The students will be assigned to an inpatient team for one 2-week rotation at one out of the two hospital sites and two 2-week rotations at one of the remaining site. The sites are University Hospital of Upstate Medical University (UH) and Veterans Administration Hospital (VAH).

• The student will be an integral part of the healthcare team as a student-doctor under the direct supervision and instruction of the attending physician, resident and intern.
• The student will be expected to follow 24 (no more than 5) patients at one time.
• Students should actively seek patients to follow with the guidance of their resident making attempts to follow them from admission to discharge.
• Students should actively seek to follow patients considering the training problems in which it is recommended to study.
• Students should document a complete history and physical examination/admission note on all patients that they follow when clinically appropriate and be prepared to present the complete history and physical examination when asked.
• Students will present their patients daily at rounds in a SOAP note format:
  • Subjective: Report focus history.
  • Objective: Report vitals, exam, lab, imaging and medical tests.
  • Assessment: Interpret data with creation of prioritized problem list.
  • Plan: Manage problems by recommending diagnostic and/or therapeutic interventions.
• Students will be responsible for pre-rounding on all of their patients gathering all necessary clinical data for their presentation (Report) at morning rounds.

  Vital clinical data:

  • Focused history and physical
  • Vitals
  • Lab, imaging, medical test data (when available)

  Suggested review:

  • The medical record (for entries since last review)
  • The Medication Administration Record
  • Discussion with nursing
• Students should Interpret all data prior to rounds and present this assessment in a prioritized problem list.
• Students should help Manage their patients by attempting formulate diagnostic and therapeutic treatment plans.
• The student will be expected to write daily progress notes in the SOAP note format.
• The student will be expected to follow up on all diagnostic and therapeutic plans and take ownership of the patients hospital course.
• The student will be expected to be attentive to the care of other patients on the team that they are not explicitly responsible for in support of educational advancement and to clinically experience as many of the training problems or other problems as possible.
• The student will maintain the same work schedule and call schedule that is expected of their residents. Students will not take call on the last week of the clerkship.
• Attending physicians should perform work/teaching rounds daily and meet with the students alone a minimum of twice a week for educational instruction. They should mentor the students in regard to self-directed learning.
• Residents should take every opportunity available to involve the student in their patients care and provide educational instruction as often as possible. Residents should also mentor students in regard to self-directed learning.
• The student should actively pursue self-directed learning as the major educational experience with patient-based learning as the foundation for their reading and questions.