VCOM 2023 Annual Report

Year 3 B eginning in year 3, VCOM students leave their campus to do rotations at clinical sites in their region. These core clinical rotations provide students with a broad medical foundation and hands-on interactions under the supervision of clinical faculty in clinical settings. Students are required to complete 10 four week rotations covering family medicine, internal medicine and medical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology, OMM, pediatrics, psychiatry, research and surgery. Each student must log at least 100 patient encounters per rotation. Throughout their rotations, students are supervised by directors of student medical education (DSMEs) and attending physicians. Students must also complete Foundations of Diagnostic Medicine, an interactive online curriculum covering the most urgent and emergent conditions seen in the clinical setting. During rotations, students assess and care for patients. They continue to engage in case-based study and reading assignments, ensuring they continue to grow their medical knowledge. Students do monthly case presentations with their DSME and students from other health professions. At least one of their third-year rotations takes place with an osteopathic physician faculty member. They will also spend at least one rotation working with a resident physician and more than one rotation will include an in-patient component. Clinical assessments during the third year include faculty evaluations for each clinical rotation, end-of-rotation exams, assessment of the case presentation and a research or case study paper following the research course/rotation.