First Roratation is FM: resources for the clueless

[Abby_Normal]

FM is my first rotation and, while beginning third year with a wee bit of everything seemed like a good idea at the time I was making my schedule safely ensconced in the preclinical world, I am now realizing that the breadth of knowledge required in this clerkship might have made it a poor starting point.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could suggest any resources good for family medicine with no previous clerkship experience. Most of the suggestions I've found so far seem to assume you've already done IM, peds, or OB/GYN...

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[Bacchus]

Get a Maxwell's guide for writing notes. I'd recommend it regardless of what rotation you're on. Also, since there is a lot of preventative medicine download the AHRQ's ePSS app for screening. It tells you what screening should be done on your patient by evidence level.

You should also know some of the basics, such as the ADA guidelines for diabetes diagnosis or ASCCP's guidelines for PAPs (if that's what your rotation follows). Keep a printout of the vaccine schedule for kids in your white coat.

I've also seen people carry around the prep books for FM so they can read when they have downtime and prepare for the shelf.

FM is a people-oriented field. Be nice, helpful and talk with those around you. Be a team player. Even if you're not interested in FM (which many aren't) try to learn as much as possible because, as you said, there is a lot of knowledge and it can definitely help you get some foundation started.

 

[mimelim]

It doesn't matter what you start on, everything is going to seem daunting at first. This post was written for starting on your surgical clerkship, but the spirit is the same.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=13752337&postcount=21

Focus on learning how to take a good history as well as do a good physical exam. At the same time, pick the 10 most common problems and learn about them. For example, when it comes to FM, you should know the basics of HTN and JNC7. For HLD, you should know the basics of ATP3. For strep throat, you should know the most common symptoms and who you should be testing, culturing and empirically treating.

As for resources, take your pick. Casefiles or other study books are good, but a lot of MS3 is finding a reasonable textbook or online resource to read about things you see. Uptodate is a good starting point for a lot of things.