The clerkship curriculum begins in the third year of medical education and is 54 weeks long. Clerkship rotations are a time for students to reinforce their first two years of medical training and apply their knowledge to patients in outpatient and inpatient settings.
During each clerkship, students will return to the College of Medicine for clerkship-specific didactics. These sessions include readings and discussions on wellness, determinants of health, and health promotion. Clinical faculty in the respective disciplines will guide the discussions and assess the students based on participation and weekly audience-response quizzes. Included in the didactics are important aspects of preventative, acute, chronic, continuing, rehabilitative, and end-of-life care.
During the 6-week Family Medicine Clerkship the students will attend to patients, under the direct supervision of a primary care family practitioner. Participation in the patient’s history, physical exam, differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan will be expected. The required clinical experiences:
Students will also be expected to successfully complete the following procedures:
During the 8-week Internal Medicine Clerkship the students will see patients in the inpatient and ambulatory settings. As part of the requirement, students will complete a 2-week subspecialty rotation of their choice. This subspecialty rotation can be completed during the 3rd or 4th year. Participation in the patient’s history, physical exam, differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan will be expected. The required clinical experiences are:
During the 4-week Neurology rotation the students will be expected to spend two weeks in an inpatient neurology ward and two weeks in an outpatient/ambulatory clinic, both under the direct supervision of a neurologist. Participation in the patient’s history, physical exam, differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan will be expected. The required clinical experiences are:
During the 6-week OB/GYN rotation the students will be expected to spend three weeks in an inpatient/delivery/surgical setting and three weeks in an outpatient OB/GYN clinic, both under the direct supervision of a/n obstetrician/gynecologist. Participation in the patient’s history, physical exam, differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan will be expected. The required clinical experiences are:
During the Pediatric Clerkship the students will be expected to spend three weeks on a pediatric hospital ward rotation (inpatient) and three weeks in an ambulatory (outpatient) setting, both under the direct supervision of a pediatrician. Participation in the patient’s history, physical exam, differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan will be expected. The required clinical experiences are:
During the 4-week Psychiatry Clerkship the students will be expected to spend three weeks on an inpatient psychiatric setting and three weeks in an ambulatory (outpatient) setting, both under the direct supervision of a psychiatrist. Participation in the patient’s history, physical exam, differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan will be expected. The required clinical experiences are:
Students will be expected to observe or participate in and understand the indications for the following core surgical procedures
During the 4-week Emergency Medicine rotation the students will be expected to spend four weeks in an emergency department, both under the direct supervision of an emergency medicine physician. Participation in the patient’s history, physical exam, differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan will be expected. The required clinical experiences are:
This required two-week course will be required in the M3 year and will complement and expand on the clinical experiences of the M3 clerkships. The course will include a variety of topics including review of radiology concepts in plain radiography, computed tomography and ultrasounds, an overview of Advanced Cardiac Life Support concepts and protocols as well as time spent in the simulation lab practicing different procedures, which may include lumbar puncture, central line placement or thoracotomy. Finally, students will be completing their required M3 OSCE in this course:
Opportunities for enhancement for clinical experiences and education. These rotations are arranged in conjunction with the clinical medicine team. There are multiple partnership sites.
Click the button below for a list of the elective courses offered for first through fourth year medical students. There is no requirement to take any elective courses. These optional courses are offered to provide support throughout medical school and the journey into the field of health care. To enroll in an elective course, please fill out the add/drop form and submit it to the registrar.