Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

PMR 730: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation elective

Credit: One elective for medical school

Prerequisite: Successful completion of the second year of medical school

Faculty: Natasha Romanoski, DO, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

When offered: At approximate four-week intervals throughout the academic year

Number of students: Enrollment of four to six students yearly, in individual sessions (elective enrollment limited to two students per session)

Overview: The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation elective provides basic training in PM&R evaluations with a strong focus on neurologic and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. The elective exposes the medical student to the broad field of PM&R including sports injuries, congenital and acquired disabilities, complications of disability, and the restoration and maintenance of function. Time will be spent on the rehabilitation consult service, the inpatient rehabilitation service, and in the various outpatient clinics. The student will be exposed to therapies, medications and procedures typically used in PM&R practice.

Topics: Topics included for this rotation will include the general role of a physiatrist and the staff, the work in the interdisciplinary teams, evaluation of function, description of functional loss, and treatment of physical dysfunction. The rotation can be tailored to some extent depending on the availability of diagnoses that match the students interest.

Objectives: By the end of the four-week elective, the medical student will be able to:

• Describe the role of physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists in the evaluation for patients diagnosed with a variety of conditions, including but not limited to stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputations, multi-trauma, cerebral palsy and spina bifida.
• Reproducibly describe and demonstrate the evaluation of function through a comprehensive musculoskeletal and neurological examination as indicated within the musculoskeletal and neurological examination checklist, including the neurologic classification of spinal cord injury.
• Describe the impact of impaired function on health and disease.
• Detail a prescription for treatment of physical dysfunction including therapies, modalities, medications, durable medical equipment and interventional procedures.
• Relate a topic of interest that pertains to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to the faculty and staff in a presentation format.

Description: The medical students will participate in PM&R evaluations, care for patients on the inpatient rehabilitation service and management of patients within the outpatient clinics. The elective will allow the student to improve their physical examination and diagnostic skills through clinical observation, practice and feedback provided by the attending physicians. They will participate in team management and team building at various points in the rotation.

The student will be exposed to:

• Physical, occupational and speech language therapies
• Medications specific to stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury recovery
• Procedures typically used in PM&R practice such as electromyography, Botox type A injections, joint corticosteroid injections, joint aspirations and trigger/tender point injections
• An interactive disability day where students experience life in a wheelchair for one day of the elective

Didactics will be given weekly on core subjects within the PM&R topics of:

• Stroke
• Spinal cord injury
• Traumatic brain injury
• Cerebral palsy
• Spina bifida

Pertinent readings will be provided on the first day of the elective.

PMR 740: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Acting Internship

Description: The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Acting Internship will provide an advanced training in physical medicine and rehabilitation evaluations with a strong focus on neurologic and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. 

The course will expose the medical student to the broad field of physical medicine and rehabilitation, including sports injuries, congenital and acquired disabilities, complications of disability, and the restoration and maintenance of function. 

Time will be spent on the rehabilitation consult service, the inpatient rehabilitation service, and in the various outpatient clinics. 

The student will be involved in managing therapies, medications, and procedures typically used in physical medicine and rehabilitation practice.