What is a resident?
A resident is a new doctor who has completed medical school and chosen a specialty, but who is still highly supervised for the first couple of years. As the name implies, a general medical resident intends to be a general practitioner, as opposed to a practitioner who specializes in one specific area of the body such as the eyes, heart or brain.

What will I do during this rotation?
This rotation is an opportunity for you to delve deeply into the differential diagnosis process. You will be shadowing Dr. Campbell as she meets and treats her patient, Ella Cruz. Along the way, you will be making recommendations to Dr. Campbell about Ella's diagnosis and treatment. You will be exercising your knowledge in diseases and ailments of the central nervous system, and will work both within your team and on your own to come to new conclusions about her treatment as more information comes in.

I’m no doctor! How will I be able to figure out how to diagnose this patient?
This rotation provides many resources, including step by step guides, to help you think through the problem you are solving one step at a time. In addition, like many residents, you’ll be working in a team, and will be able to bounce ideas off your teammates, and give and receive feedback from them. In addition, a mentor will be available to help you when you have questions, and will give you feedback on your work.

How do I get started?
Simply click on Task 1.1: Develop Differential Diagnosis in the left menu. You will see Dr. Campbell ’s first email to you, describing what she would like you to do. Once you’ve read this email, you can view the video of the patient interview, and then look at the Get help section of the task for a step-by-step guide and other resources to help you do your work.