Trent Reed, DO; Dr. Chris Frothingham, DO (at University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine)

Worth one week of elective credit.

2023 Dates:

• Wednesday, October 11
• Wednesday, October 25
• Wednesday, November 8
• Wednesday, November 15
• Wednesday, December 6

The goal of the elective is to introduce students to osteopathic medicine and provide exposure to osteopathic manipulative techniques, OMT. Teacher Assistants (TA's) will have taken the three-month elective course - Introduction to Osteopathic Medicine previously, including eight podcasts and five skills sessions, to gain understanding and skills of osteopathic examination, diagnosis, and manipulation. Teacher Assistants now will be responsible for assisting in three of the six sessions with proper reviewing beforehand of all techniques. TAs will also be included in a half-day shadowing session of osteopathic manipulation at MacNeal family medicine clinic, after which they will write a reflection regarding their experience and include a written case presentation of one of the patients who was treated with OMT OR attend an extra two sessions. At the end of the elective, students will also write a reflection on their experience of being a TA.  Students will receive one week of credit after completing each of the criteria explained. By the end of the elective, student should be able to discuss the history of osteopathic medicine, assess and discuss treatment regarding topics such as soft tissue, lymphatics, and muscle energy, and be familiarized with specific osteopathic manipulative techniques such as the structural exam, myofascial release techniques, and HVLA. We aim to bridge the connection between allopathic and osteopathic medicine in order to provide students with well-rounded training for any and all future opportunities in residency and careers, with special attention to the upcoming GME merger. This elective should provide students with a basic knowledge in osteopathic manipulative techniques, OMT and prepare them for future opportunities regarding osteopathic medicine. 

Graded Pass/Fail only.

To receive the one week credit for being a TA, students must complete the following: 

a. Teacher assistants will attend three 1.5-2 hour elective sessions with two hours prep for each;
b. Students will do a half-day shadowing session at the MacNeal OMT clinic with pre and post prep reading;
c. Students will do a reflection regarding their shadowing experience at MacNeal;
d. Students will have a choice of either completing a written case presentation of one of the patients they saw at MacNeal who was treated with OMT OR attending two extra sessions as a TA;
e. Students will write a reflection at the end of the elective regarding their experience as a TA.

Students will be evaluated on the basis of each of the eight core objectives just as in the original elective, as well as completion and effort in each of the criteria enumerated above. Students will be required to write a reflection at the end of the elective assessing how their skills have grown from being a TA & regarding their shadowing experience.