The Home Visit Experience: a Medical Student's Perspective

Incorporating home care education into the medical school curriculum is essential for providing a learning experience not duplicated elsewhere. Students rotating through family medicine write a reflection paper on their experiences. The papers about home visits from July 2000 to June 2004 were analyzed by a constant comparison technique developing seven themes: student paradigm shift in their understanding of causes vs. efects of disease, misconceptions about treatment, access to care, a return to the roots of medicine, quality of family caregiving, broader implications of providing care, and controversial issues. The students'papers demonstrate the unique environment of home visits.