Method of Course Delivery

Method of Course Delivery

OMS-III and OMS-IV

OMS-III students are enrolled in required clinical rotations in the core disciplines of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Family Medicine, Women's Health, Pediatrics, and Behavioral Health. The OMS-IV year includes required clerkships in Emergency Medicine, a Primary Care selective, a Specialty Medicine selective, and at least one selective in a community/rural/underserved healthcare setting, a requirement which may be met overlapping with other selectives or electives. Required clerkships in the OMS-III year are focused in the Central Valley of California and elsewhere in the state. Additional clerkship opportunities in the OMS-IV year allow students to audition/experience electives disciplines of their choice.

Clinical Clerkships

Clinical clerkships are sometimes referred to as rotations, clinical experiences, or externships, with a teaching physician referred to as a preceptor, attending, or faculty. A clerkship in the OMS-III year encompasses four weeks of clinical responsibilities. Due to the varied nature of OMS-IV year clerkships, most OMS-IV clerkships will be a minimum of 2 weeks. Clerkships may involve inpatient, outpatient, research, self-study, or a combination of these settings. At the conclusion of these experiences, an evaluation of the student by the preceptor is required.  An evaluation of the preceptor/site by the student is encouraged. Students should familiarize themselves with the individual syllabi for each required clerkship before the start of the rotation.

All COM students must be enrolled in academic activities throughout the entirety of scheduled rotation blocks in the OMS-III year and through at least the third Friday in April of their OMS-IV academic year, with rare exceptions for students who may be on delayed schedules or schedules with accommodations.