explore the PCMH and its components, and introduce preliminary clinical reasoning concepts.  Performance assessment grading for this course is based on the following factors: 1) daily reflective papers, osteopathic manipulative medicine assignments and other assignments; 2) an end-of-course comprehensive project that will require students to integrate and apply material covered during the course to a new patient case; and 3) daily preparation and participation. 

Prior to beginning this course, students complete a survey to determine their knowledge and attitudes about primary care and the PCMH model; they are then surveyed again longitudinally at the course's completion, and throughout their medical school years.