Clinical curriculum

[ssahjm]

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It seems like there will always be some debate on SDN about the relative importance of the pre-clinical curriculum and P/F vs. more traditional grading. However, I hope I'm not wrong in saying that the curriculum during M3/M4 years and your clinical rotations are extremely important, especially when it comes to matching into residency programs.

Question on the floor for any med students, residents, etc... what things should we be looking for in the clinical curriculum? Are there any questions about rotations that you wish you would have asked when you were interviewing at schools? I'd love to hear your input.

 

[IHeartNerds]

The core year of rotations will be remarkably similar no matter where you go. I would look for how many different hospitals rotations are offered at -- it's a pain to have to travel excessively and learn where everything is in half a dozen places, vs everything being centralized in one or two hospitals.

A few schools start the clinical year early, such as Penn, Duke, and Baylor. This allows you more elective time, which I think is valuable, but it accelerates the basic science curriculum, which may or may not cause you pain depending on your level of comfort pre-matriculation (ie, were you a biochem major or a sociology major).

 

[gravitywave]

Kaushik just posted this in the other thread and it addresses the issue nicely:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=104541

 

[TexasPhysician]

I would ask about procedures. An ortho resident I know said his school kept procedures to a minimum with med students. On the other hand, I put in chest tubes, removed chest tubes, thoracentesis, paracentesis, suturing, relocated limbs, performed steroid injections into many joints, etc.