This course introduces the principles of patient diagnosis in the clinical setting with the basic material presented in a series of lectures. Students are expected to develop both a logical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patient complaints, as well as the technical skills which will enable them to take down a patient history and to perform a physical examination. Each student studies one or two patients per week and presents their cases on the teaching rounds. Then he/she follows these patients throughout their hospital stay, and finally writes a history of each patient’s disease, using the patient’s case as a basis for discussion. Student activities include rounds, consultations, laboratory sessions, specific diagnostic procedures, and treatment planning. Students also participate in outpatient clinics held by physicians. The training experience in this course emphasizes the clinical manifestations of various diseases in such areas as: cardiology, gastroenterology, hematology, nephrology, pulmonology, endocrinology, and nuclear medicine.
