MEDICINE 414C
Introduction to Outpatient Primary Care Internal Medicine
Kathleen A. Waite
Description from DukeHub
The rotation is best suited for students interested in pursuing a career in primary care or internal medicine due to the faster pace of clinic. Course Goals: At the end of the experience, students should be able to 1) Diagnose and manage a number of common internal medicine and primary care problems including a wide variety of diseases that are generally seen only in the ambulatory setting 2) Be familiar with current USPSTF guidelines for preventive services and cancer screening, 3) Competently and efficiently take a problem-focused history, perform a directed physical exam and perform some office-based procedures. How Goals Are Achieved: The student will work with faculty preceptors within Duke Primary Care, Duke Outpatient Clinic, and other community-based offices spending one or more days per week seeing patients with a preceptor. The student with see patients at multiple different sites with multiple preceptors. Clinical sites are located both at Duke and in the surrounding communities. A diverse mix of patients and conditions are seen in the outpatient setting. Patients present for preventive services, as well as, management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis, and common mental health conditions. In addition, patients are seen for acute illnesses such as pneumonia, pharyngitis, sinusitis and urinary tract infections on a same day basis. Patients routinely present with symptoms that have not been previously evaluated or diagnosed, allowing students to truly sharpen their clinical skills. The student evaluates selected patients first then presents and discusses the case with the attending. The student must outline in writing five goals that he or she wishes to accomplish during this rotation. The student's goals should be emailed to Dr. Waite at least three weeks before the rotation begins. Methods of Evaluation: The faculty preceptor who works directly with the student does the student evaluation. Grades are based on the student's interactions with patients, his or her clinical thinking regarding diagnosis and management of their problems, and documented records. Professionalism, fund of knowledge, and commitment to learning are highly weighted. Prerequisites: Students must be enrolled in their fourth year of medical school at Duke and must have completed first, second, and third year requirements as demonstrated by advancement by the Promotions Committee to fourth year student status. Students must have access to the Duke Maestro Care computer system to effectively function in clinic. Permission required for enrollment. Students must contact Dr. Kathleen Waite via email (contact listed in DukeHub) to determine time and location for initial meeting. They must also contact Dr. Waite in advance of the course start date to create goals and schedule. Dr. Waite can also be reached by phone at (contact listed in DukeHub). Credit: 1 (10 clinic sessions, 4 hours each session over a four-week block) or 2 (20 clinic sessions, 4 hours over a four-week block). Due to scheduling issues if in not possible to complete this elective in a 1- or 2-week period of time. Please note that this is a 1 or 2 credits only. Enrollment: max 1 student for 2 credits. Kathleen Waite, MD; Karl Bernat, MD; Patrick Hemming, MD; Daniel Hoffman, MD; Sharon Suson, MD; Fatima Syed, MD and other outpatient faculty
Skills
AI-resilient: 3 of 5
- Yes: Physical, lab or field work · clinical rotation
- Yes: Live work with people · "outpatient"
- Yes: Judgment someone is accountable for · "diagnose"
- No: A craft you practice with your hands or body
- No: Small, in-person format
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
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