Fourth-Year Clerkship

Welcome to the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s Fourth-Year Clerkship! The purpose of this rotation is to expand your exposure to and education in the care of the ambulatory patient. We have structured this experience so that it builds on what you learned last year during the third year Family Medicine clerkship. This rotation emphasizes issues pertinent to the practice of ambulatory medicine and use of evidence-based medicine in practice.

Goals and Objectives

  1. Students will be able to develop a primary care approach to the evaluation and management of patients commonly seen in Family Medicine.
  2. Students will develop and refine the basic clinical skills that are essential to practicing effective medicine.
  3. Students will better understand the principles of longitudinal and comprehensive health care.
  4. Students will apply the principles of preventive medicine, health promotion, risk factor identification and reduction, and patient education in a primary care setting.
  5. Students will better understand important practice management issues that occur in the ambulatory setting, including malpractice, office management, medical economics and cost control, and proper use of referrals/consultants.

Medical Student Education Program

As a medical student, one of the most important decisions that you will be making is to decide what career path to take. You’ll be exploring not only what branch of medicine to pursue, but how that decision will impact your personal life, your family, and your life goals. Many students do not know what field of medicine will be their final choice, but for those interested in family medicine, we offer a mentorship program to aid them in their journey.

Many of our faculty has specific areas of interest within the broad scope of family medicine. The following is a list of some our physicians that students may contact for further advice or assistance.