Medical Student Education

Department faculty members participate in the foundational sciences curriculum of medical students, the internal medicine core clerkship, a sub-internship and various lecture courses and clinical electives during the latter part of students' experiences in medical school. In the foundational sciences curriculum, faculty members are primarily responsible for the pathophysiology courses, in which students learn about basic mechanisms of disease in such fields as cardiology, pulmonary disease, gastroenterology, endocrinology, hematology, oncology, nephrology, rheumatology and geriatrics. Such basic understanding of the various disease processes allows the students to proceed to the core clinical clerkships.

The Department of Medicine is responsible for leading instruction in the Patient, Physician and Society (PPSIII) course in which students learn to obtain medical histories, perform physical examinations, and translate this information in the form of an initial patient workup, critical skills for working in the clinical arena.

For more information see Foundational Sciences Curriculum.

The Clinical Curriculum begins in January of the second year and the Core Clinical Clerkship in internal medicine, lasting 12 weeks, must be taken by December of the third year. The clinical experiences in the core clerkship are very diverse. Students spend:

• Four weeks in a general medicine unit at Ben Taub Hospital
• Four weeks assigned to a general medicine unit at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
• Two weeks at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
• Two weeks in an ambulatory setting

Students also have access to numerous teaching conferences and a special core clerkship lecture series.

In the second year, as students transition from basic sciences to their clinical rotations, they participate in the Clinical Applications of Biomedical Sciences (CABS) course one afternoon per week for six months. The Evidence-Based Medicine course is led by Department of Medicine faculty.

For more information see Clinical Curriculum.

The department offers a wide variety of electives in internal medicine and its subspecialties to medical students. Clinical electives are offered in each of the medical subspecialties, critical care units, and the emergency center. There are abundant opportunities for a research elective throughout the department.

Five to seven stipends will be awarded annually to first year medical students who elect to participate in a pre-clerkship elective sponsored by the Texas Society of Internal Medicine during the summer. The General Internal Medicine Statewide Preceptorship Program places students in the offices of physicians who are engaged in the practice of general internal medicine in communities throughout Texas (excluding the Texas Medical Center). A 3 or 4 week commitment is required for this elective. After satisfactory completion of the preceptorship stipends are provided for electives performed outside of Harris County. If the preceptorship is taken in a rural or underserved area, the reimbursement is increased.

Students are required to select one sub-internship elective after completing the corresponding core clerkship. The enrolled student is expected to perform additional clinical responsibilities, have advanced clinical skills, and be able to assume a major role in patient management.

For more information see Elective Program.

The Registrar's Office handles registration for the Visiting Medical Student Elective Program. For more information see Visiting Medical Student Elective Program.