Curriculum

The third year, composed of clerkship rotations at hospital sites, begins with a two-week orientation period toward the end of June.  Clerkships begin in mid-July and end the following June.  Required junior clerkships are Medicine (12 weeks long), Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Psychiatry (each 8 weeks long), and four weeks of Family Medicine.

Most clerkships are similar in structure.  Students will be assigned patients to examine and to present to the faculty and attending physicians.  Students work closely with residents and attendings in day-to-day patient management.   Lectures and conferences occur in each clerkship.  Night call will vary among disciplines.  In some clerkships, outpatient experiences will be a sizable component of the program; in others, inpatient experiences will predominate.

Clerkship Scheduling

A lottery is held near the end of the M-2 year during which students schedule their M-3 rotations.  There are four tracks, depending on when the student takes the Medicine clerkship and Family Medicine clerkship.  A brief vacation period separates the two, twenty-four week blocks.

Students may request a particular hospital or service, but all assignments are at the discretion of the clerkship director.

Rural Student Physicians Program (RSPP)

This is an alternative tract to the traditional M-3 year.  It involves a series of condensed Peoria-based inpatient clerkships, which are followed by a continuity based rural community clerkship.  The program is directed by Dr. Linda Batek and the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Exams

Written exams, in the form of National Boards Subject Examinations, are administered as a component of the overall grade in all clerkships.  A passing grade, established by each department, in their specialty "shelf exam" is required in addition to satisfactory clinical performance.

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Last Edited: Thursday, January 25, 2001