Description
The student will be exposed to patients with disturbances in fluid and acid-base balance, complex electrolyte abnormalities, as well as other renal diseases not necessarily associated with cancer. They will also be exposed to the evaluation and treatment of patients with acute renal failure, including dialysis and hemofiltration. From 10 to 20 new patients are seen each week. Students will act as consultants under supervision. Daily rounds are made with an attending physician, fellow, and medical resident. A small urinalysis laboratory, which includes a double-headed teaching microscope, is available for detailed examination of the urine sediment. The student may also attend the outpatient renal clinic and the three weekly conferences held jointly with Weill Cornell Medical Center’s Renal Service. Third-year student prerequisite(s): Medicine clerkship.
Learning objectives
- Be able to obtain a complete clinical history from a patient with renal disease.
- Be able to describe the various modalities of kidney replacement therapy such as dialysis and transplantation.
- Learn to delineate functional abnormalities of the kidney from common clinical data.
- Learn to identify diagnostic tests for a given functional abnormality to define the pathophysiology, and eventually identify the underlying pathological process.
- Learn the clinical presentation and therapeutic approach of common clinical problems in nephrology, including acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease and electrolyte abnormalities.
- Be able to identify treatments and medications, which could ameliorate the disease process.
