Current Family Medicine Preceptor Newsletter
MAY 2006

Welcome to the Spring 2006 Newsletter!  First and foremost, it is imperative, despite the risk of being repetitive, that I thank each and every one of you for your continued efforts.  The influence our Clerkship has on the Future of Family Medicine cannot be understated.  Twelve, top notch graduating Loyola students will be entering our specialty, and the overwhelming majority said the 3^rd Year Clerkship, and the role models they encountered, made the difference.  This is no small task, as a concerning number of US Senior Medical Students are NOT choosing Family Medicine.  STFM, the AAFP, and the AFMRD are all intensely looking at ways to address this sobering fact.  2006 was better, nationwide, than 2005, but by no means revolutionary.  As with many complex issues, such as this one, acting, and thinking locally, can still make significant impact.  This is exactly what you are doing, by engaging medical students in your Practice.  The very survival of our specialty depends on it.

The mechanics, and requirements, our Clerkship must sustain are always changing.  New initiatives in Preventive Care, Radiology, documentation of observable skills, student duty hours, protection against student abuse, and myriad others, are all fully underway.  Our Clerkship remains the #1 rated in the school.

Please continue to hold students to the highest standard of excellence, and avoid the urge to inflate grades.  Always, please feel free to contact me with any concerns, insights, or developments you wish to report.  Have a wonderful Spring season.

Sincerely,
Scott A. Levin, MD

Clerkship

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