College of Medicine MD Curriculum

Curriculum Year 3: CLerkship phase

Schematic for the M3 year, showing various rotations over the following themes: Biopsychosocial, Maternal Fetal Health, Medical & Neurologic Care and Surgical Care.

During the clerkship phase, students have clinical rotations in core disciplines (family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and one clinical elective.  The rotations are structured to provide an integrated learning experience that includes thematically linked discipline dyads:

  • Maternal-child health care
  • Biopsychosocial approach to care
  • Medical/neurological care
  • Surgical care

Each dyad builds upon and expands foundational knowledge gained in the preclerkship phase to ensure students develop the critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills they will need to become true master adaptive learners who value health equity.  The clinical rotations take place in major hospitals and clinics in Toledo and Northwest Ohio.  


Required Third Year Clinical Rotations  

Integrated Intersession (1 week)

The integration intersession course consists of two 2 ½ day sessions that are scheduled during the M3 year at the end of an integrated clerkship block. The course is structured to support the ongoing development of students’ clinical reasoning skills using an integration strategy for that promotes thinking and learning about common clinical conditions across clinical disciplines. Students will also engage in activities that are focused on revisiting foundational science knowledge from the preclinical curriculum in the context of understanding common clinical conditions. The educational activities are structured to engage students in self-reflection and reflective thinking and will emphasize independent and active learning.

Family Medicine (6 weeks) - The Family Medicine Clerkship is designed to give our students an opportunity to develop the basic knowledge, skills, the principles of practice as well as the physician attitudes essential to the practice of a family physician. This clerkship is community based with a strong emphasis on exposure to a diverse range of the common problems encountered by physicians. The structure of this community centered clinical experience is designed to provide real world experiences as well as the opportunity to master the abilities of a family physician. The goals are achieved with the guidance of experienced family physician preceptors in private offices as well as the academic facilities of the University of Toledo.

Internal Medicine  (8.5 weeks) - The Department of Internal Medicine strives to provide our third year medical students with a broad exposure to the inpatients and outpatient practice of internal medicine. The practice of internal medicine is an in-depth study of the health matters affecting adult patients. This clerkship places emphasis on the acquisition of highly honed skills in medical history taking and physical examination. Students also create lists and develop plans to direct the investigation of patients' medical disorders. This clerkship allows all students to have outpatient experience in community preceptor sites as well as the ambulatory clinics of the University of Toledo's Department of Internal Medicine. Students also have intensive inpatient clinical rotations.

Neurology (4 weeks) During the Neurology Clerkship, students will have opportunities to develop the skills necessary to acquire a complete and detailed neurological history as well as to complete a comprehensive neurological exam of patients. Acquisition of these skills will allow the student to develop an appropriate differential diagnosis for their patients. Students will also be able to review the anatomic basis for neurologic disorders. Students assess patients in both the inpatient and outpatient environments and are exposed to the spectrum of neurodiagnostic studies used in the evaluation of patients with neurologic disorders. During this clerkship, students will have the ability to apply the knowledge they have acquired in their basic neuroscience training to better understand the mechanism of neurologic disorders.

Obstetrics and Gynecology (6 weeks) The Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship is designed to provide students an opportunity to ​obtain a comprehensive understanding of women's health care. Students will build upon their foundational science knowledge and learn about the clinical care of women across from conception to menopause and beyond.  Students will master the knowledge of reproductive physiology, anatomy, management of pregnancy and common gynecologic concerns as well as preventive care.  ​Students will also learn how to perform a breast and pelvic exam. The students are supervised in a variety of learning environments that include the ambulatory setting, labor and delivery, inpatient care, and the obstetric and gynecologic operating rooms. 

Pediatrics (6 weeks) - The Pediatric Clerkship prepares students for the care of the unique problems that affect infants and children as well as adolescents. There is a strong emphasis on human biology, growth and development and the principles of early health maintenance. In addition, the impact of the community and society on child health and well being is emphasized. The clerkship focuses on the impact of disease as it affects a developing human and the recognition of common health problems. Students have both inpatient and outpatient experiences which permits exposure to skilled pediatricians in their practice environments. There is regular opportunity for student and preceptor interaction as well as didactic learning sessions.

Psychiatry (6 weeks) - The Psychiatry Clerkship has designed a curriculum to prepare the student to understand and manage the common mental health problems affecting our society. This clerkship is designed to place emphasis on those problems that a primary care physician would most likely encounter in a practice. Emphasis is placed on mental health disorders that afflict a population that is steadily aging. During  this clerkship, the students will understand the basic biology and psychological as well as social aspects of their patients' disorders and they will understand some of the medical management that can provide significant relief to patients with psychiatric disorders.

Surgery (8.5 weeks) - During the Surgery Clerkship, the students will have an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of surgical concepts and to acquire patient management skills. It is not anticipated that significant operative technical skills will be acquired but students are welcomed in the Operating Room where they will be active participants in the operative management of patients under the close supervision of attending physicians and senior surgical residents. Students will also have an opportunity to develop basic clinical judgment skills and analyze common clinical surgical problems. It is anticipated that the student will acquire basic diagnostic capabilities related to surgical problems and be able to develop and organize a plan of assessment and management for the more common surgical disorders.

Third Year Electives (4 weeks) - A unique feature of the clinical curriculum at UTCOMLS is the ability of third year students to rotate in varied disciplines such as Ophthalmology, Radiology, Pathology, ENT, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics, Anesthesia, Dermatology and Urology.

Last Updated: 7/20/23