Clinical Experiences

This core rotation allows students to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to serve a diverse cross-section of the patient population and to treat patients of all ages in an ambulatory care setting. Students learn the psychosocial aspects of health care and how to provide family-oriented primary care services, such as acute and chronic disease management, health promotion, maintenance, patient education, and disease prevention. Students develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations. In addition, students are familiarized with the differences in the coordination, management, and follow-up of the outpatient as compared to the hospitalized patient and with recognizing when to refer the patient for hospital admission or specialty care.

This core rotation allows students to learn how to systematically evaluate and manage patients with acute medical and surgical emergencies, perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and participate in cardiac and trauma resuscitations. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations.

This core rotation allows students to learn how to evaluate internal medicine patients, inpatient or outpatient, and follow their progress medically. Students will learn how to correlate history and physical findings with the patient’s physiological and laboratory data and emotional state to arrive at a differential diagnosis, formulate a treatment plan, and appreciate how to provide continuity of care. Students develop skills and demonstrate competency in performing and interpreting various medical procedures and tasks.

This core rotation allows the student to become involved in all phases of diagnosis and treatment of the surgical patient, including pre-operative, operative, and post-operative care. The student will learn the practical management of various surgical conditions, as well as wound healing and wound care. Students will develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations.

This core rotation allows the student to become involved in all phases of childcare from birth to adolescence. The student will learn to recognize and manage common childhood illnesses, assess normal and abnormal growth and development, and provide preventive health care services. Students will develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations. Students will become familiar with routine screening techniques and the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of childhood illnesses.

This core rotation allows the student to gain practical experience in evaluating obstetrical and gynecological patients. Students become familiar with the care and management of antepartum and postpartum patients and may assist in deliveries. Students perform pre-natal care, including routine examinations of expectant mothers as they progress through their pregnancies. The students will become familiar with the care and management of various gynecological problems and health promotion and disease prevention of the female reproductive tract. Students will develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations.

This core rotation allows the student to gain practical experience in evaluating and managing patients with various behavioral health problems. The student will perform basic psychiatric evaluations and develop skills in performing mental status examinations and psychiatric interviews while incorporating behavioral dynamics in this patient population. The student will learn a biopsychosocial approach to psychiatric, cognitive, and behavioral problems. The student will review and monitor medications and support the clinical management plan for patients receiving psychiatric evaluation and treatment. The student will develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, to reason independently, and to apply the concepts of team-based medical problem-solving and patient-centered care decisions.

This course will expand upon a specific area of clinical medicine, giving the student an enhanced understanding of medicine. The course will cover the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of diseases in the area selected by the student. The pathophysiology of the organ system in relation to the various disease processes is integrated with clinical presentations, historical and physical findings, and laboratory and radiographic test results. Emphasis is placed on applying new medical knowledge to clinical situations, diagnostic problem-solving and differential diagnosis, and issues of patient education and preventive medicine.

This course will expand upon the pharmacology and therapeutics used in the treatment of disease processes, giving students an enhanced understanding of pharmacodynamics and therapeutics, their application in patient care, their implication on clinical practice guidelines, and information utilization for optimal clinical outcomes.

This is the first of two elective learning experiences of 5 weeks duration in a specific area of medicine. The student will gain a more advanced level of clinical experience in an area or specialty of future employment. Students are expected to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations.

This is the second of two elective learning experiences of 5 weeks duration in a specific area of medicine. The student will gain a more advanced level of clinical experience in an area or specialty of future employment. Students are expected to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations.

This elective rotation allows students to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to serve a broad cross-section of the patient population and to treat patients of all ages in an inpatient/outpatient psychiatric setting. Students learn the biopsychosocial approach to mental illness. In this elective rotation, students will evaluate and manage patients with various psychiatric problems, do follow-up evaluations of those patients seen in the Psychiatric Emergency Room, and develop skills in the performance of mental status exams and psychiatric interviews. Students study the diagnoses and treatment plans of child and adolescent patients and the daily, intensive, long-term treatment of severely disturbed outpatients to gain an understanding of psychopathology, therapeutic community, and team functioning. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations. Students are expected to attend scheduled lectures.

This elective rotation is available to students who have completed the required Internal Medicine rotation. The rotation allows students to concentrate on learning the work-up, diagnosis and medical management of patients with cardiac diseases. Students work directly with attending physicians and/or physician assistants in conjunction with the health care team. Students attend rounds, grand rounds, scheduled lectures, and conferences while on the service. Students are expected to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations.

Students are assigned to work under the supervision of licensed physicians and/or physician assistants and in conjunction with the healthcare team in the emergency room setting. In this elective Emergency Medicine rotation, students rotate through the various areas of the Emergency Department and are exposed to medical, surgical, pediatric, orthopedic, and psychiatric emergencies. Students learn to systematically evaluate and manage patients with acute medical and surgical emergencies, perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and participate in cardiac and trauma resuscitations. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations.

Students are assigned to an outpatient department, family medical clinic, or office practice and work under the supervision of licensed family medicine physicians and/or physician assistants and in conjunction with the health care team. This elective rotation in Family Medicine provides students with another opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to serve a broad cross-section of the patient population and to treat patients of all ages in an ambulatory care setting. Students learn psychosocial aspects of health care and how to provide family-oriented family medicine services, such as acute and chronic disease management, health promotion, maintenance, patient education, and disease prevention. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations. In addition, students are familiarized with the differences in the coordination, management and follow-up of the outpatient as compared to the hospitalized patient, and with recognizing when to refer the patient for hospital admission.

Students are assigned to work under the supervision of licensed physicians and/or physician assistants in conjunction with the healthcare team to gain practical clinical experience in working with the elderly who often suffer from chronic diseases. In this elective rotation, students are exposed to various common geriatric problems. This rotation stresses characteristics of the normal aging process so that students may better identify and address deviations from the norm. Students gain exposure to end-of-life issues and psychosocial dynamics. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations. Students should be able to differentiate the care of the elderly and those patients suffering from chronic diseases. Emphasis is placed on the geriatric patient for both acute and ongoing care. Students are exposed to a wide variety of common geriatric medicine problems.

Students are assigned to work directly under the supervision of the medical house staff or in an outpatient internal medicine setting. Emphasis is placed on the hospitalized, acute, non-surgical adult patient. In this elective rotation in Internal Medicine, students medically evaluate hospitalized patients and follow their daily progress. By doing so, students learn how to correlate history and physical findings with the patient’s physiological and laboratory data and emotional state, arrive at a differential diagnosis, formulate a treatment plan, and appreciate how to provide continuity of care. Students develop skills and demonstrate competency in performing and interpreting various medical procedures and tasks. In certain settings, there are opportunities to work with the house staff who are assigned to the medical clinic area to monitor and follow up on patient management problems and to participate in the formulation of their management plans. If the student is in an outpatient setting, they will participate in in-patient rounds with the MD/DO/PA/NP. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations.

This medicine subspecialty elective rotation is available to students who have completed the required Internal Medicine rotation. The medicine subspecialty rotations allow students to concentrate on the work-up, diagnosis, and medical management of patients in medicine subspecialties. Students work directly with attending physicians and/or physician assistants in conjunction with the health care team. Students may attend rounds, grand rounds, scheduled lectures, and conferences while on the service for in-patient clinical experiences. Students are expected to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations. Students are assigned to a clinic, outpatient practice, and/or inpatient location in the assigned medicine subspecialty.

Students are assigned to work under the supervision of licensed physicians and/or physician assistants in conjunction with the healthcare team in an inpatient or outpatient OB/GYN department, clinic, or office. In this elective OB/GYN rotation, students gain practical experience in evaluating obstetrical and gynecological patients. Students become familiar with the care and management of antepartum and post-partum patients and occasionally assist in deliveries. Students perform pre-natal care, including routine examinations of expectant mothers as they progress through their pregnancies. Students also become familiar with the care and management of a wide variety of gynecological problems, as well as health promotion and disease prevention of the female reproductive tract. Students develop competency in the performance of annual exams and Pap smears, counseling for birth control, infertility, menstruation, and sexuality. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations.

This elective clinical learning experience occurs in the clinic and hospital (or ambulatory surgery) settings. Students are assigned to work directly with attending physicians and/or physician assistants in conjunction with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery healthcare team. Students develop proficiency in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing orthopedic problems in the adult and pediatric populations. They can observe and "scrub in" to assist in orthopedic surgical cases, reinforce knowledge of sterile technique and the proper use of surgical instruments, and participate in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative management of the orthopedic patient. Students attend rounds, grand rounds, scheduled lectures, and conferences while on the Orthopedic Surgery service. Students are expected to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations.

Students are assigned to work under the supervision of licensed physicians and/or physician assistants and in conjunction with the healthcare team in either an inpatient or an outpatient pediatric department, clinic, or office. This elective Pediatric rotation emphasizes the care of the child from birth to adolescence. Students learn to recognize and manage common childhood illnesses, assess variations in normal growth and development, and provide preventive healthcare services, including immunizations, routine screening, and parental and interventional counseling. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations.

This surgical subspecialty elective rotation is available to students who have completed the required surgery rotation. The surgical subspecialty rotations allow students to concentrate on the work-up, diagnosis, and surgical management of patients in surgical sub-specialties. Students work directly with attending physicians and/or physician assistants in conjunction with the health care team. They can "scrub in" to assist in surgical cases and develop proficiency in the surgical work-up, intra-operative intervention, and post-operative management of patients. They also follow patients in the critical care setting and on the floors. Students are expected to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply the concepts of medical decision-making and problem-solving to complex patient presentations.

Students are assigned to work under the supervision of licensed surgeons and/or physician assistants and in conjunction with the healthcare team in the Department of Surgery. In this elective surgery rotation, students become involved in all phases of diagnosis and treatment of the surgical patient, including pre-operative, operative, and post-anesthesia care. They learn the practical management of fluid, electrolyte, and nutritional disturbances, post-operative infections, as well as wound healing and wound care. They scrub into the operating room, observe and assist in various surgical procedures as assigned by the preceptor(s), and also become involved in managing critically ill surgical patients. Students incrementally develop the ability to analyze and synthesize medical information, reason independently, and apply medical decision-making and problem-solving concepts to complex patient presentations. Students are expected to attend daily rounds, grand rounds, morbidity & mortality conferences, and scheduled lectures while on the surgery service. Students are assigned to work directly with attending physicians and/or residents, PA staff in the surgery department.