P3-1/P3-2

Patients, Physicians & Populations Block

P3-1 (MSCI-5120)

The P3-1 course is delivered in three 1-week blocks throughout the MS1 year before or between foundational blocks, typically in July/August, October, and March. 

Key MS1 themes include Introduction to the Profession of Medicine, Patients and Populations, Social Determinants of Health, and Professional Development.

P3-2 (MSCI-6120)

The P3-2 course is delivered in two 1-week blocks throughout the MS2 year between or following foundational blocks, typically in September and February/March.

Key MS2 themes include Quality and Safety, Health Systems Science, Patients and Families, and Professional Development.

P3 Course Goals

• To prepare students to learn medicine at the bedside.
• To help students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and influence factors affecting the health of their patients.

P3 Course Objectives

• Ethics and Professionalism
  • Demonstrate demeanor, speech and appearance consistent with professional and community standards and bioethical principles.
  • Demonstrate dedication to the highest ethical standards governing physician-patient relationships, including privacy, confidentiality, and the fiduciary role of the physician and health care system.
• Patient Factors
  • Define and demonstrate sensitivity to the many factors affecting the health of patients.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the various systemic, economic and societal factors impacting health status and access to health care.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the physician’s role as a patient advocate.
• Interprofessional communication/Clinical Reasoning
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills and clinical reasoning in interactions with patients, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals.
  • Use reflective practices and feedback to assess and continuously improve skills in preparation for training in clinical settings.
• Evidence-based Medicine/Research
  • Define and develop skills in evidence-based medicine, the scientific method, and ethical principles of biomedical research.
  • Access and evaluate medical scholarship and literature.
  • Take advantage of opportunities to participate in scholarly or research projects that use epidemiological techniques and biomedical statistics.
• Self-directed Learning
  • Demonstrate skills in self-assessment of personal learning needs and independent identification, analysis and synthesis of relevant information for purposes of lifelong learning, critical assessment of the medical literature, and evidence based medical practice.
  • Explore specific areas of interest related to medicine and society, such as global health, community outreach, public health, medical ethics, or health advocacy.
• Health Systems
  • Outline key parameters related to quality and safety in health care including issues related to adverse events, medical error, transitions of care, and system-based analysis.
  • Apply techniques for assessing error and quality improvement, as well as improving patient hand-offs, and collaborating across health care teams.

P3 Honors Project

To receive a grade of HONORS in P3, students must pass all elements of P3 and complete an Honors Project. For this 2-year activity, students work in groups of 3-6 students. They work together to identify a population of interest and an issue, problem, health need, or community challenge that impacts that population. During P3-1, students conduct a needs assessment so that they understand the scope and depth of the problem and participate in a digital poster session in the spring. During P3-2, students identify and implement outreach or education efforts to meet the needs of their population of interest and give an oral presentation to peers and faculty. Many Honors Projects are presented at TTUHSC Student Research Week and are disseminated in professional settings or the medical literature.

Honors Project Objectives:

1. Identify community needs that affect health outcomes
2. Perform research and data collection activities to assess the current status of community and population needs
3. Gain skills working as a group
4. Navigate the complexities of working with a community partner
5. Present a project in a scholarly forum