Post-Clerkship Phase
The Post-Clerkship Phase ensures students demonstrate an understanding of neurology, emergency medicine, the intensive care unit, and the role of the acting intern, while also promoting flexibility and individualization. The early start to the fourth year in May allows students to pursue electives for early exposure to clinical specialties or to complete clerkships or selectives that may have been deferred from the clerkship phase.
Successful completion of this curricular phase entails completion of the required experiences described below.
- Emergency Medicine Acting Internship (4 weeks at UC Davis Health; EMR 440 or EMR 470)
- Neurology Advanced Clinical Clerkship (4 weeks at UC Davis Health; NEU 450)
- Intensive Care Unit Acting Internship (4 weeks at UC Davis Health; CAR 462, IMD 469, NSU 466, PED 474, PED 477, or SUR 465)
- Additional Acting Internship (4 weeks of an inpatient or outpatient experience at UC Davis Health or away)
- Transition to Residency (2 weeks; MDS 449)
- Electives to complete the remaining required weeks (total of 44 weeks required)
- Clinical Performance Examination (CPX) passage
- USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge passage
Acting Internship
Acting Internships provide students with experience and preparation for inpatient or outpatient medical care, similar to a first-year house officer.
Advanced Clinical Clerkship
Advanced clinical clerkships provide students with experience and preparation for inpatient, outpatient, or consultant medicine.
Clinical Didactic Experience
Clinical didactics provide students with advanced exposure to areas that may be useful in any field of clinical medicine; they include limited or no direct patient care responsibilities.
Individual student programs (schedules) are designed under the guidance of career and specialty advisors, with the support of the Office of Student Development. Each student’s program will be reviewed to ensure appropriate breadth, depth, and vigor. Guidelines for the choices and time away from UC Davis School of Medicine must be approved in advance of the experience to ensure applicability to graduation requirements.
Feedback and Assessment
The comprehensive Clinical Performance Examination at the beginning of the year features self-assessment, faculty feedback, and development of an action plan to improve clinical skills. Post-clerkship phase coursework uses a competency-based framework for evaluations that assess the graduation competency milestones for this curricular phase.