Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Required Courses

• MED MD 546: Sub-Internship: Surgical Intensive Care Unit
  Fourth year medical students are eligible to participate in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit elective at Boston Medical Center. This can be a one or two month elective which will be spent at the Menino Pavilion surgical intensive care unit. Students will be active members of the team and will participate in daily rounds and will be responsible for presenting in detail, all patients whom they have called on previously. He/she will defend the therapy initiated and propose a comprehensive treatment plan. Additionally, the student will participate in all procedures performed in the surgical intensive care unit. The Section on Critical Care offers daily teaching rounds as well as didactic lectures. It is hoped at the conclusion of this elective the student will have an appreciation of the problems and care of the critically ill patient.
• MED MD 547: Surgery Internship Prep Course
  In this elective, 4th year medical students are given the opportunity to delve deeper into the surgical management of patients. This rotation is for individuals who are going into general surgery or a surgical subspecialty, and is designed to prepare them for their internship. This rotation will expose students to crucial concrete knowledge and technical skills important for a surgical internship as well as for a surgical career. It includes focused didactic lectures, hands-on skills laboratory, a mock pager experience, and focused rotations; these activities are all designed to augment a student's exposure to real-life scenarios one would expect in a surgical internship and beyond.
• MED MD 548: Sub-Internship: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
  The elective in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery will consist of a two week period with exposure to general plastic surgery with an emphasis on the aesthetic aspects of the field. This will provide the student with a broad basis in the area of elective plastic surgery. All arrangements for electives must be made through the Medical Student Coordinator at Boston Medical Center.
• MED MD 549: Sub-Internship: Colon and Rectal Surgery
  The Fourth Year Sub-internship is a 4 week course in Colon and Rectal Surgery designed to immerse the 4th year student in all aspects of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Boston Medical Center. This rotation will provide students with the basic components of colon and rectal disorders and surgeries and the care of patients with these disorders. The student will be an integral part of the surgical team in the inpatient unit, the operating room, and the surgical clinic. The acquisition of knowledge and skills in the care of the colorectal patient will be conducted in the following setting and activities. Colon and Rectal surgery clinic - Shapiro 6th floor 1. evaluation of new and established patients 2. follow-up of medically and surgically treated patients 3. assist in basic endoscopy including anoscopy and proctoscopy 4. assist in office procedures such as drainage of abscesses, excision of thrombosed MASernal hemorrhoids and tags, rubber band ligation 5. assist in wound care 6. assist in ostomy care Emergency department - as above Surgical inpatient service - comprehensive perioperative management The 4th year student will be an integral part of the surgery team on the inpatient units, outpatient clinic, and in the operating room during the 4-week sub-internship. The student will function as acting interns responsible for the evaluation and continued management of their own patients, under the direct supervision of the attending physicians, residents and physician assistants. Specifically, the student will take on the management of at least three new patients each week, and will assume primary responsibility for the care of these patients, with appropriate supervision. In addition, the student will be expected to do the following: perform initial history and physicals, write orders, assist in coordinating care, assist with or perform supervised procedures as applicable and appropriate for the sub-intern, present cases, use evidence-based medicine principles to help guide patient care, participate in teaching sessions, and take at least 2 weekend calls during the 4 week rotation alongside residents and attending physicians. With supervision, the student will also perform or assist procedures as appropriate to educational level and patient safety including venipuncture, IV line placement, arterial blood gas, foley catheter placement, nasogastric tube insertion, preparing and draping for surgery, assisting with surgery, and closure of surgical wounds. All Sub-I activities will be performed under appropriate supervision which can include attendings, residents, APPs or other qualified individuals on the Service.
• MED MD 550: Sub-Internship: Minimally Invasive Surgery
  The minimally invasive surgery elective at Boston University Medical Center is a combined clinical and research program with a strong focus in laparoscopic bariatric surgery and additional experience in laparoscopic foregut, endoscopic and robotic surgery. The elective is four weeks in duration and is designed to develop the surgical, educational and research skills of the medical student. The goals of the elective include: 1. Provide exceptional care for surgical patients 2. Learn pre-operative and post-operative management of bariatric surgery 3. Obtain introductory training in minimally invasive surgery with special focus in bariatric surgery
• MED MD 551: Sub-Internship: Orthopaedic Surgery
  The Orthopaedic Sub-I will take place at the Boston Medical Center at both the inpatient and outpatient setting that comprises of six total subspecialties: - Orthopaedic Trauma - Fracture Care - Hand and Elbow Surgery - Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery - Foot and Ankle The Sub-I will have the option to choose which subspecialty will fit their clinical interest and career goals. Please go to https://www.bumc.bu.edu/orthopaedics/ to read about the description of each specific subspecialty. The Sub-I on the Orthopaedic service will be responsible for the following: 1. Assist in the care for patients in the emergency room, clinics and operating room whom have orthopedic injuries. 2. Learn the preoperative and postoperative management of patients undergoing orthopedic procedures. 3. Learn how to evaluate patients in the clinic setting including taking pertinent orthopaedic history and performing an appropriate physical examination. 4. Obtain introductory training in orthopedic procedures such as casting, splinting, joint aspirations, wound closure, wound management, management of wound vacs, management of MASernal fixation devices, principles of surgical stabilization of fractures and basics in arthroplasty and spine fixation. 5. Function as a Acting-Intern with responsibilities commensurate with this educational requirement: 1. Function as acting intern responsible for the evaluation and continued anagement of patients under supervision of residents and attendings. 2. As part of the care team, will perform initial H&Ps, assist in coordinating care, assist with or perform supervised procedures appropriate for the sub-intern, present cases, use evidence-based medicine principles to help guide patient care, etc. 3. All Sub-I will be required to present a 12 min talk on the 3rd weds of the month during grand rounds on a case or topic of interest. 3 mins for questions at the end. 4. It is expected that the Sub-I will prepare for every single OR case by obtaining the patient history, indications for surgery, anatomy, surgical approach, steps to the procedure, and read two pertinent articles related to each case. 5. It is expected that the Sub-I will read daily, on the consults seen in the ED, patients seen in clinic the OR cases. Sub-I will meet with their respective supervisor and the senior resident on service for the subspecialty at the beginning, 2 weeks, and at the end of the month for formal feedback
• MED MD 552: Sub-Internship: Cardiac Surgery
  The rotation takes place at Boston Medical Center. Student will be part of the cardiac surgery team and expected to be involved in the day-to-day clinical care. Student will be working directly with the cardiac surgeons and physician assistants with goal to gain gradual comfort and supervised independency with basic surgical skills and management of cardiac surgery in the preoperative and postoperative setting as well as in the clinic.
• MED MD 554: Sub-Internship: Thoracic Surgery
  The thoracic surgery service sees a high volume of patients with chest disease, and performs a broad range of procedures related to the thoracic cavity including, but not limited to thoracotomy, thoracoscopy, bronchoscopy, mediastinoscopy, pulmonary wedge resection, lobectomy, pneumonectomy, endoscopy, esophageal stenting, esophageal myotomy, esophagectomy, hiatal hernia repair, antireflux surgery, etc. The service cares for a number of postoperative patients, and frequently consults on patients with complex needs on other services. Due to the nature of thoracic disease, patients can be quite ill during the perioperative and postoperative period. The sub-intern student will be an integral part of the thoracic surgery team in the operating room, inpatient unit, and outpatient clinic at Boston Medical Center during this 4-week sub-internship experience. Students will be responsible for evaluation and management of their own patients under the direct supervision of attending surgeons and residents, and will care for at least three new patients per week, performing histories and physicals, coordinating care, etc. They will perform procedures as appropriate, including venipuncture, IV placement, arterial blood gas, foley catheter placement, nasogastric tube insertion, bronchoscopy, thoracostomy, and closure of surgical wounds, all under appropriate supervision. The sub-intern will also take call with the surgical team on a regular schedule. As Boston University is a teaching program, students will also have the opportunity to enhance their teaching skills by assisting in the education of clerkship students in the operating room as well as the inpatient and outpatient settings. The goals for the rotation include: · Assist in the care for acute and chronic disease seen in these surgical patients, as evaluated and managed by the service · Learn pre-operative and post-operative management of patients undergoing thoracic procedures · Obtain introductory training in thoracic surgery procedures such as bronchoscopy, endoscopy, thoracentesis, chest tube placement/management/removal, etc · Function as a sub-intern with responsibilities commensurate with this educational requirement: o Function as acting interns responsible for the evaluation and continued management of their own patients, under the direct supervision of the attending physicians and residents. o Care for at least three new patients per week, and possibly more depending on the opportunities for patient care. o As part of patient care you will be expected to do the following: perform initial history and physicals, write orders, assist in coordinating care, assist with or perform supervised procedures as applicable and appropriate for the sub-intern, present cases, use evidence-based medicine principles to help guide patient care, participate in teaching sessions, and take call alongside residents and attending physicians. Students should report to morning rounds at the thoracic surgery workro
• MED MD 555: Sub-Internship: Acute Care and Trauma Surgery
  The Trauma and Acute Care surgery elective at Boston Medical Center is clinical program with a strong focus on management of acute general surgical disease and the multimodal and multidisciplinary management of traumatic injury. The elective is four weeks in duration and is designed to develop the complex peri-, intra-, and post-operative decision making and basic open and laparoscopic surgical skills of the medical student. The goals of the elective include: 1. Provide exceptional care for surgical patients 2. Develop pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative management strategies in acute general surgical and traumatic surgical maladies 3. Develop an understanding of co-morbid medical conditions that can influence surgical decision making.
• MED MD 557: Sub-Internship: Surgical Oncology
  
• MED MD 558: Sub-Internship: Vascular Surgery
  
• MED MD 559: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery-Maxillofacial Trauma and Temporomandibular Joint Surgery
  
• MED MD 560: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery-Pathology and Reconstruction
  
• MED MD 561: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery-Orthognathic Surgery
  
• MED MD 562: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery-Dentoalveolar/Maxillofacial Infections
  
• MED MD 565: Teaching Clinical Skills 1
  BUSM-IV medical students will learn how to observe, teach, and provide constructive feedback to BUSM-I medical students learning interviewing skills in the Introduction to Clinical Medicine Course. The BUSM-IV student instructor will be assigned a group of 4-5 first year students. The BUSM-IV instructor will be responsible for teaching these students how to conduct a basic patient interview, how to compose a basic patient write-up, and how to verbally present a clinical case in a concise manner. Prior to each teaching/interviewing session, the BUSM-IV students will meet with Dr. Ferrenz to discuss training issues. The purpose of this elective is to provide the 4th year student with clinical teaching skills and to enhance their own interviewing skills.
• MED MD 566: Teaching Clinical Skills 2
  The Teaching Clinical Skills 2 elective provides fourth-year students with an opportunity to teach in the ward prep portion of Doctoring 2 course. Each MS4 will mentor 2-4 MS2s 7 times during their HPE course. On ward prep days, the MS4 will go to their assigned ward (e.g., MP 4 east) and find and consent patients for their students to interview prior to 1 pm. At 1 pm, they will meet with their MS2s and introduce them to the patients that they will interview. MS4s will directly observe and coach MS2s while they interview and perform physical exams and prepare case presentations. They will provide both verbal and written feedback based on their observations. Students will sign up for either Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday afternoons from 1-3:30 pm for the 7 ward prep sessions. If a student is away (e.g., for an interview), they can make up the session covering another group of MS2s on a different day of the week on that or another week. There will be an orientation session at the beginning of block 15 and teaching development session mid-elective. The student must attend all 7 sessions (unless they have an excused absence) and complete the 7 weekly formative evaluations of their cohort of MS2s to receive 2-weeks of elective credit.
• MED MD 567: Teaching in the Anatomical and Physiological Sciences
  The Teaching in the Anatomical and Physiological Sciences elective is offered in M4 elective blocks that coincide with anatomy body donor prosection and teaching in the Principles Integrating Science, Clinical Medicine, and Equity (PISCEs) anatomy labs for Neuro-ENT, Foundations 2, and Derm/Rheum/MSK with opportunities to learn best practices for teaching and learning, and develop instructional materials and review content. Teaching opportunities are in-person in the anatomy lab, specifically:a)Anatomy and Ultrasound Medical Educator Fellowship (AUSMEF) program for rising M2 students (full body prosection) is typically in June.b)Neuro-ENT (head and neck) prosection and lab teaching is typically in August.c)Foundations 2 (embryology/histopathology, neuroanatomy, thorax, abdomen, pelvis) prosection and lab teaching is typically in September.d)Dermatology/Rheumatology/Musculoskeletal Medicine (back and limbs) prosection and lab teaching is typically in the second half of October through first half of November.
• MED MD 570: Gastroenterology
  Emphasis is placed on the diagnosis and management of patients with common gastrointestinal disorders. The student sees outpatients referred to the GI Clinic and patients hospitalized with gastrointestinal problems on the wards of the Menino Pavilion. The student is expected to make daily morning work rounds with the Fellows, see new patients in consultation, and participate in all of the activities including seminars, Journal Club and clinical conferences sponsored by the Gastroenterology Section.
• MED MD 571: Sub-Internship: Neonatology
  The student participates in the work-up and care of high risk babies from the time of their delivery on the Maternity Floor through their NICU course. The Sub-I pre-rounds and examines his/her patients in preparation to present these patients during morning work rounds. The student formulates a care plan with the NICU staff and carries out that plan. Sub-Is participate in procedures, discharge planning and family meetings. Time is available for the student to read in depth about perinatal medicine and to participate in seminars with house staff and senior staff.