Clinical Science Program

The clinical science program provides students with a broad overview of medical practice and clinical training. As a result, they are able to thoroughly understand the interrelationship among various levels of practice and a variety of medical specialties. This provides them with the opportunity to assess areas of medical practice where they might wish to specialize in graduate school.

The clinical science program also prepares students to perform effectively in and gain the most from graduate medical education. The clinical training rotation/clerkship program encompasses ninety-six weeks of clinical rotation at teaching hospitals across the U.S. or abroad. The clinical clerkship program encompasses six semesters in which students participate in patient care under the supervision of practicing physician preceptors while rotating through various medical specialties in teaching hospitals. This clinical rotation/clerkship system of training includes physical examination, laboratory analysis, case presentations, clinical workshops, and conferences. Students receive personalized guidance by the clinical faculty in order to ensure a meaningful educational experience. Students develop the skills and knowledge that are essential during their graduate medical education or residency years. Students also have an opportunity to assess their degree of interest in each of the major medical training fields. The ninety-six weeks of clinical training are divided into forty-eight weeks of core clerkships and forty-eight weeks of elective rotations in teaching hospitals. The length of the entire doctor of medicine program is approximately forty to fifty-two months, depending on the time that students elect to prepare for the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 examinations.