Third Year Clerkships

Internal Medicine (10 weeks)

• Medicine Clerkship Directors:
  • Amber Pincavage, MD | (773) 702-6163 | apincava@bsd.uchicago.edu
• Medicine Clerkship Administrator:
  • Latiffany Connelly | (773) 702-0351 | lconnelly@bsd.uchicago.edu
• Website:
  • MedHub

Description

The Medicine clerkship is a 10-week rotation that includes both inpatient and outpatient experiences. The goal of the rotation is to provide students with a foundation of knowledge in general internal medicine necessary to practice in any medical or surgical specialty. The rotation includes a two-week medicine subspecialty consult rotation.

During the ten week clerkship, students rotate on services at the University of Chicago Medical Center and Evanston Hospital, part of the NorthShore University HealthSystem for 8 weeks.  Students will spend 4-6 weeks on inpatient general medicine services and 2-4 weeks on hematology/oncology and/or cardiology services. All students will participate in a 10-week, longitudinal ambulatory experience with a University of Chicago Department of Medicine faculty member. The 2-week consult experience includes options to rotate in medicine subspecialties.

During each of the core rotations, students function as active members of the ward team and assume a prominent role in the management of the patients. Students also meet four times in small groups with a faculty preceptor. In addition to teaching responsibilities, the preceptor has primary responsibility for monitoring the progress of each student during the clerkship. The preceptor is a person to whom students can turn if problems arise during the clerkship. The course directors are also readily available in case of problems.

Available teaching conferences include Resident Morning report, Resident Noon Conference and Medical Grand Rounds. Teaching conferences provided specifically for students include 5 days set aside for case-based discussion sessions and didactic lectures as well as an EKG lecture series.

Clinical Evaluation

Students are evaluated in several areas, including the quality of written and oral presentations, clinical reasoning skill, general fund of knowledge, the ability to interact with patients and colleagues, reliability in caring for patients, and humanistic qualities. Feedback about each student’s clinical performance is solicited from physicians with whom the student works. Course directors encourage each attending and housestaff physician to meet personally with each student in order to provide feedback.

Objectives

The primary objective of the medicine clerkship is to gain insight into clinical principles and practice of internal medicine. Expectations regarding oral and written case presentations, number of cases to be seen and preceptor group participation are all explicitly stated during the orientation at the start of the rotation.

Surgery and Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management (10 weeks)

• Clerkship Director:
  • Nora Jaskowiak, MD | (773) 702-2048 | njaskowi@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu
• Associate Clerkship Directors:
  • Andrea Shogan, MD | ashogan@bsd.uchicago.edu
  • David Hampton, MD | dhampton2@bsd.uchicago.edu
• Clerkship Coordinator:
  • Susan Chambers | (773) 702-6337 | schamber@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu
• Websites:
  • Department of Surgery
  • MedHub
  • MS3 Surgical Simulation Curriculum

Description

This clerkship is divided into four phases: four weeks of a General surgery service or Trauma, two weeks on two specialty services, and two weeks of anesthesiology.  At the UCH, there are four General surgery services. Trauma Service, and a large number of surgery subspecialty services.  Each handles patients with diseases classically associated with General surgery , Trauma, or the surgical subspecialty area.  However, there are various emphases from service to service, and the student should familiarize him/herself with these subspecialty emphases if the student has a particular interest in such areas as breast surgery, transplantation surgery, endocrine surgery, etc.  Students may also choose to do general surgery at NorthShore University Health System’s Evanston Hospital Campus, Evanston, IL where the service is more general and students have an opportunity to see a more diverse spectrum of cases. 

Students are considered a part of the team and are encouraged to participate actively in ward rounds, inpatient care, outpatient clinics, and the surgery of patients on his/her service.  All students will participate in a Surgical Simulation Curriculum within the first few weeks of the clerkship. Students are encouraged to do outside reading and to attend the various weekly surgical conferences.  A lecture series will be held at the U of C for all students, with students in Evanston participating via video conferencing.  The lectures will run from 4:00 pm-6:15 pm on Tuesdays.  Students also participate in case presentations at both sites.

Clinical Evaluation

A student’s clinical performance is evaluated and graded by the faculty and residents at U of C and Evanston who work with the student on each rotation.  They are asked to evaluate the student in several areas, including clinical acumen, interpersonal skills, professionalism and general knowledge. A written consensus evaluation is submitted to the departmental office by the designated faculty coordinator for that service.

Objectives

To expose students to the medical management of surgical patients and basic surgical techniques.  To provide students an opportunity to participate in peri-operative care as well as operative procedures.  Provide a didactic experience centered around management of surgical diseases and to give students an opportunity for evaluation of surgical inpatients and outpatients.

Pediatrics (5 weeks)

• Clerkship Directors:
  • Maria (Lolita) Alcocer Alkureishi, MD | 6576 (pager) | malkureishi@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu
  • Erin King, MD | (773) 702-6169 | Erin.King@bsd.uchicago.edu
• Clerkship Coordinator:
  • Dawn Croach | (773) 834-0497 | dcroach@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu
• Websites:
  • Pediatrics Clerkship
  • MedHub

Description

The Pediatrics clerkship is a five week rotation. Approximately 2.5 weeks will be spent on inpatient pediatrics either at Comer Children's Hospital, NorthShore University HealthSystem, or La Rabida Children's Hospital. Three days are seeing newborns in the nursery at at the University of Chicago, and the remaining time is spent in an outpatient setting, some of which are off-site. Dawn, our clerkship coordinator, will send an email prior the start of the rotation asking for location preferences and will try our best to accommodate at least one of your top choices.

Didactics will contain a mixture of live in-person and zoom lectures, as well as a few and pre-recorded asynchronous sessions in order to minimize how much you’re being pulled away from the wards/clinic. You will also spend an entire day at NorthShore doing didactics and simulation training. You will also complete a minimum of 5 interactive virtual patient cases in Aquifer Pediatrics, that are focused on the learning objectives of the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) clerkship curriculum. Lastly, depending on your clinical assignment and site, students are also invited and expected to take part in our resident morning and noon conferences either in-person when possible, virtually if off-site.

Clinical Evaluation

Student grades are comprised of faculty (not resident) evaluations in the outpatient, inpatient and nursery settings. Attending’s evaluate the student in several areas, including medical knowledge; proficiency in the history and physical exam; history gathering; communication of clinical data; interpersonal communication skills; practice-based learning and improvement; inter-professional collaboration; teamwork; health promotion and prevention and professionalism. Other components of the grade are composed of the Shelf Exam, overall professionalism demonstrated during the clerkship, and a graded note assignment..

Objectives

• To perform a pediatric-specific history and physical in both inpatient and outpatient settings for all ages: newborn, toddler, school-age and adolescent.
• To apply knowledge about growth and development to the care plan for children from birth through adolescence.
• To employ advanced communication skills while working with all members of the patient care team including family members and interprofessional team members.
• To diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses in inpatient and outpatient settings.

 

Obstetrics and Gynecology (5 weeks)

• Clerkship Director:
  • Carrie Smith, MD | (773) 834-5174 | clsmith2@bsd.uchicago.edu
  • Associate Clerkship Director: Julie Chor, MD
  • NorthShore Site Director: Michael Hughey, MD
  • Associate NorthShore Site Director: Melissa Keene, MD
• Clerkship Coordinator:
  • Gioia Johnson | (773) 702-6726 | gioia.johnson@bsd.uchicago.edu
• Website:
  • MedHub

Description

The Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship is a five week combined inpatient and outpatient experience, performed at either the University of Chicago or NorthShore University HealthSystem. Students at both hospitals split their time between the Obstetrics service and a Gynecologic Surgery service. Students at NorthShore will have a primarily low-risk OB and general gynecology experience, whereas students at U of C see primarily high-risk obstetrics and rotate on either the benign gynecology or gyn-oncology surgical service. Students who rotate at NorthShore will remain at NorthShore for their entire clerkship, except the morning of orientation day and exam day, the final day of the clerkship.Students who rotate at U of C complete all of their clinical work at U of C, but may be asked to go to NorthShore one to two times for simulation and/or OSCEs.

During their obstetric rotation, students will care for patients who are hospitalized for complications of pregnancy, who are labor and delivering, and for postpartum care. It is a fast-paced experience and consists of approximately 12-hour shifts. Students may be assigned to a mix of both day and night shifts over the course of the clerkship.

During their inpatient gynecologic surgery rotation, students will scrub on surgical cases, care for post-operative patients, see ER and inpatient consultations with their team and attend rounds. Students at the U of C will be assigned to either the benign gynecology service or the gyn-oncology service. At NorthShore, gynecology is a combined benign and oncologic service and students may be assigned to benign or oncology cases depending on case load.

Each student at both sites will also be assigned an individual faculty preceptor. This preceptor will mentor the student in the outpatient setting. Students will attend at least four half-days of outpatient clinic with their preceptor over the course of the clerkship. In addition, students will spend 1-2 half-days in the high risk obstetrics clinic at both locations. Other opportunities for outpatient exposure will vary by site.

Didactic sessions will be held throughout the week, primarily on Fridays but with some additional sessions. They are currently all completed virtually due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Most didactics are interactive including case presentations, patient counseling sessions, case-based learning sessions, and simulation sessions.

Clinical Evaluation

Clinical performance is evaluated by the residents and faculty who work with the students on each rotation, as well as the student’s faculty preceptor. 

Objectives

At the end of the OB/GYN rotation, students should:

• Understand the basic concepts surrounding reproduction, the physiologic changes of pregnancy, common obstetric complications, the process of labor and delivery and the immediate post-partum period
• Demonstrate physical exam skills necessary to perform a pelvic exam, an exam of a pregnant woman in prenatal care and in labor, and have participated in at least one vaginal and one cesarean delivery
• Understand the fundamentals of common gynecologic issues, including generation of a gynecologic differential diagnosis and understanding of basic treatment options both surgical and non-surgical
• Understand the epidemiology, anatomy, screening and diagnosis of common gynecologic cancers

Obstetrics and Gynecology Grade

• Clinical Performance - 50%
• Case Presentation - 5%
• NBME Shelf Exam - 25%
• OSCE - 15%
• Procedure/Case Log Completion - 5%

Required Textbook

• Beckmann et al, Obstetrics and Gynecology; available in the campus bookstore
• Brookside Press University of Chicago Ob/Gyn Clerkship website
• Association of Professors of Gyncology and Obstetrics clinical case
• ACOG
• UWise question banks

Psychiatry (5 weeks)

• Clerkship Director:
  • Shivani Kumar, MD, Director of Medical Student Education | (773) 834-7947 | shivani.kumar@uchicagomedicine.edu
• Clerkship Coordinator:
  • Brandy Tyrpin | btyrpin@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu
• Websites:
  • Psychiatry Clerkship
  • MedHub

Description

The psychiatry clerkship is a five week experience that combines hospital-based work with outpatient experiences.  Three primary site assignments are available including the consultation-liaison service at University of Chicago or the Child consultation-liaison service at the University of Chicago, the community inpatient service at Northshore, and the academic inpatient service at Ingalls Hospital (owned by UCM).  Each site includes University of Chicago faculty and residents.  Each site features one or two half days of clinic experiences each week.  Students also have call responsibilities a few times during the rotation that allow them to experience emergency psychiatry.

The Clerkship Sites

• University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) – Primary assignment on either the adult or child consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry service that provides assessment and consultation to patients and physicians on UCMC medical, surgical, and subspecialty units. The child CL service will provide the same services at the adult service but at Comer.
• Evanston Hospital – Primary assignment on the adult inpatient unit providing psychiatric care to both general psychiatry and dual diagnosis patients.
• Ingalls Hospital - Primary assignment to the adult inpatient unit providing psychiatric care to general psychiatry and dual diagnosis patients.
• University of Chicago outpatient clinics – Students are assigned to weekly outpatient clinics including general adult clinics, neuropsychiatry clinic, our clinics for patients with schizophrenia, and child psychiatry clinics.

Objectives

The goal of the clerkship is to impart basic psychiatric skills and a fund of knowledge that will provide students with the tools necessary to detect and manage common mental disorders as future physicians.  Broad areas of skills include interviewing techniques, including history-taking and mental status examination of psychiatric symptoms and signs; development of psychiatric differential diagnoses and a formulation of patients’ psychiatric illness; and formulation of psychiatric treatment options, including pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.  The fund of knowledge students must acquire includes the epidemiology, phenomenology, pathophysiology, treatment, and course of psychiatric disorders.  At the end of the rotation, mastery of these skills and areas of knowledge is assessed through written evaluations by faculty and residents of the student’s clinical performance during the clerkship, by a NBME “shelf” subject examination, and by a standardized patient exam.  More information can be obtained at our website: - - > link to Psychiatry Clerkship website.

 

Neurology (2 weeks elective)

• Clerkship Director:
  • Veronica Penyak Cipriani, MD, MS | vcipriani@bsd.uchicago.edu
• Associate Clerkship Director:
  • Margaret Kay-Stacey, MD | mkaystacey@bsd.uchicago.edu
• NorthShore Clerkship Director:
  • Megan Shanks, MD | mshanks@northshore.org
• Clerkship Coordinator:
  • Marla Scofield | (773) 702-0151 | mscofiel@neurology.bsd.uchicago.edu
• Website:
  • MedHub

Description

Students in the Neurology clerkship will be assigned to either the University of Chicago Medical Center site, or the NorthShore Medical University site in Evanston (only by request). Clinical training at the two sites is similar in breadth and depth of patient exposure and educational content, with some differences in the structure and specific focus of the clinical rotations. Students at both sites will receive parallel didactic training. Students from both sites will re-convene at UCMC for OSCE testing on the last day of the clerkship.

The UCMC Clerkship Site

During the 2 week clerkship, students participate in several venues, including the adult neurology inpatient ward, the consult service, the stroke service, and the adult/pediatric outpatient neurology subspecialty clinics.  One week will be spent on an inpatient service, where students will round with residents, attend conferences, and participate in daily rounds, Monday through Friday plus one weekend day.  Students will help admit new patients and follow established patients, monitoring their examinations and assisting in care. Students will take call once per week through 8 PM with a resident. The goal of this rotation is experience in hands-on evaluation and management of acute neurological problems.

One week will be spent in the Outpatient Clinics, where students will work one-on-one with attending physicians in the general adult/pediatric neurology subspecialty clinics. The goal of this week is to become familiar with common and unusual neurological problems by observing numerous patients in specialty clinics in areas including multiple sclerosis, neuro-oncology, sleep disorders, epilepsy, stroke, sleep, movement disorders, and diseases of the peripheral nervous system. This week will also afford opportunities to observe and assist in performing a lumbar puncture, to observe electroencephalography, and to observe an EMG. 

 

The Northshore University HealthSystem Clerkship Site

At the NorthShore University HealthSystem site, the clerkship is directed by Dr. Megan Shanks.   The third year neurology clerkship at NorthShore University is a broad clinical exposure to neurological patients. At NorthShore, students rotate through the inpatient general Neurology consult service, the stroke consult service, and the Neurology outpatient clinics, experiencing a wide variety of neurologic disorders and treatment options. 

During the Neurology Consult service rotation students will perform histories and physicals on assigned patients and develop treatment plans including a differential diagnosis, diagnostic work-up and treatment recommendations. They will follow patients throughout their hospital stay and adjust the treatment plan as needed whether in the ICU, medical or surgical units. 

Rotation on the Stroke service will involve working with the stroke team to evaluate patients with stroke from the time they enter the emergency room through diagnosis and treatment.  Students will gain insight into acute stroke treatment management as well as secondary stroke prevention. 

Rotation in the Outpatient Neurology Clinic will provide students with an opportunity to work with subspecialty attendings in the areas of epilepsy, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, behavioral neurology, neuromuscular disorders, sleep medicine, and more.  Throughout the rotation students will participate in didactic and case review lectures and will attend departmental conferences, both at NorthShore and at University of Chicago (via videoconferences).  

Clinical Evaluation

Students are expected to be present daily during the clerkship. They will be evaluated by attending physicians on their ability to perform a complete neurological examination and interpret the abnormal findings, make a diagnosis and understand the agents used in therapy.  In addition, oral and written communication and professional behavior will be assessed. Students are expected to participate in weekly Case Discussion sessions with the teaching attending, to attend clinical conferences, and to submit a complete write-up of a case.  There will also be an OSCE at the end of the rotation, focusing on the neurologic examination.

Objectives

• Learn to obtain a neurological history and perform a competent neurological examination
  • Students will be provided a framework for neurological history taking and examination that they will utilize when examining patients on the floor.
  • They will also observe attendings and residents perform the neurological examination on the floor and in the clinics.
• Learn the basics of localization in neurology and the importance in diagnosis
• Obtain exposure to a variety of neurological disorders
• On the inpatient rotations, students will have exposure to acute presentations of stroke, seizures, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders and more
• During the outpatient week students have the opportunity to work with attendings in specialty clinics.
• Understand the role of diagnostic tests in neurology
  • Students will have the opportunity to see patients undergoing EMG and EEG tests.
  • They will also have the opportunity to understand the role of multiple diagnostic modalities including CT, MRI and ultrasound imaging as well as lumbar puncture and other lab investigations relevant to patients seen on the floors and in the clinics.
• Understand the role of medical and surgical treatment and rehabilitation of neurological disorders
  • Students will have exposure to various acute and chronic modalities of medical and surgical treatment as applied to patients seen on the floor and in the clinic.
• Obtain feedback on neurological history taking and examination
  • Students will obtain ad-hoc feedback on history /examination skills on the floors and in the clinic
  • Students on the inpatient service will present their history and physical examination to the attending, and they will be given feedback on their history taking and localization skills during presentations.