4th Year Clinical Program

elcome to your 4th year! The fourth year clinical program is overseen by the Clinical Affairs Department. The fourth year is an exciting time where students may direct much of their clinical rotations to areas of interest or areas where they wish to improve their skills.

Clinical rotations are scheduled through the Office of Clinical Affairs (unlike third year rotation which are scheduled by the clinical site coordinators).

Curriculum / Rotation Requirements:

Emergency Medicine:

All students participate in a required four week rotation in Emergency Medicine at a VCOM regional site. See the VCOM Emergency Medicine website for opportunities and the required Emergency Medicine curriculum.

Medical and Surgical Selectives:

Students are given the opportunity to choose from 4 Selectives based on areas of interest or on in clinical areas they wish to improve their skills.
- 2 of the Selectives are required to be in Medical Specialties and
- 2 of the Selectives are required to be in Surgical Specialties

The VCOM provided Goals and Objectives serve as a study guide while on 4th year rotations. Students may be provided with additional materials depending upon the site. You should use the reference texts as suggested by your preceptor.

Goals and Objectives Study Guides:
Click on this link to access guides as listed below (log-in required)

VCOM Approved Medical and Surgical Selective Sites (login required)

Electives:

All students are allowed up to 4 Electives at an approved site of their choice. The electives may be chosen in any field listed under Electives in the VCOM Curriculum as defined in the College Catalog and Student Handbook. Students must schedule Electives in advance and provide the information to the Director of Fourth Year Clinical Rotations so they may be approved in advance. Timelines are provided annually to the class via email nearing the end of the third year.
Electives must be approved in advance and approval is based on rotation selected, site, perceived quality of the experience, and ability of site to complete appropriate affiliation forms. On occasion students with special academic needs may need to complete an Elective based on recommendations by the Associate Dean.

Scheduling & Required Forms:

All students are given a template of their fourth year rotation periods in March.
Students are encouraged to meet with the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and the Clinical Chair of the field(s) of specialty interest. Students who have chosen a field for their residency are encouraged to begin these meetings as early as March. Students having difficulty in choosing a field are encouraged to meet with the Associate Dean prior to the end of June for guidance in completing the template.
Students arrange their fourth year schedules (according to the template they were provided) through Sarah Martin, the Director for 4th Year Clinical Rotations.
Students complete 4th year Clinical Rotation Forms for electives. 4th Year Clinical Rotation Forms (log-in required)
When choosing your fourth year Selectives and Electives there are many things to consider. It is an opportunity to be evaluated at residency programs of interest and to determine if the program, location, faculty and residents are a good fit for you.

The fourth year can be challenging both clinically and financially. Consider finances when planning your schedule at distant sites. It is advisable that you not plan a demanding rotation during your residency interview time. Keep the logistics of travel, housing, interviewing and board exams in mind as you plan.

4th Year Requirement for Research and Scholarly Activity
During their residency training and in practice beyond, all physicians will be required to frequently search out, review and critically appraise a variety of clinical topics in the ever-growing body of medical literature. During the OMS-4 year students are required to complete a research or scholarly paper of publishable quality which may consist of case report, meta analysis, an original retrospective study or an original research study. This scholarly activity provides students to further develop research, critical thinking and writing skills, all while working in collaboration with VCOM clinical faculty members. Several of the papers submitted by VCOM students in the past have been published in peer-reviewed journals, presented as posters and abstracts at regional, state and national conferences, and have even won awards and other recognition. The paper will result in a letter grade and reflect as 20 credit hours on the student transcript. All papers are due in February of the 4th year (for the class of 2013, Thursday, February 8, 2013). For further information on 4th year paper requirements and frequently asked questions, please see the information located on the VCOM portal.

4th Year International Medical Missions

Students may choose one of VCOM’s International Sites as a Medical Selective or Elective. Instructions and requirements for students for international rotations may be found under the following link - 4th Year Medical Missions (log-in required)

See the College Catalog and Student Handbook for further information about the OMS III and OMS IV years.