Course graded pass/fail only.

The Health Justice Project is a medical-legal partnership clinic that provides an introduction to the concept of medical-legal partnership, interdisciplinary collaboration, creative upstream problem solving, systemic advocacy, and professionalism. As an HJP medical student advocate, you will be working in collaboration with HJP student attorneys and supervising attorneys on cases involving a variety of areas of law including public benefits, access to health care, disability, education, housing, immigration, and family law. In your role as a student doctor, from a clinical perspective, you will be acting as medical counsel by interpreting patient records, researching clinical questions, and assisting with other issues as they arise over the course of case development. However, your role on the interprofessional team should also include adding your perspective to the issues that may arise and participating in other advocacy work to advance the health and well-being of your clients.  Keep in mind that HJP law students and social work interns have more time to dedicate to their HJP work.  It will be critical for you to communicate your availability and limitations due to other medical school commitments to your team as the semester progresses.  Navigating differing schedules and availability is a natural part of the interprofessional collaboration process.

OBJECTIVES

• Develop and improve fundamental doctoring skills including social determinants of health issue spotting, discussing difficult subjects, and interdisciplinary consultation.
• Develop and improve professional identity through an understanding of professional responsibility and ethics, exercising problem solving and judgment, managing patient and colleague expectations with respect and reliability, coping with uncertainty, and developing a reflective and goal driven practice.
• Develop patient-centered doctoring skills including effective patient interviewing, cross-cultural sensitivity, and patient counseling skills.
• Develop interdisciplinary collaboration skills through exposure to the social determinants of health, identify the role of various professionals, and engage other professionals in consultation and collaboration in advocacy.

REQUIREMENTS

Required Activities

1. Participate in HJP Orientation session with Loyola Law School
2. 3 in-class sessions with law students (2-hours weekly via teleconference)
3. Participate on an interprofessional advocacy team of law students and MSW students.  Collaborate with the team to interview clients, identify needs, conduct research, and engage in advocacy in live client cases.
4. Attend team meetings and team supervision meetings via zoom or Microsoft Teams video once a week.
5. Read the Required Books Below and assigned articles for seminar classes you are attending.  Articles referenced are available on Sakai.  Books must be purchased.
6. Final reflection paper on interprofessional collaboration and lessons learned about patient/client advocacy

Required Books

• Rishi Manchanda, The Upstream Doctors: Medical Innovators Track Sickness to Its Source (This TED book is available on a kindle, ibook, or nook.)
• Essentials of Health Justice: A Primer, Elizabeth Tobin-Tyler, Joel B. Teitelbaum (2018)(Available online and in the Loyola Book Store)
• All other readings for this course will be posted on Sakai.

Participation in required activities (70%), Final Project and Reflection (30%).

Graded pass/fail only.