MSIII/MSIV Clerkships—Syracuse Campus

Bioethics at the Bedside

Bioethics at the Bedside Course
The goal of this bioethics course is to improve the student's ability to identify and analyze common ethical issues in healthcare. Using a case-based approach and presented concurrently with the clinical clerkships, this course focuses on identifying and addressing ethical conflicts, and developing understanding of the legal consensus and moral arguments about common bioethical issues.

Family Medicine Clerkship

Family Medicine Clerkship Course
The purpose of the third year clerkship in Family Medicine is to provide instruction to all medical students in the basic knowledge, attitudes and skills of Family Medicine. The foundation in the basic tenets of Family Medicine will prepare the student for his/her future role regardless of specialty choice. In this course, most students work directly with an attending physician at the physician's private office. In these offices, clerkship students participate in the delivery of primary care and learn about the delivery of continuous, comphrehensive, patient centered care. Students are taught the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, life long learning skills, interviewing skills, physical examination, and clinical problem solving. The 4th Edition of Essentials of Family Medicine is the text for the course. The final grade is a combination of clinical performance, assignments, and a final exam.

Internal Medicine Clerkship

Through active participation in the care of patients in the hospital and outpatient department, the third year student continues to develop knowledge and skill in diagnosis and prevention, and to acquire experience in the fundamentals of treatment. Students take medical histories, perform physical examinations, perform selected laboratory procedures, and outline programs of treatment on assigned patients. Understanding of the biochemical, physiological, and psychosocial phenomena which underlie the patients' illnesses is developed in conferences and seminars. The students participate in daily rounds and conferences. Weekly departmental conferences, special seminars and lectures, and a student lecture series constitute the formal teaching exercises during the clerkship. Full time for 12 weeks.

OB-GYN Clerkship

OB-GYN Clerkship Survival Guide
Three institutions will provide the clinical setup for this clerkship: University Hospital, Crouse Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital Medical Center. The first day of the clerkship consists of core lectures and orientation to the Childbirth Unit at Crouse Hospital. The student will rotate on the obstetrical, gynecological and outpatient services at Crouse, University, and St. Joseph's Hospitals as well as UHCC and private physicians' offices. During the clinical assignments, the student actively participates in hospital and ambulatory patient care with graded responsibility. Attendance at department conferences, Grand Rounds, core lectures and rounds with the house staff is required. Each student is also required to give a seminar presentation based on current literature review of a particular subject. Final grade in the clerkship is based on clinical performance, final examination, and case report grades, as well as student seminar and participation in departmental educational activities. Full time six weeks.

Suggested reference reading

1. Beckman, et al. Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore Maryland, Fourth Edition 2002
2. Danforth and Scott, et al., Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia Pennsylvania Fourth Edition.

Pediatrics Clerkship

Pediatrics Clerkship
The Pediatric Clerkship in the third year provides the student with a basis for understanding the interrelationships of factors of growth and development in health and disease. During this period, the student will develop basic skills in the taking of a pediatric history, in the performance of physical examinations on newborns, infants, and older children, in assessment of the development level of a child, and in the interpretation of clinical data obtained. Experiences with patients will be in the inpatient service, the pediatric and specialty clinics and private pediatricians offices. Non-clinical educational opportunities include the student lecture series, grand rounds, and departmental conferences. Students may request assignments to specific clinical sites by contacting the departmental office.

Psychiatry Clerkship

This is a six week, full time clerkship. Students are assigned to in or outpatient services at one of four institutions (UH, VA Medical Center, Hutchings Psychiatric Center or to CPEP) where they learn interviewing techniques, refine diagnostic skills, prepare case studies, and participate in the treatment/programs of the ward to which they are assigned. In addition, experience in Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry is also offered through special teaching programs at UH and VAH, and experience in Child and Adolescnet Psychiatry at two sites (UH and HPC). Students also learn, under faculty supervision, to evaluate patients in the ER and in the outpatient clinics of the department. Regular seminars designed to review psychopathology and treatment methods are provided by the faculty. A final written examination is given at the end of the clerkships. Students' diagnostic interviewing skills are also evaluated. Final grade in the clerkship is based on student interest and participation, case presentations and both written and oral (diagnostic interviewing) final examination.

Surgery and Surgical Subspecialties

An eight-week inpatient clerkship which includes three days in the department of anesthesia with remaining four weeks in general surgery either at University Hospital, Crouse Hospital, the VA Hospital or St. Joseph's Hospital. One week will be spent in the department of orthopedics, one week in otolaryngology and two weeks in a surgery selective which includes plastics, burns, cardiac, thoracic, laparoscopic, SICU or pediatrics. In addition, a student may request a two-week selective in anesthesia, orthopedics or otolaryngology. The student participates in the care and management of patients. The education is received at the patients' bedside, in the operating room of the surgical attending staff, and lectures on selected topics in general surgery, anesthesia, orthopedics and otolaryngology. The course is designed to enable the student to recognize problems of a surgical nature, to understand the relevant pathophysiology, and to give the student some familiarity with the risks and benefits that surgical therapy involves.

Urology Clerkship

Two week clerkship at the University Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital. The course is designed to acquaint the student with basic urology in the form of didactic lectures, several informal conferences, grand rounds participation, and operating room observation. The student will also see patients in the outpatient clinic and help in diagnosis and treatment with Attending and Resident supervision.

Neuroscience Clerkship

This is a six week course during which time each student spends three weeks on Neurology and three weeks on Neurosurgery. The course consists of direct patient evaluation, lectures, and frequent attending contact. Both inpatient and out-patient resources are used extensively. There is a mandatory reading list and an exam at the end of the course.