Clerkship Phase

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Clerkship Administrative Staff

The third-year curriculum is based on a blended longitudinal integrated clerkship model. The year consists of two 23-week clerkship blocks and four weeks of intersession interspersed with one week at the beginning of each block and two weeks at the end of the academic year. Block 1 includes concentrations in internal medicine, psychiatry, family medicine and neurology. Block 2 includes concentrations in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and surgery. In addition, longitudinal clinical experiences in family medicine and emergency medicine span across the entire year. The blocks are designed to include cross-disciplinary, integrated and shared teaching instructional experiences. Half of the students begin in Block 1 and half in Block 2 and then rotate at the end of the fall semester. Note that while several disciplines are covered simultaneously within each block, students receive individual grades for each clerkship.

The fourth-year curriculum is flexible and student–centered with a focus on preparation for the first day of residency. The fourth year consists of required courses, electives (both home and away) and flexible time. Required experiences include a sub-internship, critical care, boot camp and 22 weeks of electives, with a requirement for one elective in the basic sciences or research. Flexible time can be used for study, additional elective experiences, test preparation, vacation and travel for interviews for residency positions. Finally, all fourth year students participate in a two-week-long boot camp experience designed to tie together the clerkship phase of the curriculum and to prepare them for the transition from medical student to first-year resident.