AHEC Advanced Integration Elective Courses

LCOM students can enroll in an AHEC-sponsored elective course during their fourth year. Some students complete an AHEC elective to complete the requirements of the AHEC Scholars program prior to graduation. Other students have already completed AHEC Scholars requirements and take a course to continue their learning.

All AHEC-sponsored courses meet the requirements for 80 hours of activity (40 hours didactic and 40 hours clinical/field hours) to meet a year of requirements toward the AHEC Scholars program. The courses are offered in-person at the Burlington, VT campus and field activities have a Vermont focus. The three currently offered AHEC electives are:

 

Addiction Medicine (Med 2560)

The didactic content for this 2-week elective includes in-person lectures by local experts, reading and films, and a weekly journal club. The clinical time is completed in settings in the greater Burlington area. Vermont has a unique team-based, statewide Hub and Spoke model of care for treating patients with OUD. Students will learn about this model which is nationally recognized for its innovative approach to the opioid epidemic. Students will be exposed to the role of the various members of the Hub and Spoke team and the way patients progress through what is typically a years-long treatment process. This elective will provide an opportunity for students to gain a deeper understanding of OUD as it relates to public health, criminal justice, and healthcare. This is a unique, interactive opportunity to hone your skills in addiction medicine and gain experience in the use of medications for opioid use disorder. This elective is relevant to any specialty and future practice and is an opportunity to meet outstanding AHEC Scholars requirements prior to graduation.

(Course faculty: Elly Riser MD, MPH, Halle Sobel MD, Charles D. MacLean MD)

 

LGBT Health (FM 1150)

This 2-week elective course is a combination of self-study, e-modules, clinical time, weekly group discussion and community site visits in the greater Burlington area. The elective is designed to meet the needs of students with a broad range of knowledge and background on the issues facing the LGBT community. Clinical activities include attending transgender clinic, seeing patients in gender affirming outpatient primary care settings, and attending other service clinics, such as speech therapy, electrolysis, and surgical clinics. Community-based activities include participating in programming at organizations such as the PRIDE Center and Outright Vermont. This is a unique, interactive opportunity to delve deeper into LGBT and gender affirming care prior to starting residency. This elective is relevant to any specialty and future practice and is an opportunity to meet outstanding AHEC Scholars requirements prior to graduation.

(Course faculty: Kathy Mariani MD, MPH)

 

AHEC Scholars Community Engagement and Social Medicine (MED 2562)

The broad goal of this 2-week elective course is to provide students with exposure to health care topics not deeply explored in the LCOM curriculum. Students will gain a deeper understanding of how socioeconomic factors impact health and explore community engagement strategies that allow healthcare professionals to join with others in addressing these factors. The 40 didactic hours include on-line modules from the ACP called Caring with Compassion, and assigned readings, videos, films, activities, and discussion posts. Topics include uninsured, under-insured and vulnerable populations, homelessness, public health insurance, healthcare funding, behavioral and mental health services, substance use disorders, health policy and advocacy. The 40 clinical/field hours are chosen and arranged by the student prior to the start of the course. Field activities could involve working with a wide array of community members engaged in supporting health at the individual and population level, such as providers, policy makers, advocates, legislators, non-profit organizations, human services providers, and other stakeholders. This elective is relevant to any specialty and future practice and is an opportunity to meet outstanding AHEC Scholars requirements prior to graduation.

(Course faculty: Charles D. MacLean MD, Mark Pasanen MD, and Kathy Mariani MD, MPH)