Didactics
Morning/Noon Report
Morning Report is held daily Monday through Friday at Touro Infirmary and Ochsner-Kenner. Noon Report is held Monday-Thursday at Unversity Medical Center. Presentations are from the previous night’s admits, with opportunities to develop skills in history taking, lab/ECG/chest x-ray interpretation, and evaluation of proper assessments. Our morning reports are run by faculty who are experienced and seasoned teachers - you won't leave without learning something! We often incorporate small didactic presentations and demonstrate clinical approaches to common patient scenarios. Morning/Noon report usually ends with one or two Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program questions related to the disease process that was presented.
Department of Medicine Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds occur every Friday at noon. Each week faculty from different sections of the Department of Medicine present a relevant clinical or research topic. LSU Medicine faculty and prominent national and international guest speakers provide a lecture regarding their bench or clinical research, clinical expertise, and novel issues and developments in the field of Internal Medicine.
Core Conferences
Residents attend bi-monthly conferences presented by faculty. Our Core Conference curriculum is based on the MKSAP review series and ACGME requirements. We have designed these lectures to be more interactive as opposed to the standard lecture. We have integrated these lectures using google classroom which helps with lectures that you may have missed due to your clinical duties. We have integrated core lectures, MKSAP lectures, and guidelines into this interactive format. The department purchases the MKSAP review series for every new intern which allows you access to this important educational tool throughout your residency which prepares you for your post-residency boards. We have created a bi-monthly intern lecture series in order to allow our interns to gain knowledge in specific topics that will allow them to progress clinically and be prepared for the transition to become an upper level resident. We have two separate noon lectures for guidelines and journal club once a month to be able to apply these necessary skills into clinical clinical practice. Also, under the direction of Dr. Walvekar, we have created a point of care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum that will alow our residents to gain experience in the basic principles and techniques of using POCUS in order to utilize this as an enhancement to their diagnostic tools while caring for patients on rotations. Residents are also free to attend any of the various fellow conferences. This allows you extra exposure to those clinical faculty and fellows in the fields you may be interested in for fellowship. The Department of Medicine also administers the national ABIM In-Service exam every September as well as a bi-monthly exam based on the MKSAP curriculum.
Case Conferences
Monthly, the students, residents, and faculty attend a special conference in which experts sit on a panel and discuss a particular case. Cases are selected from the patients seen at our three facilities and are chosen based on unique pathology or unique presentations of common pathology. The residents and chief residents prepare the cases for the audience. Cases are often published in the Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society.
Procedure Skills Fairs and Patient Simulation Labs
Residents attend quarterly procedure labs each year where they undergo instruction by faculty who teach proper techniques for procedures, such as endotracheal intubations, resuscitation/mega code management, lumbar punctures, ultrasound-guided central line placements, and other ABIM-required procedures. Residents also attend two simulation labs during the year where they address simulated disease processes in specially designed manikins that respond to treatment. Our patient simulation lab is one of only fourteen in the entire country. Residents may also participate in the sim lab committee. Finally, a point of care ultrasound course is embedded into the ambulatory month where you get hands-on instruction in your intern year and beyond. This allows you to become familiar with and utilize this training while on your wards rotations which serves as an additional tool for your diagnostic workup of the patients you care for.
Resident Teaching Opportunities
There are multiple teaching opportunities at LSU-New Orleans that include teaching on the wards, clinics, and at morning report. LSU medical students rotate on Internal Medicine inpatient services at Touro Infirmary, Ochsner-Kenner, and University Medical Center. Residents participate in the Clinical Science Integration 200 course where they teach second-year medical students the basics of taking a history, performing a physical examination, and forming a differential diagnosis. They are also invited to participate in physical exam sessions in the fall giving them the opportunity to work with the first-year medical students. Each year during the June orientation, senior residents provide a series of lectures to new interns designed to prepare them for the general medicine inpatient, outpatient clinic, and subspecialty services.