Clerkship & Electives

The UCI Internal Medicine core clerkship is an eight-week experience, which includes two three-week rotations at UCI Medical Center and VA Beach Medical Center, both large referral centers with high acuity cases in which the students participate. In addition to the above ward experience, the students complete two one-week “mini-electives” including both procedural and non-procedural activities.

Students are expected to fully integrate into the ward team and to develop a personal commitment and responsibility for the two to three patients they follow. Students should be involved in all aspects of their patients’ care, with the supervision of their resident.

Students should pre-round their patients each morning and present them during attending teaching rounds. They are expected to write admission and progress notes on their patients they see and seek feedback from residents on their notes. Students should assist their teams with various tasks, including communicating with patients’ families, researching patients’ conditions, helping with residents’ tasks and aiding with procedures.

The UCI Inpatient Ward Service is a challenging environment with diverse patients and pathologies. Medical students have the opportunity to evaluate adult patients who are admitted to the hospital with both common and rare diseases and continue to assess and counsel them through the course of their hospitalization. As patients undergo diagnostic tests and therapies, medical students are able to participate in their care, including observing procedures within both internal medicine subspecialties and non-internal medicine specialties, family meetings and multi-disciplinary care coordination.