Ambulatory Primary Care (Family Medicine)

Duration:  5 weeks

This clerkship will introduce students to the field of primary care, the concept of the 5 key functions of the patient-centered medical home and the comprehensive continuous evidence-based and patient-centered care provided by family physicians to patients of all ages. The importance of preventive care and the impact of chronic illness on patients and on the health of family members will also be addressed during the clerkship.

For 2020-21: Clerkship will be 4 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medicine

Duration: 10 weeks

The clerkship will provide students with an opportunity to combine the basic science knowledge acquired during pre-clerkship years with their skills in history taking and physical diagnosis. They will earn to apply these integrated skills in a clinical context. During the clerkship students will learn about a broad spectrum of illnesses in an adult patient. The clerkship is divided into three 3 week blocks. The structure will be outlined in detail during clerkship orientation. All students spend 3 weeks on inpatient service at the University Hospital (NJMS main teaching site), 3 weeks at an inpatient affiliate site, and 3 weeks on a medical subspecialty selective.

Neurology

Duration:  4 weeks

In this four-week course, each student is assigned two weeks doing general neurology at either University Hospital in Newark or at the Veteran's Affairs Hospital in East Orange. The remaining two weeks are split between the University Hospital Stroke and the Pediatric Neurology services. The clerkship is structured around closely supervised, patient care experiences. Students spend the majority of their clinical time on the inpatient wards, and attend the outpatient clinics of each service attended. This schedule allows for exposure to a great diversity of patients and neurological disease. Didactic time is a combination of lectures, workshops, case-based instruction, conferences, independent learning, and a Shelf review session near the end of the clerkship. Students are given direct verbal feedback by attending physicians and senior residents on their neurological exam skills, and at the end of the first two weeks of the clerkship, students meet with attending physicians to discuss their experience on the clerkship to that point, to review an assigned clinical skills note together, and to review the student's list of logged patient cases to ensure that mandatory encounters are being met.

For 2020-21: Clerkship will be 3 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Duration:  6 weeks

The clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology is an introductory experience in the provision of comprehensive healthcare to adult and adolescent female patients.  It is designed to promote a comprehensive approach to women's healthcare by providing each student with competencies in issues that primarily impact women's health, including reproductive health, regardless of specialty career choice.
One of the most interesting aspects of the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology is that it encompasses the entire gamut of healthcare including:  preventive medicine, primary care, critical care, surgical intervention, adolescent and geriatric medicine and occasionally end of life care. During the clerkship, all students should have the opportunity to gain exposure to the different aspects of obstetrics and gynecology, as well as women's health related clinical issues. You will also be introduced to the subspecialties of perinatology, gynecological oncology and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. The clerkship has at its core an intensive hands-on clinical experience.

Pediatrics

Duration:  6 weeks

The pediatric clerkship addresses issues unique to childhood and adolescence by focusing on human developmental biology and by emphasizing the impact of family, community and society on child health and well-being. Additionally, the clerkship focuses on the impact of disease and its treatment on the developing human, and emphasizes growth and development, principles of health supervision, recognition of common health problems, as well as recognizing social determinants of health.  The role of the pediatrician in prevention of disease and injury and the importance of collaboration between the pediatrician and other health professionals is stressed. As one of the core clerkships during the third year of medical school, pediatrics shares with family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, and surgery the common responsibility to teach the knowledge, skills and attitudes basic to the development of a competent general physician.

For 2020-21: Clerkship will be 5 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychiatry

Duration:  4 weeks

Students spend four weeks on Psychiatry Rotations (Inpatient, Consultation/Liaison and Emergency Department). Students attend Grand Rounds, Senior Clinician Rounds and regular case conferences.  The clerkship is structured around closely supervised, patient care experiences.  At the end of the first two weeks of the clerkship students receive written formal feedback from Attending Physicians that includes a review of logged patient cases to ensure that mandatory encounters are being met. Didactic lectures that address discipline content are available electronically so students can access at their study pace; additional required reading is available electronically.

For 2020-21: Clerkship will be 3 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Surgery

Duration:  8 weeks

The clerkship in Surgery is an opportunity for students to be exposed to the vast diseases and medical problems which require surgical consultation or intervention. The rotation is intended for students to develop the clinical and problem-solving skills necessary in order to understand the pathophysiology and surgical management of both simple and complex diseases. Students will quickly recognize that the unique experience of being in the operating room is very closely associated with a deep understanding of the medical problem warranting surgical intervention. In addition, urgent evaluation of those illnesses which require immediate surgery will enable students to experience the complex decision making required to decide when and when not to operate.

The Surgery clerkship is designed so that every student will have a 3 ½ week rotation in both a public and private hospital. This will serve to complement the overall experience and enhance their education. There will be opportunities for active participation in the care of patients, an important aspect which highlights the reality that surgery is truly a hands-on specialty. Finally, the didactic curriculum combined with proactive self-learning will reinforce and unify the clinical and instructive aspects of the rotation.

For 2020-21: Clerkship will be 6 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.