4.8: Selective Clerkship Requirement

Students will complete four weeks of clerkships in each of the two categories chosen from the designated list. Qualifying clerkships are approved by the Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy (CCAP) and may be removed from the list of approved clerkships at any time. Additions to the approved lists of clerkships take effect immediately for all students; deletions from the lists take effect for the students who begin clerkships in the next clerkship year. Students wishing to substitute another clerkship not on the list may petition the CCAP for approval prior to enrolling in (i.e. beginning) the clerkship. Students should know that approval of substitutions for selective clerkships is rarely given and note the following:

Retroactive approval of selective clerkship substitutions will not be granted.

398A clerkships are not eligible for selective credit.

To request approval for a selective clerkship taken at another institution, complete the Away Clerkship Authorization Form.

Selective I: Fundamentals of Clinical Care

  • Students complete one month of clerkship(s) from the Selective I list.
  • Students will broaden their professional education by participating in clinical experiences in areas not covered in a core clerkship.  This requirement may be met through completion of a clerkship in an ambulatory or combined ambulatory/inpatient setting.
  • Students will:
    • Strengthen the ability to perform a directed history and physical examination.
    • Become competent at managing problems in an ambulatory setting.
    • Build an understanding of transitions between inpatient and outpatient care
  • Selective clerkship should:
    • Provide at least 50% of student experience in an ambulatory/outpatient setting.
    • Emphasize common problems in an area relevant to generalist practice.
    • Provide knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enhance development as a well-rounded physician.
    • Allow students to accept direct responsibility for patients, including serving as the first to encounter the patient, perform procedures, counsel patients, and write notes and orders.
    • Provide opportunities for patient follow-up.

Selective II: Subinternship

  • Students complete one clerkship from the Selective II List.
  • Students will broaden their professional education by participating in clinical experiences in areas not covered in a core clerkship. This requirement may be met through completion of a clerkship in an intensive inpatient setting.
  • Through an intensive inpatient experience, students will:
  • Provide direct patient care, with internship-like responsibilities, functionating as primary providers at a Manager level in the RIME framework. 
  • Work on interprofessional teams.
  • Strengthen their clinical and procedural skills.
  • Improve their ability to manage and provide care to complex, acutely ill patients.
  • Selective Clerkship should:
    • Provide at least 75% of student experience in an inpatient setting.
    • Provide adequate volume and complexity of patients to support an internship-like experience.
    • Allow student to be responsible for direct management and care of patients.
    • Support students in building upon knowledge and skills learned during the core clerkships.
    • Provide students Internship-like responsibilities: primary workup of new patients, write orders, perform procedures, participate in daily care, take night call, write notes, and dictate discharge summary.
     
     
    updated August 2023