Envision CHC
The first set of case studies, the Envision Project, were designed for first and second year medical students. Set in a virtual world, the Envision Community Health Center™, trainees participate in a virtual rotation at the CHC, and in the process, become a member of the CHC healthcare team. This set of case studies includes 26 ethnically diverse patient cases designed to address priority clinical issues common to CHC patients. In developing a realistic patient panel for the VCHC, authors reviewed CHC patient demographic statistics. Consistent with CHC patient population statistics, the VCHC patient panel reflects a variety of age groups, ethnicities, and modern lifestyles, such as adoptive parents, single parents, same-gender par-ents, multi-ethnic families or extended families. Case modules address seven important aspects of care that are currently not fully integrated into other virtual patient case scenarios: 1) the community health center setting; 2) family connections within the patient stories; 3) healthcare team members; 4) the clinical presentation approach; 5) Electronic health record; 6) social determinants and community health considerations; and 7) osteopathic principles.
Following a self-directed learning approach, medical students assume the provider role, evaluate a patient, make meaningful choices, and explore the consequences of these choices. Within each scenario, a virtual preceptor provides advice. This approach allows for situated cognition, as well as legitimate peripheral participation, a process whereby trainees are inducted into the professional role of physician in a peripheral (safe and risk-free) environment. Student learning is scaffolded via the feedback provided in each case module, and a debrief exercise that follows the case study allows for personal and group reflection.
Trainees learn to care for patients by managing each part of the patient encounter:
- collecting a detailed patient history, including social determinants of health
- conducting a physical examination, including an osteopathic structural examination
- ordering laboratory and imaging tests
- suggesting a presumptive diagnosis
- recommending a treatment and follow-up plan
- engage in a community-oriented primary care debrief
Future expansion may include cases designed specifically for students in other fields including physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, dentistry, pharmacy, public health and behavioral health.
Envision CHC Dashboard
Current medical students or residents can access the CHC dashboard to complete required and optional cases.
Email vchcproject@atsu.edu if you need of assistance accessing the dashboard.
Register for Access
Outside parties are required to register with our system before accessing the cases.