Integrative Medicine Elective Rotation: IDSP 960

Elective Rotation Description/Objectives

Course objectives are to expose medical students to other healing fields through readings, lectures and seminars, field observations, performing an independent review, and presenting a paper at the conclusion of the course. 

The students are expected to evaluate the claims of various practices critically and be rigorous in their questioning of all forms of human healing including practices currently considered mainstream. The students are expected to become aware of various practices that patients may be using so that they can be better-informed physicians and be more comfortable in discussing these areas with patients whom may be interested in using them or are already doing so. The students should also learn to communicate effectively with practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine therapies.

Teaching Methodologies

This course will consist of four major components:

1. Group lectures and demonstrations on campus at KUMC.
2. Clinical observation in various practitioners' offices.
3. Independent study including reading, library research, further experimental investigation of an area of particular interest to the student, which will culminate in the presentation of a written paper to the entire group during the last week of the course.
4. Individual experiences that provide personal balance for the students and expose them to a new personal mind-body practice, which they can incorporate into lifelong individual health habits such as meditation, yoga, etc.

Evaluation

• Students will be required to attend all class sessions and complete all clinical assignments (65% of grade).

• Each student will be required to research, prepare and deliver an electronic (Powerpoint) presentation to the group on a healing method of their choice including the history of the field, the scientific basis for the practice, the types of patient problems that it is suited to help, the way the student might incorporate this into their future practice, and the best medical evidence (30% of grade). 

• Students will be required to keep a log of their individual health balancing practice; time spent, type of practice, etc., and evaluate the benefit to them personally (5% of grade).

Course Syllabus

The syllabus will be handed out and contains articles from pertinent journals and other peer-reviewed literature to help evaluate the medical evidence base.

Required textbooks: None.