Felix Hernandez, MD was the Regional Dean for one of UNE COM’s clinical rotation sites in Bangor, ME from 2012 until his recent retirement in June 2020. He also spearheaded the osteopathic longitudinal program known as the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship or LIC.
The LIC is a different pathway for third-year core rotations that focuses on continuity of care and rural health. Students are placed in one site in Maine and follow one preceptor for the entire year. They follow patients to their specialty care appointments, observe, learn and take part in their care, ultimately developing stronger relationships with their patients.
What is the longitudinal DO program?
The longitudinal program is called a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC). LICs have been around for over thirty years and between one-third and one-half of US allopathic medical schools have LICs at the present time. LIC students build deeper relationships with their preceptors and patients through continuity of those relationships. The LIC design has been proven to be very effective at teaching the required clinical skills and curriculum to third-year medical students. In most measurements, LIC students outscore the Traditional “Block” Clerkship students on standardized, discipline-specific exams. They also develop a deeper professional identity and retain more knowledge for Level 2 Board Exams. Students participating in the EMHS LIC will enjoy these benefits while experiencing rural primary care in Maine first-hand.
The LIC differs from the standard Traditional Clerkship design by embedding a third-year student in a primary care practice for the entire year and having the student interact with Surgery, OB-GYN, Pediatrics, Medicine, Psychiatry etc., as they take care of patients in the primary care office. Students follow patients into specialist care; they also participate in one-week rotations in specialist areas throughout the year. For example; a student has a patient that requires a hysterectomy, the student would participate in the evaluation of the patient by the gynecologist and also participate in that patient’s surgery and post-op care. They would then see the patient in long term follow-up back in their primary care office.
Courtesy of EMMC, L-R: Felix Hernandez, DO; EMMC
A CONVERSATION WITH FELIX HERNANDEZ, DO