Clinical clerkships begin in May after our students take Step 1 of the USMLE Licensing Exam.

The third-year curriculum consists of:

Ambulatory Medicine (4 weeks)
Family Medicine (4 weeks)
Inpatient Medicine (8 weeks)
Neurology (4 weeks)
Obstetrics and Gynecology (6 weeks)
Pediatrics (6 weeks)
Psychiatry (6 weeks)
Surgery (8 weeks)

The Clinical Foundations III course consists of an orientation to the clinical curriculum and a one-week intersession in November.

Radiology also is taught at the beginning of the third year and longitudinally within each of the clerkships.

Course Descriptions

CLINICAL FOUNDATIONS III

Clinical Foundations III, held at the beginning of the third year, provides further preparation for third-year clinical rotations. Additionally, an intersession is planned during the third year to provide integration of clinical material across longitudinal topics that cross several disciplines. This preparation includes, but is not limited to clinical IT training with access to Electronic Medical Records, obtaining privileges at all of the primary clinical sites, discussions on team care, leadership, professionalism, management of assault behavior training, infection prevention, and basic life support.

AMBULATORY MEDICINE

The Ambulatory Medicine clerkship occurs in a highly structured clinical environment in both in-patient and ambulatory settings. Students gradually assume responsibility for the care of patients, thereby enhancing their clinical, diagnostic, and procedural skills.

INPATIENT MEDICINE

The eight-week Inpatient Medicine Clerkship occurs in a highly structured clinical environment in-patient setting. Students gradually assume responsibility for the care of patients, thereby enhancing their clinical, diagnostic, and procedural skills. Clinical vignettes and bedside teaching serve to round out the experience.

FAMILY MEDICINE

This clerkship matches students with a family physician for a four-week block. Students are assigned to a UCI-affiliated clinic where the principles of family medicine and primary care are taught. Emphasis is placed upon exposing students to the most common health care problems seen in family medicine. Students are exposed to the principles of community health and epidemiology, as practically applied in an ambulatory care setting. Students develop an awareness of the current health care delivery environment, including issues such as health care costs and the lifestyle of a family physician. Special tracks are available for interested students in geriatrics, integrative medicine, and under-served care. Special teaching sessions on family centered maternity care, health maintenance and nutrition, and musculoskeletal joint exams are part of the experience. A curriculum in ophthalmology is also part of the clerkship.

NEUROLOGY

The four-week neuroscience clinical clerkship emphasizes the development of skills in taking a neurological history, performing a neurological examination, formulating a differential diagnosis, and proposing a course of management for neurological disorders. Students have the option of further training in Neurosurgery or pediatric sub-specialty rotations.

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

During the six-week clinical clerkship, students are given the opportunity to observe and handle problems in the obstetrical and gynecologic wards, outpatient clinic, labor and delivery suite, and in the operating room.

PEDIATRICS

This clinical clerkship serves as an introduction to general pediatrics. Students rotate on the pediatric inpatient service, pediatric ambulatory settings, and the newborn nursery. During the clerkship, students develop their knowledge and skills in conducting age-appropriate patient histories and physical examinations and developing differential diagnoses and management plans.

PSYCHIATRY

This six-week clinical clerkship provides an opportunity for hands-on experience in the process of recognizing, diagnosing, and treating mental illness using the latest neuropharmacological advances, as well as more traditional psychotherapeutic approaches. Each student participates fully in patient care, clinical teaching, and conferences.

RADIOLOGY

The objective of this clerkship (both diagnostic and therapeutic) is to teach students through exposure to clinical specialists in numerous subspecialties. Students are instructed in areas such as nuclear medicine, ultrasound, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance, chest, bone, gastrointestinal, etc. In addition, students participate in daily clinical film conferences with staff and residents; the American School of Radiology film learning laboratory; and daily seminars, which interrelate general medicine and radiology. Emphasis is given to all forms of imaging (including ionizing radiation, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance) for diagnosis and treatment, understanding the risk/benefit ratio involved, and the clinical indications for various radiological procedures.

SURGERY

The Surgery Clerkship provides students, as members of the surgical team, with an opportunity to study surgical patients in outpatient and hospital settings. Students acquire surgical knowledge, as well as develop skills in taking surgical histories and conducting physical examinations. Emphasis is placed on the clinical evaluation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of surgical diseases. Students spend six weeks on general surgery (three weeks each at UC Irvine and LBVA Medical Centers) and one week on one of the subspecialties (Urology, ENT, Orthopedics, or Plastic Surgery).