Clerkship Curriculum

The clerkship curriculum at Rush Medical College is design to provide you with training in patient care in a variety of clinical settings while offering flexibility to pursue your interest through electives and a sub-internship.

Clinical Resources and Skills for the Hospital

Your M3 year will begin with the Clinical Resources and Skills for the Hospital (CRASH) course. CRASH reinforces the skills you learned during the preclerkship years and introduces you to new skills you will use throughout your clerkship education, such as basic life support, blood draws and reading electrocardiography.

Third-Year Core Clerkships

The core clerkships are organized into three super-blocks of 16 weeks each. Elective opportunities are available within two of these super blocks.

Required core clerkships:

• Internal medicine (eight weeks)
• Pediatrics (eight weeks)
• Surgery (eight weeks)
• Obstetrics and gynecology (six weeks)
• Neurology (four weeks)
• Psychiatry (four weeks)
• Primary care (four weeks): family medicine or internal medicine
• Optional time available for elective clerkships (six weeks)

Core clerkships are primarily offered at Rush University Medical Center and John H. Stroger Jr., Hospital of Cook County, the flagship hospital of the Cook County Health and Hospital System. With a mission to provide outstanding medical care to those who cannot afford to pay, Stroger Hospital is the safety-net hospital for Chicago-area residents, many of whom are either under-insured or uninsured, seeking medical treatments for conditions that are unique and more advanced than those seen in university, community and private hospitals. With the busiest emergency department in Chicago and one of the largest Level I trauma centers in the United States, Stroger will provide you with tremendous learning opportunities.

Rush Integrated Clinical Experiences

In this course, you will to develop the necessary skills to become a physician who is able to excel in clinical medicine, education, research and service. Your third year is a time of immersion in clinical medicine and this course will help you connect clinical skills and knowledge to the many roles a physician plays, including scholar, leader, collaborator, educator, and advocate, among others.

Fourth-Year Clerkships

During your fourth year of medical school, you will complete the Emergency Medicine Core Clerkship and a sub-internship in medicine, pediatrics, family medicine or surgery. In the remaining time, you can explore areas of interests through electives, and complete the Transition into Residency course, which is dedicated time to prepare residency applications and prepare for the USLME Step 2 CK.

Simulation in the Clerkship Years

You will work in the Rush Center for Clinical Skills and Simulation (Sim Center) throughout your clerkship education. Using mannequins and task trainers, you will complete activities such as delivering a baby in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship, perform a spinal tap in the Neurology Clerkship and treat an unstable patient in the Emergency Medicine Clerkship.

Grading for M3 and M4 clerkships

Grading for all core and elective clerkships is as follows: honors, high pass, pass or fail.

USMLE Step 2 exam

In order to graduate, M4 students must pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination, or USMLE, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge exam.