MEDICAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM: YEARS 3 & 4
Clinical Rotations
Upon successful completion of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1, Ross students embark on Internal Medicine Foundations (IMF), an intensive, physician-supervised clinical clerkship in Miramar, Fla., specifically geared to build competence in the principles and practice of Internal Medicine and facilitate success in subsequent Internal Medicine rotations and in the USMLEStep 2.
This additional eight weeks of hands-on training conducted at affiliated hospitals and ambulatory clinics, allows students to further hone their physical examination, diagnostic, critical thinking, and communication skills through direct patient care. It also serves as an important bridge between the first four semesters and the clinical portion of the curriculum.
Ross students complete the clinical portion of the curriculum—and the majority of their training—in the United States at leading teaching hospitals across the country. And because our students are given hands-on experience from semester one, they transition into the clinical semesters with confidence and the tools they need to succeed. Additionally, Ross students have the option to complete all of their clinical rotations in one single geographic location. This is important because it not only helps to ensure a consistent clinical experience as they rotate through different disciplines, but it also helps to lower related expenses.
The clinical portion of the curriculum is without a doubt one of the most exciting – and most complex – periods of our students’ entire medical education experience. We understand how challenging it can be to progress through your rotations while staying on track to earn your medical degree and prepare for residency. Which is why we implemented the
Rely On Student Service (ROSS) model. This student support feature links every Ross clinical student with their own team of dedicated advisers who will be with you every step of the way, so you can stay focused on the important task at hand – your clinical training. Learn more here.
List of Core Rotations
During your internal medicine rotation, you will learn the steps necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment of patients, including how to take complete medical, personal, and family histories; perform diagnostic “work-ups”; and develop plans for managing your patients’ care. Additionally, you will participate in clinical conferences where you will learn to report your findings and conclusions logically and succinctly.
You will explore conditions requiring surgical intervention and have opportunities to observe how surgical patients are managed. In the process, you will become familiar with the policies and procedures followed in the operating room.
During your pediatrics rotation, you will learn special skills and knowledge required for the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of infants, children, and adolescents.
Through your family medicine rotation, you will learn principles of family medicine and of how they apply in community practice. Emphasis is placed on continuous and comprehensive healthcare for people of both genders and all ages within the context of their families, social groups, and communities. Particular attention is paid to the diagnosis and treatment of common medical problems and to health maintenance, ambulatory care, and continuity of care.
Here, you will learn about the changes that take place in a woman during pregnancy, labor, delivery and the postpartum period—both normal and pathologic. You'll also learn about the diagnosis and treatment of major gynecological diseases and various methods of family planning.
During your psychiatry clerkship, you will learn about the major categories of mental disorder, including diagnosis and some methods of therapy. In the process, you'll learn how to take a psychiatric history and how to evaluate a patient’s mental status.
List of Clerkships
Students complete 48 weeks of cores, 34 weeks of electives and 8 weeks of IMF.
Required clerkships (48 weeks) are in CAPITAL letters; subspecialties in each area follow; for example, all recognized medicine subspecialties are numbered 321 through 338.
The final 30 weeks of your clinical experience will be spent participating in elective clerkships:
