CLINICAL EXCELLENCE THE FOUNDATION FOR RESIDENCY SUCCESS
AT A GLANCE:
THE CLINICAL YEARS OF MEDICAL SCHOOL
Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) students spend the majority of their medical education (third and fourth years of study) in the United States. Once they’ve completed their basic sciences on our internationally located campus, they move on to complete their core and elective clinical rotations at our affiliated teaching hospitals in the US and UK. Read on to learn more about the RUSM clinical student experience, and how it can position our graduates to attain quality residencies. After completing the Foundations of Medicine (preclinical study in Dominica) curriculum and passing the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE) Step 1, RUSM students enter their clinical phase of medical school, where their learning experience becomes even more hands-on. Over the course of 90 weeks, students go through core and elective rotations at RUSM-affiliated US and UK teaching hospitals where they: examine and treat assigned patients, conduct procedures, review lab results, shadow attending physicians and residents, and perform daily tasks of a practicing physician— including the long full-time hours—some clerkships require on-call weekend shifts, or evening hours.
CONTENTS Preparing You for Success: Internal Medicine Foundations .......................................4 The Internal Medicine Foundations clerkship prepares students to excel on their subsequent clinical rotations in a small group learning environment. Single-Location Clinical Tracks ......................................8 Students can complete rotations at one of eleven RUSM-affiliated clinical tracks in a single location. Clinical Support: The ROSS Model ...............................10 Each student is assigned a team of advisors for clinical and academic support. Clinical Excellence to Residency Success ...................14 RUSM’s clinical program is designed to prepare graduates for residency match.
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RUSM CLINICAL STUDENTS
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Pontiac, MI
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PREPARING YOU FOR CLINICAL SUCCESS:
INTERNAL MEDICINE FOUNDATIONS
The Internal Medicine Foundations six-week clinical clerkship, offered through the Center for Haitian Studies in Miami, Florida, allows students to progress from preclinical to clinical studies. Within this first clerkship, students prepare to excel on their subsequent clinical rotations in a small group learning environment—laying the foundation for them to be residency-ready. The transition from the basic sciences campus in Dominica to the US for clinicals can be a drastic change for RUSM students. During IMF, students build on their basic science knowledge where they hone physical examination and diagnostic skills, sharpen critical-thinking and communication skills, and develop a thorough knowledge of mechanisms of disease processes. Students also make written and oral presentations in a patient-care setting.
HOW DOES RUSM CREATE A SMALL GROUP LEARNING ENVIRONMENT WHILE STILL ENABLING 700+ STUDENTS ANNUALLY TO OBTAIN RESIDENCIES?* *Institutionally reported data 2012-2015.
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Residency match preparation also begins during this clerkship, as students meet with their advising team to discuss clinical tracks and future residency. Most RUSM students are placed in a clinical track within a single location, allowing them to have a more tailored educational experience. Students have the option to choose a clerkship location that best suits their current and future needs—whether that’s remaining close to home, or moving to an entirely different location.
Internal Medicine Foundations is offered through the Center for Haitian Studies six times a year with a class size between 100-150 students. This class is divided into two groups who alternate between clinical skills training at RUSM and their IMF clerkship.
RUSM SIMULATION LAB When not with patients, IMF students learn clinical skills using life-like patient simulators in small groups
The group that is in clinical skills training is split in half into morning and afternoon schedules. When the morning group is training, the afternoon group has protected study time.
The group that is training on simulation is further divided into small groups, between 6 to 8 students, providing individualized instruction as seen above.
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JUSTIN OSSMAN
RUSM Clinical Student St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Pontiac, MI
SMALL GROUP LEARNING NO MORE THAN 3-4 STUDENTS PER FACULTY MEMBER DURING CORE AND ELECTIVE ROTATIONS.
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A FOCUS ON QUALITY:
THE ‘TRACK’ TO TRAINING BETTER DOCTORS
After completing their IMF clerkship, RUSM students move on to complete their core and elective rotations. When it comes to the clinical experience at RUSM, it’s about quality, consistency, and choice. It’s about providing our students a well-rounded clinical experience that can help them earn a residency. We work toward that with our focused single-location clinical tracks—RUSM-affiliated hospitals that are grouped in geographic proximity to one another— minimizing students moving to various locations. This gives students a centralized location in which to participate in mock interviews, and prepare for the USMLE Step 2 CS with fellow students. RUSM aims to maintain a geographically diverse clinical network, and has affiliated teaching hospitals in the following locations: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and the United Kingdom. We select our affiliated hospitals based on a variety of criteria— a strong record of quality patient care, community service, US-standard medical education—but ultimately, we choose to partner with institutions that focus on giving our students a reliable and streamlined learning experience and educational support designed to prepare them for residency, and beyond.
CORE ROTATIONS Internal Medicine (12 weeks): Where students learn how to take complete medical, personal, and family histories; to perform diagnostic “work-ups”; and to develop a plan for managing a patient’s care. Students also participate in clinical conferences to refine their reporting skills.
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Surgery (8 weeks): Students explore conditions that require surgical intervention, can observe how surgical patients are managed, and get familiar with the policies and procedures that are followed in the operating room. Pediatrics (6 weeks): Students acquire special skills and knowledge required for the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of infants, adolescents, and children. Family Medicine (6 weeks): Emphasis is placed on continuous and comprehensive healthcare for people of both genders and all ages within the context of their families, social groups, and communities. Obstetrics/Gynecology (6 weeks): Focusing on the changes that take place in a woman during pregnancy, labor, delivery and the postpartum period, students learn about the diagnosis and treatment of major gynecological diseases and various methods of family planning. Psychiatry (6 weeks): This rotation concentrates on the understanding of the major categories of mental disorder, including diagnosis and some methods of therapy.
CLINICAL TRACK OPTIONS CALIFORNIA
MICHIGAN
Bakersfield, CA; Los Angeles, CA; California Hospital Medical Center Kern Medical Center
Pontiac, MI; St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital
CONNECTICUT WCHN Track: Danbury, CT; Norwalk, CT; Danbury Hospital Norwalk Hospital
FLORIDA Miami, FL; Weston, FL; Center for Haitian Studies Cleveland Clinic Florida
GEORGIA Atlanta, GA; Atlanta Medical Center, Atlanta
ILLINOIS Chicago, IL; Mount Sinai Hospital St. Anthony Hospital West Suburban Medical Center
MARYLAND
NEW YORK BQNJ Track: Brooklyn, NY; Far Rockaway, NY; Hoboken, NJ; Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center Hoboken University Medical Center St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Brooklyn, NY; Far Rockaway, NY; Jamaica, NY; Jamaica Hospital Medical Center New York Methodist Hospital St. John’s Episcopal Hospital JFK Track: Far Rockaway, NY; Oceanside, NY; South Nassau Communities Hospital St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
UNITED KINGDOM/ NEW JERSEY UKNJ Track: Paramus, NJ; Hoboken, NJ; Essex, UK; Old Bridge, NJ; Bergen Regional Medical Center Hoboken University Medical Center Queen’s Hospital, Romford Raritan Bay Medical Center
Prince George Hospital Center Beltway Track: Baltimore, MD; Cheverly, MD; Silver Spring, MD; Washington, DC; Holy Cross Hospital Prince George Hospital Center Saint Agnes Hospital St. Elizabeth’s Hospital
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SUPPORT DURING CLINICALS:
THE ROSS MODEL
At RUSM, we believe student excellence in clinicals sets the stage for success in residency, and a vital part of that is the ability to stay connected when they need help or guidance. That’s why we have established the Rely On Student Services (ROSS) Model to provide clinical students with the support they need—from week one to week 90, they are never alone. The clinical phase of education is where students begin to transform into physicians, and to help turn them into quality healthcare leaders of the future, we assign a coordinated team of advisors to each clinical student, creating a centralized hub for individual support.
ROSS MODEL “POD” Consisting of a core team of people, your support team is just a phone call away and ready to help.
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To better serve their needs, advisory teams are available to students six days a week. Advisor team members proactively check in with students to see how their clinical training is progressing, and to offer support as needed.
YOUR SUPPORT TEAM
CLINICAL ADVISOR(S)
REGISTRAR ADVISOR Responsible for fulfilling student requests such as: evaluation processing, enrollment verification, immigration letters, transcript requests, OSAP forms, and letters of good standing.
The Office of Clinical Clerkships supports and assists with students’ core and elective clerkship schedule, guides students on their clerkship timeline with regard to taking the USMLE Step 2 CS and CK, and provides tier 1 licensure and accreditation information.
STUDENT SERVICE ADVISOR The Office of Student Services provides students and their families assistance with housing, immigration, and general inquiries.
CAREER ADVISORS
FINANCIAL AID ADVISOR
The Office of Student and Professional Development (OSPD) – Career Development helps students prepare to enter The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP), and/or specialty matches, and ultimately a career in medicine. This includes: mock interviews, review of academic performance, and guidance on program and specialty selection.
Office of Student Finance provides information about financial resources to eligible students that can allow them to pursue their educational goals, assesses and collects tuition and fees, and administers the student health insurance plan by assessing health insurance fees, processes health insurance waivers, and acts as a liaison between students and the health insurance provider.
OSPD WRITER The Office of Student and Professional Development writers prepare and guide students on residency documents that must be completed to move forward with the interview process. The OSPD writer utilizes the strengths and interests of each assigned student, and assists with drafting MSPE/MSPR, and provides CV and personal statement feedback.
STUDENT ACCOUNTS ADVISOR Student accounts advisors provide advice to students regarding Bursar issues. Bursars are responsible for the billing of student tuition accounts, ensuring all accounts are brought to “paid off” status.
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RUSM CLINICAL STUDENTS Roshan Asrani, Surgery Rotation (Left), Mahir Maruf, Third Year RUSM Student (Right), New York Methodist Hospital
U.S. EDUCATION THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS’ EDUCATION TAKES PLACE RIGHT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AT OUR AFFILIATED TEACHING HOSPITALS, ALONGSIDE ATTENDINGS, RESIDENTS, AND OTHER U.S. MEDICAL SCHOOL STUDENTS.
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WHAT DOES AN EXCELLENT CLINICAL PROGRAM MEAN?
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RESIDENCY PLACEMENT
“I had the privilege to do pre-Match because I did my whole third year and fourth year of clinicals here [at New York Methodist]. The faculty here and all the attendings knew me, and offered me a spot” – Vrajesh Patel, MD (’12) A strong, educationally balanced clinical program lays the foundation for students to become versatile and talented physicians. RUSM’s single-location clinical sites enable students to gain invaluable hands-on experience while simultaneously building essential relationships with residents, program directors, and other colleagues. The result? Successful residency outcomes—the hard work and dedication of our graduates coming to fruition.
RUSM is proud of the consistent residency success of our graduates, and we strive to continue to raise the bar when it comes to our clinical program. We work hard for our students so that they can not only reach their goals, but surpass them.
RESIDENCY: BY THE NUMBERS
800+ Graduates earned residencies in the US in 2015.*
26
Emergency Medicine residencies were obtained by RUSM graduates in 2015.*
88%
First Time Match Rate for 2014-2015 RUSM Graduates.*
*Institutionally reported data. **Based on the National Resident Matching Program® Results and Data: 2015 Main Residency Match report.
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PGY1 Diagnostic Radiology placements obtained by U.S. international medical graduates in 2015 were RUSM graduates.**
FROM CLINICALS TO RESIDENCY What started on the island of Dominica in 2011 at RUSM’s basic sciences campus, ended right back at home in New Jersey for Michael McEntee, MD. After finishing his Foundations of Medicine coursework, Dr. McEntee left Dominica and flew back to the United States for clinical rotations, completing all his cores, except pediatrics, at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in New York.
MICHAEL MCENTEE, MD ‘14
Internal Medicine Resident
UNDERGRADUATE Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ
CORE CLINICALS St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Brookdale Hospital Medical Center
“They were absolutely great to me,” said Dr. McEntee of the hospital. “If you’re spending a lot of face-time with the residents there and are showing the drive to learn, they’ll let you help in simple surgical procedures, hold tools, help close surgical sites, place central lines, teach you how to intubate—you name it, I’ve probably done it.” Dr. McEntee credits RUSM’s clinical team, particularly Assistant Dean, Clinical Student Affairs, Gary Belotzerkovsky, for supporting him every step of the way.
“Ever since I enrolled, I knew that I was trying to match to a residency in New Jersey, to be close to home”
“They went above and beyond to try and make everyone get exactly what they wanted,” he said of the team. “In fact, Gary personally helped me schedule one of my elective rotations. There was never a time that I felt someone wasn’t there either actively trying to address an issue or working on that issue and keeping us updated.” What McEntee wanted, was to come back home to practice medicine. His first choice match: Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ—just 30 miles from his hometown in North Brunswick, NJ. “Ever since I enrolled, I knew that I was trying to match to a residency in New Jersey, to be close to home,” he said.
RESIDENCY
McEntee got what he wanted, and attributes his success to RUSM.
Overlook Medical Center Summit, NJ
“Ross provides you with an opportunity that a lot of other places may not give you,” he says. “And you can go as far as you’re willing to take yourself. As long as you’re willing to put in the work, there’s nothing you’ll need that Ross can’t provide [to prepare you for the residency match].”
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