Integrating family and culture into medicine: a family systems block rotation.

BACKGROUND

Family-oriented care and sociocultural awareness are core competency objectives in behavioral science education. Nevertheless, teaching "family" and "culture" in ways that are meaningful and useful to residents can be a challenging task for family medicine educators.

METHODS

We describe a block rotation that integrates family systems theory, family-oriented skills, and sociocultural awareness into residency education. Several objectives and teaching methods are presented in detail.

RESULTS

Resident evaluations completed one year after graduation indicated that these skills were useful in practice. All respondents recommended continuation of the block rotation in the curriculum.

CONCLUSION

The success of the rotation is due to a highly interactive small-group format, an emphasis on practical skills, and a multidisciplinary teaching approach. Advanced scheduling of faculty is necessary to ensure their uninterrupted participation in the rotation.