M3: Integrated Clinical Clerkships
Phase 2 (Clerkship Year) : Core Clerkships and Electives
Clerkship Year
The clerkship year is the foundational clinical year for all medical students as you are now a part of the care team and taking care of patients directly in hospitals and clinics every day. During the clerkship year students rotate through core clerkships and electives. At UCCOM the required core clerkships are Family Medicine (FM), Internal Medicine (IM), Neuroscience (Neuro), Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN), Pediatrics (Peds), Psychiatry (Psych), and Surgery (Surg). The core clerkships range from four to eight weeks in length and students have four weeks of separate elective time for a total of 12 months in Phase 2. Within each clerkship there are subspecialty experiences for students to choose from and the elective time gives additional time for career exploration and/or specialty exposure.
By the end of Phase 2 our students are well prepared to start acting internships (AIs) and apply to any residency.
Core things and explore interests in several rotations with choices…
Student Learning Outcomes
The core clerkship learning outcomes are aligned with the Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA’s) as defined by the AAMC. For more information, see the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency publication (PDF).
Student Learning Outcomes
- Gather appropriate and accurate patient history.
- Perform an appropriate patient exam for the presenting problem/reason for the visit.
- Generate an appropriate problem-based differential diagnosis and plan.
- Communicate effectively with patients of diverse backgrounds (e.g. age, gender, social, racial and economic backgrounds).
- Communicate patient information to the clinical team in oral form.
- Communicate patient information to the clinical team in written form.
- Follow through on the appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic action plan.
- Collaborate with an inter-professional health care team.
- Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning by developing your knowledge and skills outside of the traditional learning environment.
- Demonstrate professional behavior in clinical interactions (e.g. empathy, attire, punctuality, motivation, reliability).
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Core Clerkships
Required Rotations
Clerkship Director:
Sarah Pickle, MD
Email: picklesr@ucmail.uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Nancy Jamison
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room 4304
Phone: 513-558-1435
Email: nancy.jamison@uc.edu
The Family Medicine third-year clerkship is a required four-week outpatient rotation. Students are placed in a community or residency site and become an integral part of the health care team. The clerkship emphasizes strengthening competencies in history taking, physical examination skills, problem differentiation, disease prevention and management, written and oral presentations. In applying these basic skills the student will develop an understanding of the importance of the concept of a medical home in patient care: comprehensive, patient-centered, longitudinal primary care. Working one-on-one with family physicians, students will integrate knowledge of the basic sciences with the biopsychosocial factors that critically impact a patient’s experience of illness and health in the care of the patient.
Clerkship Director:
LeAnn Coberly, MD
Email: leann.coberly@uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Gabriela Ionascu
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room 6055
Phone: 513-558-2592
Email: ionascgi@ucmail.uc.edu
The Internal Medicine third-year clerkship is an eight-week rotation consisting of four weeks on an inpatient service and four weeks in ambulatory care. Our goal is to help students make the transition from a basic science student to a member of the health care team. On the inpatient service, students are assigned to general internal medicine and subspecialty ward teams and given patient care responsibility commensurate for their level of training under the supervision of interns, senior residents and attending physicians. The educational emphasis is on history and physical examination skills and assessing and prioritizing multiple medical problems. In the ambulatory setting, students are given significant patient-care responsibility in the Student Clinic, community preceptor office, and in an Internal Medicine subspecialty clinic.
Clerkship Director:
Starla Wise, MD
Email: wises3@ucmail.uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Angela Bustamante
Office: Stetson
Phone: 513-558-2968
Email: bustamam@ucmail.uc.edu
The Neuroscience third-year clerkship is a four-week rotation consisting of two weeks of an adult neurology experience (inpatient/consults or outpatient) and two weeks of a neurology specialty experience (e.g. pediatric neurology, physical medicine & rehabilitation, and more). This clerkship is designed to train physicians to approach neurological disease in a step-by-step fashion that helps them to accurately diagnose common neurological problems (both life-threatening and not) by developing excellent history taking and physical exam skills, utilizing diagnostic tests skillfully and improving patient outcomes by selecting treatments that are effective, safe and not wasteful of people’s money.
Clerkship Director:
Jane Morris, MD
Email: morri4j9@ucmail.uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Natalie Cassady
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room 4461
Phone: 513-558-7653
Email: cassadnc@ucmail.uc.edu
The Obstetrics and Gynecology third-year clerkship is a six-week rotation that consists of four weeks of inpatient care and two weeks of ambulatory care. The inpatient service is equally divided between obstetrics and gynecology at one of six hospitals in the Tristate. The obstetrics portion may consist of normal labor and delivery, high-risk obstetrics (maternal fetal medicine) or routine prenatal care. Gynecology may include benign gynecology, gynecologic oncology or reproductive endocrinology and infertility. The objective of the curriculum in obstetrics and gynecology is that the student learns the basic skills, attitudes and knowledge that are essential in dealing with women patients and learns how to apply the science of medicine in a caring and compassionate manner so as to benefit the patient.
Clerkship Director:
Corinne Lehmann, MD
Email: corinne.lehmann@uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Mimi Pence
Office: Kasota 553 (Cincinnati Children’s Burnet Campus)
Phone: 513-636-0339
Email: mimi.pence@cchmc.org
The Pediatrics third-year clerkship is an eight-week clinical rotation designed to present the fundamentals of pediatrics which should be mastered by any physician, as well as to provide a sound foundation for those choosing to enter the specialty. Clinical experience is split between four weeks of inpatient and four weeks of outpatient medicine. During the inpatient experience, students will rotation on Hospital Medicine (general inpatient pediatrics) and a subspecialty service (e.g. hematology/oncology, nephrology, etc.). During the outpatient experience, students will rotate in an outpatient general pediatrics office as well as rotate in the newborn nursery and spend some days in subspecialty clinics. This clerkship is a specialty of medicine dealing with the physical, mental, and psychosocial health of infants, children, and adolescents. The primary expectation of this clerkship is achievement of the competencies of an adapted curriculum developed by the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP).
Clerkship Director:
Peirce Johnston, MD
Email: peirce.johnston@uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Sonya Kirkland
Email: kirklasy@ucmail.uc.edu
The Psychiatry third-year clerkship is a six-week rotation in which each student is actively involved in patient care on two inpatient units, while spending some days in an outpatient clinic and the Psychiatric Emergency Room. The overarching clerkship objective is to provide medical students with a broad clinical exposure and greater understanding of the epidemiology, presentation, evaluation and treatment of common psychiatric disorders. Two consecutive three-week rotations working on an inpatient psychiatric unit allow the students to care for patients in acute crises as a part of a multidisciplinary treatment team. At the conclusion of the clerkship, students are able to elicit a psychiatric history, mental status examination and formulate a comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates the biologic, psychotherapeutic and social needs of their patients.
Clerkship Director:
Latifa Silski, MD
Email: sagesila@ucmail.uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Nicole Norman
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room 1586
Phone: 513-558-2134
Email:normanno@ucmail.uc.edu
The Surgery third-year clerkship is an eight-week inpatient rotation. Students spend four weeks on a core surgery service (e.g. trauma, acute care surgery, etc.) and four weeks on a specialty surgery service (e.g. urology, plastics, ortho, etc.). During that time, students will be an integral part of the surgical team, be responsible for patient care, and will participate in surgical procedures. The activities of general surgeons and surgeons in specialty fields will be experienced firsthand in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The students will learn basic surgical techniques and wound management. Upon clerkship completion, students are expected to understand the basics of surgical disease processes, as well as the decision making used to manage surgical patients.
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Phase 2 Electives
During Phase 2, students take two 2-week electives. These Phase 2 electives are meant for career exploration and/or exposure to another specialty to advance knowledge in a specific content area. Students have the option of taking two weeks of “Flex” time in place of one of these electives. Additionally, starting in AY 26-27, students will be able to enroll in Phase 3 electives during this time if they satisfy the prerequisites for the elective. The ability to take Flex time and/or Phase 3 electives during Phase 2 provides flexibility for students to utilize these weeks to best serve their needs and goals as they prepare for Phase 3 and residency applications.
Phase 2 specialty elective list:
Third Year Elective Rotations
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In the Anesthesia Specialty Clerkship, time is primarily spent in the operating room with the student gaining experience in the pre-, peri- and post-operative management of patients. Techniques for vascular access are included as part of the training for patient management of fluid and electrolyte balance. Students are exposed to anesthetic techniques for patient management. The pharmacology of anesthetic agents is seen clinically with an emphasis on interpreting the interactions of these drugs and the rapid onset of medication given intravenously. The student has opportunity for airway management, including intubation, in the operating room setting. |
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| Clerkship Director: LeAnn Coberly, MD Email: leann.coberly@uc.edu Clerkship Coordinator: Gabriella Ionascu Office: Medical Sciences Building Room 6055 Phone: 513-558-2592 Email: ionascgi@ucmail.uc.edu |
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The student will be part of a multidisciplinary team in the care of critically ill patients with cardiac disease. She/he will support a senior resident in the care of patients with diseases such as heart failure, cardiogenic shock, acute myocardial infarction and arrythmias. There will be opportunities to observe central venous lines, arterial lines, mechanical ventilation, cardioversion etc. Given the acuity of ICU medicine and the short duration of this clerkship, it will be by necessity more shadowing and self-directed learning. |
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| The Clinical Oncology Specialty Clerkship is a two-week multidisciplinary outpatient oncology rotation, including medical oncology, pediatric oncology, surgical oncology and radiation oncology, which meets at the Barrett Cancer Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Christ Hospital Cancer Center. Students, closely monitored by attendings on a one-to-one basis, will see outpatients for consultation, treatment planning and follow-up examinations on all four services. Students will attend new patient conferences, tumor boards and a medical student once-weekly clinical conference. Adult and pediatric patients with cancers of breast, colon, prostate, lung, head and neck, lymphomas and leukemia, bone and soft tissue sarcomas and brain tumors constitute the patient population. Students will learn clinical skills including new patient initial anatomic and functional staging, treatment planning strategies (radical/palliative, surgery/radiation/chemotherapy) and techniques of follow-up examination (lab tests, X-rays etc.). |
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The Dermatology Clerkship is a two-week outpatient rotation that will give the student a broad exposure to common and uncommon skin disorders in children and adults. Students will rotate with an attending in not only the outpatient clinic setting at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Dermatology OP Resident Clinic in the Hoxworth Building but also in the private practice settings in West Chester, UC Physicians Midtown, UC Physicians Florence, Western Hills, and UC Physicians Medical Arts Building on Piedmont. Students will also attend weekly grand rounds and are expected to read daily from the suggested text. Direct patient responsibility will be limited. | ||||
Clerkship Directors:
John Campbell, MD
Email: campbejb@ucmail.uc.edu
Clerkship Coordinator:
Caitlyn Hadsell
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room 1551D
Phone: 513-558-5552
Email: hadselcn@ucmail.uc.edu
The Emergency Medicine Specialty Clerkship exposes the student to a wide variety of acutely ill patients presenting to an urban emergency department. Time on the clerkship is divided between several distinct areas in the emergency department, each offering a different mix of patient types and supervising personnel. Eight and twelve-hour shifts are spent working in the main emergency department (A-pod, C-pod) seeing patients with acute medical, surgical, gynecologic, neurologic and toxicologic presentations. This portion of the clerkship allows the student to participate in the initial evaluation of patients with unknown diagnoses and exercise skills in physical diagnosis, history taking, performance and interpretation of diagnostic tests, oral presentation, formulation of differential diagnoses and clinical reasoning. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the performance of procedures such as venipuncture, arterial puncture and passage of nasogastric tubes and urinary drainage catheters. Students also will be exposed to critically ill patients in the Shock/Resuscitation Unit of the department. Several 10-hour shifts are spent in the Minor Care area of the department. Minor Care serves patients with focused complaints who generally can be definitively treated in the emergency department, or referred for outpatient treatment following temporizing emergency department management. The Minor Care portion of the clerkship allows the student to participate in a broad variety of procedures including local anesthesia, wound debridement and suturing, splinting, conscious sedation, incision and drainage of abscesses and slit-lamp evaluation of the eye.
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| The Geriatric Medicine Specialty Clerkship will provide students with an introduction to the basic principles of providing safe and effective care to frail older adults as part of an interprofessional team. The elective will include experiences (1) on an inpatient geriatric medicine special care unit for hospitalized older adults; (2) in an outpatient geriatric assessment clinic; (3) in community nursing homes; and (4) in a community agency for the aged/home care. |
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The students will gain exposure to the multidisciplinary care of critically ill patients. Students will be paired with an upper level resident in a supportive role in the care of the resident's panel of patients. There will be exposure to ventilator management, procedures such as central venous lines, arterial lines etc. Given the acuity of ICU medicine and the short duration of this clerkship, it will be by necessity more shadowing and self-directed learning. |
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| Students will be exposed to general and subspecialty ophthalmology at the Cincinnati Eye Institute and at UC Medical Center, and/or Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Students will be taught essential ophthalmic examination techniques, participate in patient examinations and may have an opportunity to observe ophthalmic surgery. Direct patient responsibility is limited. |
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| Students will be exposed to orthopaedic surgery in the ambulatory, inpatient and operating room settings. They will have the opportunity to work with adult and pediatric patients, some of whom have experienced trauma and others who are hospitalized for reconstructive surgery. Training in hand surgery, spine, sports medicine, shoulder, and foot/ankle surgery is also available. |
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Clerkship Director:
Ashley Soaper, MD
Email: ashley.soaper@cchmc.org
Clerkship Co-Director:
Catherine Hart, M.D.
Email: Catherine.Hart@cchmc.org
Clerkship Coordinator:
Angie Keith
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room 6413
Phone: 513-558-5391
Email: keithae@ucmail.uc.edu
During the Otolaryngology Specialty Clerkship, students will gain exposure to the wide range of ear, nose and throat diseases treated by the otolaryngologist. Each student will learn the appropriate history and examination techniques for head and neck diseases. Students will learn the diagnosis and management of a variety of common otolaryngologic disorders, including otitis media, hearing loss, rhinitis, sinusitis, and cancer of the head and neck. In addition, specific otolaryngologic emergencies such as airway obstruction, epistaxis and facial trauma will be covered. Students will participate in the day-to-day activities of the otolaryngologic team including inpatient and outpatient care and observe surgery. The experience will be divided between UC Medical Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center.
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| This two-week specialty clerkship in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is designed to provide students with a survey of the field of pathology with a focus on understanding the current and evolving role anatomic and clinical pathology plays in patient care. An emphasis is placed on clinicopathological correlation. Students attend departmental meetings and conferences, participate in tutorials given by residents, observe sign-out sessions and one autopsy, spend time in the anatomic, clinical, molecular diagnostic and microbiology laboratories and prepare for and deliver one 20-minute presentation at the end of the rotation. An emphasis is placed on clinicopathological correlation. Students attend departmental meetings and conferences, participate in tutorials given by residents, observe sign-out sessions and one autopsy, spend time in the anatomic, clinical, molecular diagnostic and microbiology laboratories and prepare for and deliver one 20-minute presentation at the end of the rotation. For students interested in pursuing a career in pathology, this rotation provides a broad overview of the field and can help students gauge their interest in pathology as a profession. For students interested in entering a specialty other than pathology, this rotation provides valuable understanding of the inner workings of a pathology department. |
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Clerkship Director:
Amy Guiot, MD
Email: amy.guiot@cchmc.org
Clerkship Coordinator:
Mimi Pence
Office: 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 3009
Phone: 513-636-0339
Email: mimi.pence@cchmc.org
The student will participate in all clinical activities of the Division of Human Genetics including dysmorphology and genetic assessments of infants and children, inpatient consults, genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, outreach and specialty clinics. Structure will be one week inpatient with consults and one week outpatient with clinics.
Clerkship Director:
Amy Guiot, MD
Email: amy.guiot@cchmc.org
Clerkship Coordinator:
Mimi Pence
Office: 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 3009
Phone: 513-636-0339
Email: mimi.pence@cchmc.org
This rotation is designed to give students exposure to a breadth of developmental and behavioral topics. Students will participate in multi-disciplinary team evaluations of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and genetic syndromes. Students will observe and have opportunities to develop their skills in taking comprehensive developmental histories, completing physical exams on children with developmental delays, understanding medication management of symptoms of developmental diagnoses, and connecting families with both hospital-based and community resources.
Clerkship Director:
Amy Guiot, MD
Email: amy.guiot@cchmc.org
Clerkship Coordinator:
Mimi Pence
Office: 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 3009
Phone: 513-636-0339
Email: mimi.pence@cchmc.org
This two-week observational experience serves to expose students to pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation. Students will rotate through a variety of outpatient clinics to explore pediatric rehab (e.g. cerebral palsy, brain injury, spinal cord injury, spina bifida, neuromuscular, cancer rehab)
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The Radiology Clerkship provides a general understanding of the spectrum of diagnostic imaging and diagnostic and therapeutic image-guided interventional techniques. The student will understand the role of Radiology in medical care, and will appreciate the patient's perspective of undergoing medical imaging or intervention. This specialty clerkship provides general education regarding the indications and appropriateness of imaging studies for common clinical problems and an understanding of the appropriate sequencing of exams and the limitations of diagnostic imaging tests. In addition, students are presented with introductory education on imaging techniques and a general approach to the interpretation of diagnostic studies. The complexity of imaging interpretation and the value of training and experience are emphasized. | ||||
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| In the Urology Specialty Clerkship, students will be actively involved in the evaluation and care of urologic patients. Emphasis will be placed on eliciting an appropriate history and establishing the pertinent aspects of the physical examination. Students will also be exposed to and may participate in urologic surgery, both in the operating room and in the Cystoscopy Suite. Students will also be afforded the opportunity to observe urologic practice in the outpatient setting. Didactic sessions will complement assigned reading, thereby allowing the student to acquire a basic knowledge of urinary tract infection, stone disease, urologic oncology and impotence/infertility. | ||||
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Danielle Weber, MD
Phase 2 Curriculum Director
Dr. Danielle Weber serves as the Phase 2 Curriculum Director overseeing the Phase 2 curriculum and all the core clerkships. She works closely with all the Clerkship Directors to create an excellent clerkship year, preparing students to be well rounded clinicians and ready for their acting internships. Dr. Weber also works with the Phase 1 and Phase 3 curriculum directors, as well as leadership across UCCOM, to ensure an integrated curriculum across the Phases and create initiatives to support students throughout their medical education.
Contact Us
Office of Curriculum Managementand Integration
Medical Sciences Building Room G453 - G456
231 Albert Sabin Way
PO Box 670520
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0520
Mail Location: 0520
Phone: 513-558-1795
Fax: 513-558-4949