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Clerkships

During Periods 3 and 4 of our curriculum, students experience clinical rotations in all the major specialties and selected sub-specialties. Students also further their knowledge and skills in research and evidence-based medicine, community-based medicine, and professional development.

Period 3

Period 3 involves core clerkships in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Surgery. Students rotate clinically under the supervision of our dedicated and highly skilled community-based faculty in all the core specialties and sub-specialties. In our community-based model, students are exposed to a diversity of patients and clinical settings at multiple hospitals, outpatient clinics, and private offices throughout South Florida.

In Period 3, students take an active role in patient care, applying the skills and knowledge learned during Periods 1 and 2 of the curriculum. Learning is enhanced by the inclusion of simulation, case-based didactics, virtual cases, and other assignments and experiential learning activities. Selective opportunities during the Internal Medicine and Surgery clerkships allow students to explore specific sub-specialty areas.

Students continue to participate in NeighborhoodHELP throughout Period 3 in the Community-Engaged Physician II course (MDC 6102, Period 3). Also included in the Period 3 curriculum is a longitudinal course with problem-based learning sessions, emphasizing self-directed learning and integrating learning objectives from basic sciences. Students are required to pass Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE) at the end of Period 3 and to demonstrate general competency in basic biomedical sciences, diagnosis of disease, and clinical case management.

Period 4

Period 4 focuses on the study of advanced medicine, including scholarship and exploration of specialty areas to facilitate a student’s choice of postgraduate study. Students are each given individualized schedules with rotations that best serve to meet their long-term career goals. Period 4 requirements include a geriatrics rotation; one subinternship; an emergency medicine rotation; a longitudinal capstone course; a community medicine practicum; individual research projects; and electives. Required subinternship’s must be completed at HWCOM-affiliated clinical sites under supervision of HWCOM faculty.

Students continue to participate in NeighborhoodHELP during Period 4. Required subinternship’s must be completed at HWCOM-affiliated clinical sites under supervision of HWCOM faculty. Period 4 also includes a capstone course which has a longitudinal clinical component consisting of monthly cases and online learning activities; and a block component that includes professional development workshops on career management, a research symposium, and a clinical medicine experience designed to hone clinical skills and prepare students for residency.

Core Clerkships

  • Internal Medicine

    The Internal Medicine Clerkship is designed to provide medical students with a foundation for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to approach and care for adult patients in an outpatient and hospital setting. This includes identifying the patient’s medical issues, establishing a differential diagnosis, and planning an appropriate evaluation and treatment plan. The clerkship prepares students for increased independence in management and therapeutics during Period 4.

    Clerkship Director: Amalia Landa-Galindez, MD, FACP

    Associate Clerkship Director: Gloria Coronel-Couto, MD, FACP

    Clerkship Coordinator: Melissa Armas, PhD, MPH

    Program Specialist: Grace Herrera

  • Neurology

    The Neurology Clerkship provides medical students with a foundation for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to care for all aspects of the neurological patient. The clerkship includes a mixture of ambulatory, hospital‐based, and didactic experiences; and provides medical students with experience in general and specialty neurology. Students learn to diagnose and treat nonemergent neurological disorders in the outpatient setting and neurological emergencies in the inpatient setting.

    Clerkship Coordinator: Alessandra Barahona

    Program Specialist: Annette Peluffo

  • Family Medicine

    The Family Medicine Clerkship is a practical opportunity for students to demonstrate progressive skill development, integrating their knowledge of basic and social sciences, clinical skills, professional development, and social accountability. Under the supervision of FIU Family Medicine faculty, students conduct and document histories, physical exams, assessments, and management plans while providing patient education. The course is aimed at preparing students for Period 4 rotations and their future careers as physicians, regardless of the specialty they ultimately choose.

    Clerkship Director: Anna Virani, MD

    Associate Clerkship Director: Zeidan Hammad, MD

    Clerkship Coordinator: Marquita Samuels

    Program Specialist: Yamileth Morales

  • Pediatrics

    The core Pediatrics Clerkship will provide students with experiences in the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of pediatric patients. Through both inpatient and outpatient clinical experiences, students will be exposed to a wide variety of pediatric patients presenting with acute illnesses, chronic illnesses, and health maintenance needs. Students will actively participate in clinical cases, simulated cases, simulation laboratory scenarios, interactive learning exercises and didactic lectures. The clerkship emphasizes the basic skills of assessment and management of common pediatric problems.

    Clerkship Director: Jefry Biehler, MD, MPH

    Associate Clerkship Director: Julie Kantor, MD

    Clerkship Coordinator: Vanessa Granados

    Program Specialist: Grace Herrera

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology

    The Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship provides medical students with a foundation for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to care for all aspects of women's health care and concerns. The clerkship exposes students to all aspects of OBGYN, including ambulatory clinics, hospital inpatient wards, the operating room, emergency room visits and consults, radiology, and the labor and delivery suite. Students learn to diagnose and treat both emergent and nonemergent disorders managed by obstetrician-gynecologists.

    Clerkship Director: Emery Salom, MD

    Associate Clerkship Director: Rebecca Martinez, MD

    Clerkship Coordinator: Leticia Vargas

    Program Specialist: Grace Herrera

  • Radiology

    The Radiology Clerkship is a largely self‐directed online study of selected resources and developed PowerPoint presentations together with directed reading of required text and articles. This clerkship will provide medical students with a basic understanding of the common techniques used in medical imaging, the evidence‐based choice of appropriate imaging studies for given clinical symptoms or clinical conditions, the potential complications and side effects of such studies and the interpretation of medical imaging studies of common clinical conditions. Progress in understanding of these concepts will be assessed by several examinations consisting of multiple-choice questions.

    Clerkship Director: Frederico Souza, MD

    Clerkship Coordinator: Alessandra Barahona

    Program Specialist: Annette Peluffo

  • Surgery

    The Surgery Clerkship provides students with experience in the recognition and management of surgical diseases and in basic surgical techniques. During this clerkship, students will develop understanding of the anatomic and physiologic basis of surgical diseases and disorders. Students will then learn to perform assessments, develop differential diagnoses, and formulate and implement treatment plans for these conditions. Students will learn through participating in pre-operative care, operative procedures, outpatient surgery clinics and didactic experiences. Students will also learn how to evaluate and manage expected and complicated post-operative recovery of surgical inpatients and outpatients. Upon completion of the Surgery Clerkship, students will also understand and portray norms of professional behavior by working effectively with patients and families as a member of the health care team.

    Clerkship Director: Rupa Seetharamaiah, MD

    Clerkship Coordinator: Jennifer Riccardi

    Program Specialist: Annette Peluffo

  • Psychiatry

    The Psychiatry Clerkship provides medical students with a foundation for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to care for all aspects of the psychiatric patient. The clerkship introduces students to general and specialty psychiatry and ensures that students receive exposure to different clinical practice settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and consultation-liaison services.

    Clerkship Director: Leonard Gralnik, MD, PhD

    Associate Clerkship Director: Eugenio Rothe, MD

    Clerkship Coordinator: Ashley Medero

    Program Specialist: Annette Peluffo