Wilford Hall doctor voted top volunteer teacher

  • Published
  • By Linda Frost
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  The director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Wilford Hall Medical Center here has been recognized as the top volunteer clinical teacher by students at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences School of Medicine.

Maj. (Dr.) David Rice was selected by the USU Class of 2008 as this year's Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award recipient.

Each year, the USU School of Medicine graduating class, in conjunction with the USU chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, recognizes one individual for his or her dedication to medical student education.

Medical students are asked to choose the best clinical preceptor from all four years. Nominees include physicians from all 28 major and affiliate hospitals of the Army, Air Force and Navy. Nominations are made solely by senior medical students, who then select the recipient for the award.

"I am not a USU graduate, but have had the pleasure of working with these students for the past eight years," said Doctor Rice, "and personally consider them to be among the best medical students in the country. I am extremely honored to have been selected by them."

The USU medical students rotate throughout the military medical system in their third and forth years in various specialties to gain experience and get an idea of what field of medicine they like best. 

When they are performing their required Internal Medicine rotation as third year students, they are assigned to a clinical faculty preceptor who meets with them for about four hours a week for eight weeks. Together, they review medical histories, physical skills, cases, and critiques written on patient encounters. 

Any attending Internal Medicine clinician or subspecialist can help the students, but usually the preceptor is the physician who ends up spending the most individual time with the medical students.

"I have always enjoyed the teaching opportunities provided to me in the military medical system and consider it a privilege to be in a position to influence young physicians," said Doctor Rice.

"Personally, I think the award speaks more to the excellent overall teaching environment that the USU representatives provide here at Wilford Hall than anything I have done individually," he said. 

Doctor Rice, who also serves on the pulmonary and critical care staff at WHMC, was a preceptor for three medical students last year. He has interacted with numerous USU students who have rotated on his medical ICU service over the years. 

Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., Doctor Rice has been at Wilford Hall six years. He enjoys golf, racquetball, reading and spending time with his family and two active sons, a 3-year old and 9-month-old.

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