Sleep Disorders Medicine
ME 556M.J
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
The sleep medicine clerkship is focused on providing a well-rounded exposure to clinical ambulatory sleep medicine. It is structured as a flexible experience that takes into account the interests of the student and their individual goals. The clerkship is anchored in our outpatient sleep medicine clinics. Our clinics are primarily located at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and if the student has transportation, we can arrange experience in our Chestnut Hill, Chelsea or Needham community sleep medicine clinics. Students shadow multiple sleep medicine attendings over the course of their 4 week clerkship to see different patient populations and observe different styles of practice. We also provide exposure to our sleep laboratory, including participation in our "MD nights" where we study our more complex patients. The student will be exposed to standard and innovative approaches in the recording of physiological data and management of sleep-breathing disorders. Students also have the opportunity to rotate through clinics with specific areas of focus, such as narcolepsy, sleep-related seizures, patients with respiratory failure on nocturnal ventilation and patients with circadian rhythm disorders, depending on student's stated interests. When possible, students are also scheduled to shadow our dental sleep medicine colleagues and our behavioral therapy colleagues to gain an appreciation for dental sleep medicine therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Prior to the start of the clerkship, we ask students to share their interests so that we can customize their rotations to make the experience as rewarding as possible.
At the start of the clerkship, students are provided with a comprehensive sleep medicine curriculum along with a schedule of clinics and reading time. They are expected to attend our weekly sleep medicine fellows conferences on Wednesday afternoons and to shadow sleep study interpretation sessions. By the end of the clerkship, our goal is for students to have a solid foundation in the basic principles of sleep medicine, ie. how to take a good sleep history and decide on appropriate sleep testing, how to approach obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia patients, how circadian biology influences sleep patterns and how to manage circadian rhythm disorders, and what symptoms characterize less common conditions such as narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, REM behavior disorder and other parasomnias.
Not Available for Cross Registration
Open to Domestic Visiting Students
Open to International Visiting Students
