“Montefiore is in the forefront of this method of training for third year residents,” said Julia Arnsten, MD, chief, General Internal Medicine at Montefiore. Each month, (December 16, 2004 is next all-morning session)Montefiore trains a new group of ten residents by having each doctor screen, diagnose, assess and recommend treatment for their actor-patient’s various substance abuse problems. Following the sessions, the resident receives an in depth critique. All of the actors play patients who have one problem in common – they are abusers of alcohol, cocaine, heroin or other drugs. Each actor has been given guidelines by faculty members, and has studied a “background” on the patient they portray. No scripts are used.

“The trickiest part of the session is the recommendation for treatment, or what we call intervention,” said Dr. Arnsten. “For example, the resident has to assess whether the patient needs supervised detox treatment for alcohol abuse, or if they can do it on their own. The resident also gets feedback about whether they were professional, or impersonal.”

Here’s how the program works. Each of the ten actors is placed in one of ten small exam rooms, which are aligned along a corridor in the outpatient center. Each of the ten residents-in-training enters an exam room and has 10 minutes to perform given key steps – to screen for alcoholism or other substance abuse, diagnose the specific problem and then provide recommendations for treatment. A faculty observer is on hand in each room. Once the exam is completed, the actor and a faculty member provide a five-minute critique and the resident moves on to the next patient – who has a different drug abuse history and problem.

The training sessions have been so successful that Montefiore has been asked to present the program at professional medical meetings around the nation.

Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ranks among the top one percent of all US hospitals based on its investments in medical innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Montefiore invests more in order to enable compassionate, personalized care and the most positive outcomes for patients and their families in New York, the tri-state area and beyond. Montefiore’s unique combination of ‘state-of-the-art’ technology with ‘state-of-the-heart’ medical and nursing care in a teaching and research environment provides patients with access to world-class medical experts, the newest and most innovative treatments and the best medical center experience anywhere.

This 1,062 bed medical center includes the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, the Jack D. Weiler Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, a large home healthcare agency and a 21-site medical group practice located throughout the Bronx and nearby Westchester.

Montefiore treats all major illnesses and has distinguished centers of excellence in cardiology and cardiac surgery, cancer care, tissue and organ transplantation, children's health, women's health, surgery and the surgical subspecialties. Montefiore Medical Center focuses on providing family-centered healthcare in a nurturing environment that extends well beyond hospital and clinic walls.

Steven M. Safyer, MD

President and CEO
Montefiore Medical Center

Whether you are a patient in one of our hospitals, visiting your healthcare team at our care centers throughout the Bronx and nearby Westchester, or have children receiving medical and dental care at our school-based health clinics, I know you will experience our dedication and professionalism as we work hard to support your healthcare needs.