Deaf Health Pathway (DHP)
A Medical Humanities Pathway Program
DESCRIPTION
The Deaf Health Pathway is offered as part of the Enrichment Pathways Program in the Division of Medical Humanities to provide opportunities, additional courses, and electives over the four years of medical school for those students with interests in the health, language and culture of the Deaf community. This Pathway, like the Latino Health Pathway is a student-initiated and student-coordinated curriculum with faculty support and oversight through the Division of Medical Humanities. Students enroll in this Pathway during their first year by filling out an on-line form on the Medical Humanities webpage. There is an informational session for students in December/January of first year.
GOALS
- To provide students with a foundation in Deaf health, language, and culture, which can be used and developed their subsequent medical training.
- To learn ASL at a functional capacity, defined by the ability to communicate with Deaf patients in an emergency setting in the absence of an interpreter, in order to obtain key immediate medical history and facilitate the urgency of healthcare while an interpreter is being arranged.
- To understand major healthcare issues pertaining to the Deaf community, and learn about resources to help meet the healthcare needs of Deaf patients.
- To appreciate and understand current research in the area of Deaf health, and learn about opportunities for continuing education in Deaf health needs and in American Sign Language.
Students in this Pathway take a series of Medical Humanities Seminars focusing on Deaf health, language, and culture, as well as participate in electives relating to Deaf issues. Students must formally enroll in the pathway by December of their second year of medical school. The ASL instructor for the seminars is Deaf, and is an experienced instructor from the ASL Program at the University of Rochester. The classes offered as part of this pathway are:
- DHP Part 1: An Introduction to Deaf Language and Culture (Spring 1st Year Seminar)
- DHP Part 2: Immersion into Deaf Language and Culture (Fall 2nd Year Seminar)
- DHP Part 3: Intense Experience in Deaf Language and Culture (Fall 2nd Year Seminar)
- (For non-pathway students) DHP Part 3b: Teaching Assistantship in Deaf Language (Fall 2nd Year Seminar)
There are two options for the Deaf Health Pathway, one for those who have had ASL experience before, and one for those who have not had ASL experience before, and an option for those not in the DHP but have advanced ASL knowledge.
Track 1: Individuals with no ASL experience
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Electives (4 weeks; see below for details)
- Paper (10 pages, based on elective)
- Competency Evaluation (before graduation)
(total contact hours approximately 114 hours)
Track 2: Individuals with some ASL experience
- Placement interview – Interview with ASL instructor to evaluate if appropriate to skip Part 1 and enter Part 2 directly, but not overly advanced (See Non-DHP Track option for significantly advanced students).
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Electives (4 weeks; see below for details)
- Paper (10 pages, based on elective)
- Competency Evaluation (before graduation)
(total contact hours approximately 126 hours)
Non-DHP Track:
For individuals who wish to enroll in a Deaf Health seminar but have advanced ASL experience. (These individuals can take DHP Part 3b as part of the other medical humanities pathways at the discretion of the pathway advisors.)
- Placement interview – Interview with ASL instructor to assess appropriateness for students wanting to enroll in Part 3b
- Part 3b – This is a special seminar designed for students who wish to practice their knowledge of ASL and simultaneously help other students learn. In this seminar, students who are in Part 3b will attend the class along with the students in Part 3, but will focus as teaching assistants to provide one-on-one practice for the students in Part 3, and also to practice their own ASL.
- Electives – Students who are not in the DHP can take any of the electives offered. The details of the electives are below as well as in the Course Add/Drop.
Students are responsible for keeping a record of their courses, approximate contact hours, electives, and extracurricular activities related to the pathway and submitting this information to Dr. Stephanie Brown-Clark during the Fall of their fourth year.
Elective options are in four areas: research, education, clinical experience, or curriculum design. It is anticipated that this will be done in collaboration with partners in the community.
- The research option allows students to identify a topic related to Deaf Health, and carry out a research project supervised by clinician and other appropriate faculty.
- The educational component will consist of students educating a target Deaf population about healthcare awareness; possible activities might be a tour for Deaf children in the hospital, talks to Deaf geriatric patients about age-related concerns, discussions with Deaf teens about contraception, etc., in collaboration with the American Sign Language Program on the River Campus and/or the Rochester School for the Deaf.
- The clinical option will consist of working with physicians who treat Deaf patients and gaining clinical skills on office demeanor and practical interviewing and communicating skills.
- The curriculum design option is for students interested in being Course Coordinator for the seminar, and learning how to develop and implement curricular parts to the Pathway. These electives allow enough flexibility for student customization.
ASL Assessment:
Before graduation, each student in this Pathway will be required to be formally evaluated on their American Sign Language skills and will receive information about their individual level competency including areas of strength, and areas requiring further training, and any concerns regarding ASL skills.
Dean’s Letter to Residency Program Directors:
In mid-August of third year, Pathway students must submit a summary of Pathway related activities, seminars, and electives to the Pathway Director, and this information will be added to the student’s Dean’s Letter which is forwarded to Residency Program Directors.
Pathway Certification:
Students will receive a certificate of participation in the Deaf Health Pathway at the time of graduation from medical school.
Contact:
Vasanth S. Kainkaryam, CC-4, Pathway Coordinator
vasanth_kainkaryam@urmc.rochester.edu
Stephanie Brown-Clark, M.D., Director of Medical Humanities Seminars
