Over the last two weeks, we worked on a problem based case in FPC small groups. It began with a standardized patient who came in to talk about a family member's medical problem. I was the interviewer for that week. I won't actually go into any detail about the case since it's probably going to be used in future years (and we are supposed to treat it as if it were a real patient, preserving confidentiality). However, the interview was interesting for several reasons. I was talking to someone about her family member, rather than to the person himself. I had to break bad news. And the patient reacted very emotionally and was not happy. It was difficult, but I enjoyed it greatly. It was an incredibly fun and educational experience. When I was talking to the standardized patient, I really got absorbed in obtaining a good medical history; I forgot we were in our classrooms with my peers and small group facilitators. It was just me and the person I was building rapport with.
The case unfolded over the next week. In these cases, we get information about the present illness, physical findings, family history, etc. We begin to form our differential of what's going on and also discuss labs and diagnostic tests. At the end of the session, we each decide on a learning issue to research for the next week.
On the last FPC PBL, like many others, I wikipedia'd my answer. However, we had a special library session to learn to use the resources available here. I was very apprehensive at first. Not only was it a Friday afternoon, but it was about things like PubMed. Even if you hadn't used PubMed, it's easy to figure out (especially for this generation of medical students, though I will say that PubMed doesn't have the best user interface). But I actually enjoyed the session a lot. There are a good deal of other resources available through the university. Many medical texts and references can be accessed, and these will become essential throughout my training here.
In the end, we came back and solved the case. It was fascinating. While a curriculum based strictly on cases may easily leave stuff out, I feel that a curriculum without PBL lacks a connection between lectures and what a doctor actually does. Here, they equip us with many skills. We learn to work as a team, to learn from and teach each other, to answer questions ourselves, and to think independently as well as with others.
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In ancient Greece, the asclepion was a healing temple dedicated to Asclepius, the God of Medicine. Asclepius learned the art of surgery from the centaur Chiron and had the ability to raise the dead. The Rod of Asclepius is a roughhewn branch entwined with a single serpent.
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Hi! I am Craig Chen, a third year resident physician in anesthesiology at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics. I went to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to medical school, I studied philosophy and biology at Stanford University, along with a minor in creative writing.
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