A four-week medical student or resident rheumatology elective may be scheduled. During the elective, two of the weeks will be dedicated to outpatient rheumatology in faculty clinics, and two weeks will be spent on inpatient rheumatology. Outpatient experiences may include any or all of the following clinics:
During the inpatient elective, students and residents participate in work rounds and see new consultations in the morning and participate in teaching rounds in the afternoon. There are no expectations for students or residents to take call or to attend rounds over the weekend. During the inpatient rotation, students and residents may also attend the fellows' outpatient continuity clinics on Monday mornings at PCAM and Friday mornings at the VAMC. Rotator will also join rheumatology conferences on Tuesday mornings, including faculty-led didactics, case-management conference, and other educational programming.
Goals and objectives of the rotation include:
- To understand typical clinical presentations of common rheumatic diseases.
- To be able to describe the common pharmacologic therapies used in the care of patients with rheumatic diseases and list some of the adverse effects.
- To proficiently perform the musculoskeletal exam and differentiate inflammatory from non-inflammatory conditions.
- To perform at least one arthrocentesis if interested.
The clinical rheumatology rotations are quite popular. Therefore, we encourage interested students to apply early. Contact the fellowship coordinator, John Davis, for more information at 215-662-2792 or email John.Davis@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Medical student and resident research experiences are designed on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in learning more about a research rotation, please contact John Davis.