|
|
Brattleboro
Memorial Hospital
Brattleboro
A
not-for-profit institution, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
provides primary and acute medical care to more than
2500 inpatients each year in its 61-bed facility. Of
more than 50 attending physicians on the hospital staff,
approximately 20 are primary care related and 30 are
specialists. The hospital provides more than $1.7 million
in free and charitable care each year. Medical capabilities
and programs available at BMH are enhanced by the hospital's
relationship with the tertiary care facility, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. The hospital complex
is located in the southern end of Brattleboro, close
to the downtown area, as well as near a small commercial
area just off Interstate 91's first exit in Vermont.
BMH
has a strong tradition of
 hosting
medical students from UVM,
Dartmouth as well as from schools
in Massachusetts. The majority of medical students
undertaking clinical rotations at the hospital come
from Dartmouth medical school, while a significant
number are UVM medical students.
|
Preceptors
A
number of physicians associated with BMH actively receive
medical students. Their private offices are located
either in or near the main hospital facility. They,
like the majority of doctors affiliated with BMH, independently
rent their offices from the hospital. Offices often
are former homes nearby the hospital that have been
reconditioned as medical clinics providing home-like
settings. With numerous preceptors practicing independently,
but associated with and located adjacent to BMH, there
are many potential learning environments. Typically
physicians practice in their outpatient clinics which
include a variety of settings, support staff and clientele.
With the hospital nearby, doctors easily follow-up patients
who enter the facility as inpatients. All departments
of BHS actively encourage medical students to observe
and participate in activities.
Physicians
who have precepted students recently include the following.
During their rotations medical students will work with
several preceptors to experience a variety of clinical
situations and encounters. Doctors other then the below
listed would also be involved with precepting students.
· Lynn Herzog, MD - Pediatrics
· Clifford Langweiler, MD - Family practice
· Thomas Lewis, MD - Internal medicine
· Robert Tortolani, MD - Family practice
Typical
Day
Customary activities for the student
include:
work up of patient histories, patient examination with
the preceptor, patient follow-up, and if the patient
is referred to another doctor, the student is invited
to the follow-up sessions. Beyond these "typical" activities,
"atypical" days are more likely where unexpected opportunities
arise. Hospital staff are aware that a medical student
is present and make an effort to alert them to situations
of unique learning and observing occasions. Additionally,
preceptors invite students to accompany and participate
with them in their extra-clinical activities. Possible
settings other than in the practice clinic include:
visits to nursing homes, regular turns at the Center
for International Studies health clinic, attending administration
meetings (such as negotiating with insurance companies
concerning benefits), and emergency room shifts in the
evenings.
Teaching Goals
The whole patient and their care is the
primary focus of all hospital staff. This is illustrated
in the commitment to involve medical students in all
aspects of patient care, from first visit to follow-up.
Likewise, including students in administrative aspects
of running a health care practice reflects a concern
for the student to have a well-rounded medical experience.
Preceptors seek to provide students with exposure both:
to the operation of a small practice; and the management
of a modest hospital in a small but sophisticated community.
There is a strong emphasis and openness to include students
in a variety of learning situations related to in- and
outpatient settings. Both doctors and nursing staff
invite students to observe and participate in unique
health issues. For example, one student was called to
the emergency room when a patient was admitted with
a complicated laceration. With supervision, the medical
student cleaned and sutured the wound, utilizing knowledge
learned in the classroom while gaining valuable, real-life
skills.
Student
Housing
Students are provided rooms in a basement
wing of the hospital which provides proximity to the
work site as well as optimal opportunity to be involved
in unplanned medical activities.
The
Community
Brattleboro is
situated between the West and Connecticut rivers, with
Mt. Wantastiquet to the east and a range of 1,500-foot
hills to the west, in the southeast corner of Vermont.
By car it is two and half-hours southeast of Burlington
and two hours from Boston. The town of nearly 12,000
is named after its former title owner, William Brattle,
a colonel in King George II's militia. Brattleboro's
economy is healthy and growing, primarily because the
town has a diversified industrial and commercial base.
The lively downtown area provides a unique cultural
setting with 15 galleries, many bookstores, a strong
tradition of music and arts, as well as an exceptional
variety of community sponsored activities. Likewise,
numerous dining and shopping opportunities are available
for a community of its size. Norman Crampton in his
book, The 100 Best Small Towns in America recently named
Brattleboro as the fifth best small town. Brattleboro
is known as the "Hub of New England" as it is adjacent
to Interstate 91 and its proximity to Massachusetts
in the south, New Hampshire in the east, and the recreational
areas of the Green Mountains in the west.
Top
of page
Return
to map
|
