Care of the Underserved Pathway Competencies

The following is a list of competences expected of students completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway.

Each student competing the Care of the Underserved Pathway will:

• Behave in an ethical manner that upholds social expectations and patient trust (1.1)
• Exhibit honesty and integrity in all interactions (1.2)
• Advocate at all times for the needs and well being of patients, learners and others with whom one serves (1.3)
• Demonstrate caring, compassion, empathy, and respect toward patients of all socioeconomic, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations as well as their families (1.4)
• Display intellectual curiosity and dedication to excellence, continually improving his/her personal knowledge, skills, and attitudes to better serve patients, the profession, and society (1.5 of v 1.1)
• Recognize, acknowledge, and take actions to improve deficiencies in his/her behavior, knowledge, and skill (1.7)
• Function within a team by completing assigned responsibilities, taking initiative, showing respect, and adjusting behaviors responsibly to accommodate team dynamics (1.7 of v1.1)
• Fulfill responsibilities and obligations as a learner and colleague (1.9)
• Attend to balance in commitments to self and others (1.11)

Each student completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway will know:

• The epidemiology, pathophysiology, presenting signs and symptoms of early and advanced stages, and current diagnostic and treatment strategies for common diseases and health-related conditions prevalent in underserved settings (2.3)
• Strategies for promoting health, preventing disease and screening for early detection of disease
• The availability of resources in the underserved setting
• The effect of cultural health beliefs on a patient’s perspective of his/her symptoms, disease and the proposed management plan
• The impact of social capital on access to care and as a determinate of health outcomes.

Each student completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway will be able to:

• Diagnose and manage patients with common diseases and health-related conditions prevalent in underserved settings
• Recognize and care for patients with advanced presentations of illness
• Assess health risks using age-appropriate criteria, identify high-risk individuals, and recommend potential preventive and therapeutic interventions
• Attend to psychosocial and family issues of the patient that may affect his/her health and course of illness
• Explore lifestyle issues and other environmental and community factors that may affect the patient’s health and course of illness
• Demonstrate comfort, skill and sensitivity in seeing patients of various backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and languages
• Address social determinants of health (such as employment, access to transportation, finances and language fluency) when interacting with the patient and formulating a management plan

Each student completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway will be able to:

• Demonstrate effective listening skills (4.1)
• Demonstrate effective relationship-building skills (4.2)
• Communicate information to patients and families in a contextually appropriate, culturally competent manner that empowers others to participate in shared decision making (4.3)
• Effectively use translators when needed
• Communicate relevant information about the patient with other members of the healthcare team (including health professions personnel and specialists) to enlist their help in the care of the patient

Each student completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway will be able to:

• Describe the current system for financing healthcare in the U.S. and the roles insurance plans, healthcare providers, underserved, uninsured and other parties play in the healthcare system and how they affect provider and patient behaviors (6.1)
• State the factors that results in an underserved population with poor access to healthcare
• Appropriately consult and work with health professions personnel (social workers, pharmacists, etc.) to meet the needs of patients
• Collaborate with other agencies and organizations to provide services that will benefit their patients
• Identify healthcare resources available for patients in the underserved setting
• Effectively and judiciously manage healthcare resources for patients
• Identify community resources available for patient and family needs (6.7)
• Describe the unique aspects of healthcare in the underserved setting
• Formulate strategies to overcome barriers and other challenges for patients in the underserved

Each student completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway will be able to:

• Use available technology to access medical information resources (including reports of original research) needed to expand personal knowledge and make effective decisions (5.2)
• Apply principles and practices of evidence-based medicine (EBM) in making decisions about prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease (5.4)
• Identify, critique and apply relevant practice guidelines for common conditions (5.5)
• Critically analyze and cite relevant findings of studies investigating the care of underserved populations

Each student completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway will be able to:

• Demonstrate credibility, initiative, integrity and professional competence needed to gain the confidence and respect of others while providing clinical care or other services to underserved populations. (7.1)
• Work within a group to articulate a vision and set goals for projects and other initiatives to enhance the care of underserved populations and then develop and implement appropriate strategies to achieve them. (7.3)
• Use knowledge of organizational and individual behavior to identify, prioritize and initiate suitable change(s) to address relevant problems and challenges in underserved care. (7.4)