Phase 2 (Year 3) Curriculum
Phase 2 Requirements Heading link
In Phase 2, the care of hospitalized and ambulatory patients is the central focus. Students build on their clinical skills from Phase 1 while experiencing the time commitment and the emotional demands of the physician’s life.
Core clerkships include Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Family Medicine and Neurology.. The Clinical Connections & Competencies course was established to assist students in preparing for their clerkships by providing training to help them with content that transcends any specific clerkship, from procedural skills to care at the end of life. Phase 2 is structured to allow flexibility to take elective offerings in specialties of interest as well.
Core Clerkships
Core clerkships form the foundation of clinical training for every medical student. Clerkships meaningfully engage students in the care of patients under the close supervision of resident and attending physician teachers. Clerkship directors from across the college use aligned objectives and assessment criteria to teach and evaluate students. In order for a student to successfully pass a core clerkship they must meet the minimum pass level on the college-administered NBME subject exam in that field and obtain clinical assessments that meets the minimum pass level for that clerkship. The number and length of the core clerkships are subject to change at the discretion of the College Committee on Instruction and Appraisal.
The core clerkships include:
- Medicine (8 weeks)
- Surgery (8 weeks)
- Neurology (4 weeks)
- Family Medicine (6 weeks)
- Obstetrics & Gynecology (6 weeks)
- Psychiatry (6 weeks)
- Pediatrics (6 weeks)
Clinical Intersections
Clinical Intersections is the second of three courses in the longitudinal Clinical Connections and Competencies curriculum. This course is a longitudinal course offered across the third year on each UI COM campus. The events, objectives, and assessment criteria are aligned across the college. Students must follow the Clinical Intersections Policies and Procedures for Attendance, Requesting Absences and Grading document in order to ensure that they have completed all required components of the course.
Graduation Competency Exam
Phase 2 students on all campuses take an examination involving simulated patients in order to test their skills in communication, history-taking, physical examination, diagnosis and documentation. Students must meet the minimum pass level. This exam happens close to the end of the Phase 2 and is intended to ensure readiness for residency.