Junior Clerkship

The junior clerkship provides the medical student with the knowledge and clinical experience necessary to develop basic skills in the evaluation and management of health and disease in infants, children and adolescents. The core junior clerkship is an introduction to the care of children and emphasizes those aspects of pediatrics which should be understood and mastered by all physicians, regardless of ultimate career goals.

The Clerkship addresses issues unique to childhood and adolescence by focusing on human developmental biology, and by emphasizing the impact of family, community and society on child health and well-being. It is within this framework of normal growth and development that the student learns the mechanism of disease processes and develop the ability to formulate appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. Additionally, the clerkship focuses on the impact of disease and its treatment on the developing human and emphasizes growth and development, principles of health supervision and recognition of common health problems. The role of the pediatrician in the prevention of disease and injury and the importance of collaboration between the pediatrician and other health professionals is stressed.

The varied activities of this rotation are designed to allow you to meet these learning objectives of the clerkship in a meaningful and enjoyable way. Our clerkship consists of four weeks of inpatient, consisting of two weeks of general pediatric wards, and two weeks in sub-specialty wards. Students complete one week of inpatient newborn nursery and one week of outpatient training, including sub-specialty clinics and general pediatric clinic.

We, as a faculty, are committed to helping every student reach these goals to the best of our ability. To be successful, however, students must organize their time to provide an appropriate balance between clinical activities and independent learning through reading and study. Other essentials are a cooperative, enthusiastic and compassionate attitude, responsibility, a demonstrated interest in patient care, intellectual motivation and a systematic, organized approach to clinical problems.