VCU Department of Family Medicine

Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM)

Foundations of Clinical Medicine is a required course for all first- and second-year medical students. VCU’s Department of Family Medicine is an essential partner in this interdisciplinary course as it provides staffing to coordinate 150 student placements with family physicians in the community (preceptors), as well as one-third of the small group placements with family physicians on campus. Through campus and community experiences, students are exposed to generalist medicine and role models each week for a two-year period. Michelle Whitehurst-Cook and Carolyn Peel share the role of the family practice physician coordinators for the course; Judy Gary and Mary Lee Magee share the role of educational coordinators. The planning, implementation, administration and evaluation of FCM engage the energies of half of the department’s predoctoral staff.

VCU’s Department of Family Medicine has made a commitment to providing faculty development for the family physicians who teach first- and second-year students. Evaluations indicate that these programs are effective for professional development. Michelle Whitehurst-Cook and Judy Gary coordinate the preceptor faculty enrichment activities.

For more information regarding the FCM course, click here.