Summer Externship in Family Medicine

This mentorship program pairs a Boston University medical student between her/his first and second year of study with a family physician in a community setting. The student spends approximately thirty hours per week for four weeks immersed in the practice setting. The student may choose a family practice anywhere in the U.S. with a Board Certified Family Physician. In order for students to stay connected to BU faculty and their peers over the course of this experience, they are asked to participate in an interactive on-line teaching program. A stipend of $1000 is offered for this program that is sponsored by the BU AHEC (Area Health Education Center) and the Department of Family Medicine at BUSM.

GOALS:

• Appreciate that Family Medicine is a satisfying and rewarding career

• Experience unique aspects of problem solving and decision making in Family Medicine

• Improve skills of patient interviewing through observation and direct experience

• Improve skills of physical examination through observation and direct experience

• Learn about screening tools used in a community setting

• Experience patient management in an outpatient setting

• Experience the role of community service in a practice setting

• Become proficient at utilizing the Department of Family Medicine’s web-site for communicating with other students and faculty involved in the externship

• Have a unique and fun early clinical experience