MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY COURSE FACULTY

2012

Dr. William Joyner Professor and Chair/Course Director Room A-100, VA Bldg. 178 439-2042 joynerw@etsu.edu	Dr. Tom W. Ecay Associate Professor and Co-Course Director Room B-139, VA Bldg. 178 439-2046 ecay@etsu.edu
Dr. Robert Wondergem Professor Room B-137, VA Bldg. 178 439-2045 wonderge@etsu.edu	Dr. Brian P. Rowe Professor Room B-144, VA Bldg. 178 439-2047 rowe@etsu.edu
Dr. Krishna Singh Professor Room B-110, VA Bldg. 178 439-2049 singhk@etsu.edu	Dr. Richard Feit Department of Surgery Adjunct Faculty Physiology Department 439-8003 feit@etsu.edu
Dr. Barbara Turner Professor Room B-144, VA Bldg. 178   439-2047 turnerb@etsu.edu

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M. A. Ponder, M.D. Cardiologist – Heart/Vascular 423-926-2801	Martin Eason, M.D. Academic Affairs 423-439-8019 eason@etsu.edu	Larry W. Schmidt, M.D Dept. of Internal Medicine 423-929-7111 cardfan1049@aol.com
J. Kelly Smith, M.D. Dept. of Physiology 423-439-2054 smith@etsu.edu	Jayantilal Mehta, M.D. Professor of Medicine 423-439-6368 mehtaj@etsu.edu	Fred Hossler, Ph.D. Professor-Anatomy & Cell Biology 423-439-2011 hossler@etsu.edu

STAFF

Ms. T. J. Neal Executive Aide Room A-103, VA Bldg.178 neal@etsu.edu 439-2040	Tamera Fair Secretarial Coordinator Room A-102, VA Bldg.178 fairt@etsu.edu 439-2041

POLICY STATEMENT

Medical Physiology

Spring 2012

GOALS

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the discipline of human physiology. Physiology is the study of function, the normal function of tissues and organ systems.  Physiology is universally recognized as a foundational subject in the practice of medicine. The teaching faculty have developed a series of lectures, integrative sessions, laboratory exercises, and problem solving sessions stressing the concepts of organ and organ system function. The faculty will highlight major facts and concepts, and provide evolving information that might not be available in current textbooks. By the end of the course, students will be able to integrate all organ systems with an enhanced understanding of how the human body functions as a unit. The goal is to present an appropriate knowledge base with opportunities to practice integrative problem solving sufficient to prepare students for success in medicine.

The practice of medicine requires the synthesis of information presented in physiology and other basic science subjects, and the integration of that material to generate sound clinical judgements. Similarly, USMLE board examinations are organized by discipline, but often call upon knowledge from multiple disciplines, and routinely extrapolate that expectation forward to clinical situations. All sections of the course include clinical examples or scenarios and several include formal “Clinical Integration” sessions designed to give medical relevance to lecture topics. Additionally, guest clinical faculty will make occasional presentations illustrating the integration of physiology and other basic science concepts in the clinical setting. An integrative laboratory using a patient simulator is part of the cardiovascular section and a pulmonary function lab is conducted during the pulmonary section. It is our intent that these supplementary sessions will assist you to integrate the information in the first year, and provide perspective regarding its application in the clinical environment.

Several sections of physiology include quantitative elements and all sections of physiology require problem solving skills. These skills will be helpful for clinical analysis and cannot easily be learned from lectures or textbooks. Select problem solving sessions are provided in this course to help develop these skills.  We emphasize that there is value in wrestling with the problems and not memorizing the answers. These exercises are vital to mastering the subject of medical physiology.

SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Students are expected to perform in a professional manner with respect to lecture attendance, behavior during educational sessions, and in their interactions with each other, teaching faculty, and guest lecturers.

2. Students will gain a basic understanding of the normal function of tissues and organs of the human body and their interrelationships.

3. Through the use of clinical examples, students will be able to predict the signs and symptoms that accompany changes in organ system behavior or organ component failure.

4. In addition, students will be able to predict changes in organ system function in response to changes in the requirements of a system or component failure. These latter two objectives are an introduction to pathophysiology and form the basis for making a differential diagnosis.

PROCEDURES

It takes considerable time to assimilate and digest material presented during classroom hours. Memorization of basic facts is not an adequate strategy for mastering physiology. There are concepts to be understood and relationships between individual systems that require additional thought. These insights can be accessed by reading texts, discussing topics in small groups, completing problem solving sessions and, in particular, working through sample questions on the “Desire2Learn” (D2L) server. Copies of the optional reading material are on hold in the medical library, and you can also access these books in the Department of Physiology conference room, B-134.

Minor learning difficulties in physiology can escalate into major problems if not addressed early, because much of the subject matter is interrelated. Thus, failure to master one element may impact learning in multiple areas. We urge you to be prompt and aggressive in tackling problems with the course work. The course faculty are serious about their role in helping you master the subject matter. They are all prepared to spend time with you to accomplish this end.  Lecturers will designate office hours, but are available to students outside set hours by prior arrangement.  We urge you to be proactive in using faculty as a resource; many inquiries can be handled by phone or email, and we encourage you to do so.

Help from course faculty and peer groups may not be enough. Individuals needing additional help should consult with the course director and consider the tutor program. Tutors are provided by the Office of Student Affairs. Contact Shelly Higgins at 439-2037. Confidential academic and personal counseling are available through the Office of Academic Affairs (Dr. Penny Smith, 439-8002) and the Professional and Academic Resource Center – PARC (Mr. Phil Steffey, 232-0275 or pager 854-0342).

Medical Physiology lectures are scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 10-12 a.m. on most days.  Problem sessions, clinical integrations, patient simulator and pulmonary function labs, and reviews are scheduled for afternoons on many days. Please pay close attention to the course schedule posted on D2L for dates and times. Every week is different.

Lecture notes will be posted to the Medical Physiology course site on D2L. PowerPoint presentations used in lecture will be posted to D2L the day before each lecture.  We will list instructor contact information and post announcements as necessary on D2L. An audio review of the lectures in each section will be posted to the ETSU iTunes website, with a direct link available from D2L.

Physiology exams administered after the Spring 2004 semester are closed, and are not to be used in any way as a reference or study aid. Possession and distribution of questions from exams administered on or after Spring 2005 is a violation of your Honor Code.

The course proceeds at a rapid pace and we plan to ask for feedback and interaction from you by written evaluations and through your class officers. We value your input. With the help of your constructive critiques, we make changes to the course every year. On occasion, changes have been made in the middle of the block, when needed.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS: 

Medical students are to submit an online evaluation of every course.  Timely completion of evaluations is required.  Student feedback is essential for curriculum planning.

ATTENDANCE

We encourage attendance and active participation at all scheduled sessions. Lecture attendance is optional but examination questions will be developed primarily from information presented in lectures and supplementary sessions. Attendance is required for the patient simulator labs, pulmonary function testing labs, and clinical correlation/integration presentations by clinical faculty. Attendance for the four examinations is mandatory. Postponement for reasons of illness or extenuating circumstances is possible. In such cases, prior permission must be obtained from the course director and the Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. This is accomplished with the appropriate signatures on the Permission Form for Modification of Examination Schedule obtained from the office of Academic Affairs.

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY

The official media outlet for reporting the status of classes and other activities of the College of Medicine during inclement weather is WETS-FM 89.5.  In addition, students should sign up for email and text alerts through the university’s emergency messaging Gold Alert system (https://www.getrave.com/login/etsu). All students - including all medical students - are to govern themselves according to the status as reported by the radio station and/or the Gold Alert system. 

The scheduling of Medical Physiology and concurrent courses is very tight with little room to make up lecture time due to unforeseen school closings. In the event of missed class days resulting from inclement weather or other situations, make up classes MAY be required on Saturdays. Decisions about Saturday sessions will be made in consultation with the class president, if possible, and announcements of Saturday sessions will be made through the D2L course site and emails to the class.

STUDENT PROCEDURES FOR SPECIAL SERVICES (ADA)

It is the policy of ETSU to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to federal law, state law, and the University’s commitment to equal educational access. Any student with a disability and needing special accommodations, such as arrangement for examinations or seating placement, should inform the course director at the beginning of the course.

All students seeking accommodation for disabilities are to contact Ms. Linda Gibson, M.Ed., Director, and ADA Coordinator for Disability Services at East Tennessee State University (439-8346). Faculty accommodation forms are provided to students through Disability Services in the D.P. Culp Center, Suite A.  Accommodations cannot be granted without a letter from Disability Services.

EXAMINATIONS AND GRADING

The Medical Physiology course will fully comply with the examination policy statement from the Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Effective August 1, 2009 the following examination policy will be in effect for Quillen College of Medicine.

1. Students will be allowed to bring only pencils and a computer  (only if a computer is required for the exam). Books, all electronic devices, and other personal items may be left in lockers or cars. No ball caps or other headwear are to be worn during an in- class exam.

2. Examinations will be proctored by either a staff member or a faculty member from the department responsible for administering the examination.

3. Students will be required to sign in and sign out if they leave the room to attend to personal needs. They may not remove any items from the exam room and may not talk with classmates while outside the examination room.

There will be four major examinations in this course and a final comprehensive examination - the NBME subject exam (shelf). The shelf exam offers students an opportunity to compare their acquired knowledge and skills with a national cohort of medical students. Scores on the course exams and shelf exam will be calculated into a final grade as shown in the table below.

Online exams scheduled inside class time. Exams will be administered on the D2L server during class time. Exams will only be available through internet connections in the lecture hall. The Respondus lock down browser is required to take the in-class exams. Three hours is allotted for exams. Bring your laptop, power supply and an ethernet cord to the exam. 

Post examination review. Exam questions with answers will be posted outside Physiology Department offices (A-105) for two hours following the conclusion of each exam. During that time, students may submit challenges of specific questions on forms provided. All challenges must be submitted within 24 hours of the exam. Faculty responses to challenges will be posted on the course D2L site or circulated by Email.

The final course grade will be determined from the average of four sectional examinations, each scored to 2 significant decimal places, as follows:

A      =           90-100%

B        =          80-89%

C        =         70-79%

F        =           0   -69%

Students scoring a final grade of F for the course must retake a course in medical physiology at the Quillen College of Medicine, or register immediately for an approved summer course elsewhere.  Either action must be approved by the Department and the Student Promotions Committee.

The NBME subject (shelf) examination is a comprehensive test of physiology and our QCOM students traditionally perform above the national mean. Subject (Shelf) examinations have proven to be good predictors of USLME step 1 performance and the office of Academic Affairs will closely monitor individuals who are not able to perform at the 16th percentile nationally.

The NBME subject (shelf) exam will be given on the morning of Tuesday, April 10, 2012. The office of Academic Affairs will administer this exam and an announcement of procedures for this examination day will be made in the weeks prior to the exam date.

D2L PRACTICE QUIZZES

The course maintains a large bank of practice test questions (50-100 per section) on D2L. These can be accessed in randomized groups of 20 questions presented as 30 min timed quizzes. At the conclusion of these quizzes, a score and correct and incorrect answers will be shown for review. Students can take quizzes as many times as they like within a section. Near the end of each section, a new quiz will be posted that can be taken only once. A score but not the correct answers will be returned when the quiz is submitted. Questions in this one time quiz will be new and not used in prior quizzes. This exercise is meant to simulate an “exam” on section material. In general, questions on the one time quiz will be more difficult than on other quizzes. Although the one time quiz will be scored, it will not be used in the determination of a final course grade. For your best educational experience and assessment, all quizzes are closed book and to be taken without the assistance of books, notes, electronic and recorded material or assistance from other persons.

TEXTBOOK LIST

Required text:

Costanzo 4th Ed.                Saunders                 Physiology

Optional Reading : (on reserve at the medical library and available in the department)  

Boron	2nd Ed.	Saunders	Medical Physiology
Costanzo	4th or 5th Ed.	Ed Lipp./W&W	Physiology: Board Review Series
Sibernagl	6th Ed.	Thiemme	Color Atlas of Physiology

  HONORS PROGRAM

The Department of Physiology will recognize the student who achieves the highest examination score with the Dr Leslie Reynolds Memorial Award.   The winner will receive a cash award, his/her name will be engraved on a plaque in the departmental office, and he/she will receive recognition at the graduation ceremony.

Past winners:

1990 Greg Clarity                  1997   Elizabeth Defluiter                  2004 Jonathan Pewitt
1991 Pat Holmes                   1998   Robert Amonette                   2005 Daniel Grant
1992 Christa Dawn Woody   1999   Ernest Waller                         2006 John Beddies
1993 David Smith                  2000   Michael Mcintosh                  2007 Gregory Helton
1994 Michael Thomas            2001   Brian Villanueva                    2008 Mimi Shaffer
1995 David Ashburn              2002   Joy Pierce                              2009 Thomas Gill
1996 Shannon Fowler            2003   Gaurav Bharti                          2010 Ian Ross
                                                                                                             2011 Vincent Irish


SUMMARY

$     Cardiovascular simulation lab and physiology of physical diagnosis sessions

$     Respiratory physiology lab with pulmonary function tests

$     be prompt in dealing with course difficulties, tutors are available

$     routinely review course and examination schedule

$     lectures, PowerPoint slides, and practice quizzes available on D2L

$     audio reviews from each section posted to iTunes

$     NBME subject exam – optional and not for credit

$    written and verbal course evaluation requested

$     honors award