Education
Overview
The DFMRH has extensive teaching responsibilities and leadership throughout the four year curriculum. Faculty serve as course directors, lecturers, small group facilitators, clinical skills instructors and evaluators, and community-based preceptors. FSU COM students spend the first two years at the main campus in Tallahassee and the last two years at one of the six regional campuses and/or three rural training sites across the state.
Curtis Stine, M.D. serves as the course director for the year long Doctoring 1 course that teaches basic history and physical skills and has elements taught by every family physician faculty member.
Karen Myers, A.R.N.P. organizes and directs the community preceptorship program where 1st and 2nd year students spend a half day every other week with a community-based primary care physician.
Maggie Blackburn, M.D.directs the 3-week clinical immersion course (the Summer Clinical Practicum) at the end of first year when every first year student is placed with a primary care physician, especially those who treat underserved populations, throughout the state to reinforce clinical skills and gain experience in caring for the underserved.
Steve Quintero, M.D. is the physician advisor to the Clinical Learning Center.
In year 3, students participate in a required 6-week Family Medicine Clerkship that focuses on family medicine as practiced in the ambulatory setting. The required 4-week Advanced Family Medicine Clerkship occurs in year 4, and focuses on the expanded scope as practiced in family medicine residency programs and in rural settings. The DFMRH also sponsors and directs rural medical education training at three rural training locations.
Cross Cultural Medicine is a popular service-learning elective over Spring Break for 1st and 2nd year students. This course involves lectures and small group discussions and culminates with a weeklong cross-cultural experience in Mexico, Panama, or Immokalee, Florida. Faculty from the COM accompany students to these sites to provide primary care and teach issues of culture and culturally appropriate care. A Medical Spanish elective is available to first and second year students and an Advanced Medical Spanish elective is offered in the 4th year.
