Post-Clerkship phase

Segment 4: Post-Clerkship phase

The Post-Clerkship Phase is vitally important for the completion of medical school training, particularly for:

  1. Deciding upon a specialty and residency
  2. Gaining further skills and experience in selected specialties to help students in applying for residencies (letters of recommendation)
  3. Gaining experience in the care of critically-ill patients, especially in emergency medicine
  4. Developing teaching the skills required of a physician
  5. Experience and knowledge in a variety of medical specialties and settings, and to become a lifelong learner
  6. To practice in an interprofessional environment

Curriculum schema

The expanded fourth year of medical school consists of 14 months. Courses are one calendar month or, in some cases, two weeks. Rotations at other institutions and independent electives are supported and encouraged.

April through the following May (14 months)

  • Emergency Medicine
  • Step 2 Prep
  • Sub-internship
  • Intensive Care Physiology
  • Elective (3x)
  • Interviews
  • Interview Vacation
  • Elective/Research (2x)
  • Medical Education
  • Clinical Elective
  • Residency Preparation
  • Doctoring is Teaching: Student Educational Experience (longitudinal throughout the 14 weeks)

Student will schedule courses in February to complete 14 months of education.

  1. Required course work
    1. Emergency Medicine core clerkship
    2. Sub-internship with competency-based assessment of clinical skills
    3. Step 2 CK prep course (dedicated study)
    4. Residency prep month (in the spring)
  2. Core electives
    1. Medical education experience (as near-peer instructor)
    2. Critical care
  3. Vacation and residency interview months
    1. Vacation
    2. Residency interviewing
  4. Specialty-specific clinical electives and sub-internships
    1. One to four months depending upon specialty
  5. Electives
    1. Additional electives to complete required 14 months

The expanded Post-Clerkship Phase contains flexibility, including supporting research rotations, independent study and student-specific programs, in addition to the required core rotations.