Third and Fourth Year Curriculum

College of Osteopathic Medicine Clinical Education

The essence of clinical training has been said to be “experience with graduated responsibility,” and this concept is followed at LECOM.

Although clinical experiences begin as early as the first and second year, Phase III consists of third-and fourth-year clinical rotations (or clerkships). To achieve LECOM’s curricular goals and objectives these clinical rotations will utilize:

  • A large base of osteopathic and allopathic physicians who have experience in both primary care and non-primary care specialties and are acutely aware of the cultural and socioeconomic milieu of modern medicine.
  • Both HFAP and JCAHO accredited hospitals in which students can gain the experience of patient care in the large tertiary centers, the smaller community-based hospitals, the rural hospitals and their respective resources for the benefit of their patients.
  • The potential for establishing outreach clinics in urban, rural, and underserved areas which will provide healthcare resources.
  • Outpatient clinical training in an environment and area in which the student may ultimately practice.
  • Local community clinics staffed by professionals from the local area.
  • Ways and means of developing cost-effective primary care delivery systems.

The clinical curriculum provides training on a rotational basis at a wide variety of geographically diverse sites. While most of these sites are located throughout Pennsylvania, a large number of training sites are located in Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana and Florida. Students will be provided with inpatient clinical experiences at hospitals and medical centers, as well as outpatient experiences at hospital-based clinics, free-standing clinics and physicians’ offices. The availability of elective opportunities will maximize career options and enrich undergraduate medical education.

This concentrated clinical training begins in the third year. During the third and fourth years, students will be required to successfully complete 24 clinical clerkships or preceptorships. Each of these clerkships is defined as one clinical rotation. These rotations are assigned by the Associate/Assistant Dean of Clinical Education.

The clinical rotations are directed toward areas of medicine that are important in the primary care practice.

During the student’s rotations, the preceptors are encourage to utilize the resources of the students are given which includes readings, Up to Date access, and other materials for their respective rotations. Preceptors are also encouraged to review and utilize this “Preceptor Question List” that was created to give some insight into high-yield topics that are heavily tested on their COMLEX Level 2 and USMLE Step 2.

Third Year Rotations

  • Internal Medicine I, II, III
  • Surgery I, II
  • Obstetrics/Gynecology
  • Family Medicine (including a course in Healthcare Management III)
  • Pediatrics
  • Core Selective
  • Elective I
  • Psychiatry/Behavioral Health
  • Clinical Reasoning & Clinical Education Enrichment
  • Vacation (4 weeks)

Fourth Year Rotations

  • Emergency Medicine I, II
  • Medicine Selective
  • Primary Care Selective
  • Surgery Selective
  • Ambulatory Medicine I, II (including a course in Healthcare Management IV)
  • Rural/Underserved
  • Elective I, II
  • Clinical Reasoning & Clinical Competency Development
  • Vacation (4 weeks)

APAP Rotations

Second Year Rotations (First Summer Session – June to July)

  • DOE 1023 – Family Practice/OMM
  • DOR 1027 – Geriatric Medicine

Third Year Rotations

  • DOR 1010 – OB/GYN
  • DOR 1006 – Internal Medicine I
  • DOR 1008 – Internal Medicine II
  • DOR 1032 – Internal Medicine III
  • DOR 1018 – Pediatrics
  • DOR 1011 – Psychiatry
  • DOR 1007 – General Surgery I
  • DOR 1009 – General Surgery II
  • DOR 1003 – Ambulatory Medicine I
  • DOR 1020 – Emergency Medicine
  • DOE 1022 – Osteopathic Manipulative/Rural/Underserved
  • DOE 1021 – Sub-Internship