Teaching Opportunities in the Bridges Curriculum

The central goal of Inquiry Immersion Mini-Courses is to help students in the healthcare professions shift from the concept of medicine as a series of facts to be learned from textbooks or didactics to a vision of medical practice as engagement with an ever evolving and imperfect body of knowledge. Focused Mini-Courses offer students the chance to take a deep dive into a controversy or dilemma and explore the boundaries of existing research and scholarship with expert researchers.

Responsibilities: Design and lead a 12-hour Mini-Course for 5-12 students from the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy on any topic of your choosing. All sessions scheduled during the two weeks following Winter Break.

Faculty Benefits:

• Opportunity to get to know a group of students well, develop new collaborations and recruit for your project in the future.
• Credit towards promotions/advancements.
• Staff to support you administratively with rooms, CLE/iRocket course website, attendance.
• Learn new teaching skills.

Instructor Qualifications

• Expertise in a cutting-edge area of healthcare. UCSF Faculty appointment preferred but not required.

Time Commitment:

• 12 in-person teaching hours in January, spread across six sessions plus relevant preparation time.

Contact: For more information on the Mini-Course proposal process, view the “Mini-Course Elements” section on the Inquiry Immersion webpage or email the Inquiry Team.

The goal of the Inquiry curriculum is to train medical students to develop an inquisitive habit of mind, challenge current concepts, and create new knowledge—skills critical for the success of the 21st Century Physician. We aim to help students shift from the conception of medicine as a series of facts to be learned from textbooks or didactics to a vision of medical practice as consistent engagement with an ever evolving and imperfect body of knowledge. Students participate in small groups where they learn to critically read the medical literature and apply evidenced-based medicine to clinical scenarios.

Responsibilities: Facilitators are asked to review materials prior to the small group. Unlike traditional small groups, CIC small groups are student-led and faculty facilitated. The role of faculty is to encourage students to be curious, to delve into the literature for answers, to critically evaluate what they read, and to determine why (or why not!) what they read is applicable to the specific clinical scenario. Faculty play a critical role in providing clinical context and highlighting how these skills are critical to one's professional identity as a physician. 

Faculty Benefits: This is a great opportunity to help our students develop the skills necessary for life-long learning and to mold how our students thoughtfully approach their patients using evidence-based medicine. 

Instructor Qualifications: Content expertise is NOT required. You will be provided with extensive facilitator notes and just-in-time prep sessions. These sessions focus on process—how to think like a physician. Interested UCSF faculty including Volunteer Clinical Professors are encouraged to apply.

Time Commitment: 3-5 hours per week. Most small groups are two hours with one-two hours of prep time plus an optional just-in-time facilitator training session.

Contact: For more information, please contact Susana Aranas.

Clinical Microsystems Clerkship (CMC) | Previously known as CMC Adult/Pediatric Preceptorships

The physician will be the role model for students as they refresh their skills in independent patient interviewing, physical exam, oral presentations, and note writing. These first-year medical student core clinical preceptorships are available in either adult or pediatric medicine.

Responsibilities: Preceptors are expected to provide students with the opportunity to practice and receive observation and feedback on oral presentation, notes, patient histories, and physical exams. Core Clinical Preceptorships must allow students the opportunity to directly practice clinical skills and engage with patients (under proper supervision), rather than only observing.

Faculty Benefits: Preceptors may list this teaching as an item on their CV. UCSF faculty and volunteer faculty may use this precepting as evidence of teaching to support their advancement/promotion. Preceptors may develop a longitudinal teaching/mentoring relationship with their students which can be immensely rewarding from a professional and personal standpoint.

Time Commitment: A first-year medical student will join the instructor at the medical practice for approximately four, 4-hour sessions, typically between April and June.

Instructor Qualifications: Salaried faculty, Volunteer Clinical Professors, or practicing physicians in the San Francisco Bay Area that allow medical students to apply hands-on, direct patient care clinical skills.

Contact: If you are interested in precepting, please contact Anna Kozas and Sam Brondfield, MD, MA.

SPAN (Specialty Practice Ambulatory sub-iNternship) Preceptorship

SPAN is a required longitudinal ambulatory preceptorship for fourth-year students during Career Launch. Students will work in the clinic with their SPAN preceptors for 12 half-day sessions. Students will be matched 1:1 with a faculty preceptor in a specialty or subspecialty of their choosing. Many students will choose a SPAN preceptor in the field they intend to pursue for residency or in a field that will provide them with clinical skills that complement their chosen career path. Students will develop advanced ambulatory clinical skills in addition to longitudinal clinical coaching and mentoring relationships with their SPAN preceptors and enter residency better prepared for outpatient clinical practice. 

Responsibilities:

• Host a fourth-year medical student in your outpatient clinical practice for 12 longitudinally scheduled half-day sessions between May-March 
• Discuss student’s learning goals and self-assessments periodically 
• Facilitate student involvement in patient care with appropriate supervision and graduated independence
• Directly observe students with patients 
• Provide feedback and coaching on clinical skills 
• Provide mentorship and support for student growth 

Faculty Benefits:

• Highlight your clinical setting and patient population 
• Teach the next generation of physicians advanced outpatient clinical skills, role-model outstanding physician professionalism 
• Act as a clinical coach and mentor to an advanced medical student interested in your field 

Instructor Qualifications:

• Active outpatient clinical practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. SPAN is a clinic-based preceptorship; procedures such as endoscopies or cardiac catheterizations or time in the OR, Emergency Department or inpatient do NOT count toward the SPAN requirement 
• Opportunities for students to apply hands-on, direct patient care clinical skills with progressive levels of independence, as appropriate (SPAN is not a shadowing experience) 
• UCSF faculty appointment: 
  • UCSF HS Clinical, Clinical X, In Residence, Ladder Rank
  • UCSF Volunteer Clinical Professor 

Time Commitment:

• 12 half-day sessions over 10 months (beginning annually in May) 
• Students work directly with SPAN preceptors to schedule SPAN sessions

We match students with preceptors every year in March, if you are interested in working with a SPAN student or would like to learn more about SPAN, please contact Christine Phung, SPAN Coordinator [email protected].