"Patients Are Coming 2011-2012" part 2 has started on Wednesday, 21 March. 

Summary of the Program:

Since 2003, ABC Health Foundation has offered “Patients are coming” a special training program for final-year medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tirana, Albania.

The goals of this training program are to:

1. Introduce final-year medical students to the concept and model of primary care and advocate for a career in primary care.
2. Provide opportunities for students to learn the basic skills of the diagnosis and management of some common clinical presentations in primary care.
3. Inspire and equip students to provide care for the whole person and integrate moral values in the practice of medicine.

Each academic year approximately 20-30 final-year medical students participate in the weekly interactive sessions held at the Faculty of Medicine. These hand-on training sessions are focused on the concepts and practice of the primary care and the approach to patient care.

Some of the topics covered through the weekly interactive teaching sessions are:

• Introduction to primary health care
• Patient with sore throat
• Child with fever
• Patient with knee and shoulder pain
• Patient with back pain

• STDs and PID
• Anxiety and depression
• Prenatal care
• Patient with headache
• Child with diarrhea and vomiting

• Skin rashes
• Otoscopy and ear problems
• Thyroid problems
• Laceration repair and wound care
  
• Common emergency cases in primary care

      Beside the weekly teaching sessions, the program offers   day visits for experience in family practice/primary care at the Health Center. 

      The program runs in two parts:  November to December, and March to April of each academic year.