Medical Student Education

Sub-Internship in Hospital Medicine

This rotation provides training for fourth year medical students in the care of hospitalized patients and is the only general medicine sub-internship available at Milstein Hospital. Sub-interns and third-year reisdents work together without interns or second/third-year medical student clerks. This affords sub-interns the opportunity to interact more closely with their supervising attendings than on traditional general medicine rotations. Students will be challenged to develop the clinical skills and knowledge necessary to care for hospitalized patients in preparation for intern year, regardless of specialty. By the end of this rotation, students should be functioning at the level of an intern in all aspects of patient care.

Format: As sub-interns, students are expected to take on all of the clinical responsibilities of an intern. Students admit their own patients and assume the primary role for the complete care of those patients, while being supervised by a senior medicine resident and Hospitalist attending. Responsibilities include writing admission and daily progress notes, entering orders, actively participating in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic plans, performing all routine procedures, communicating with nurses and consultants, and coordinating discharge planning at daily multidisciplinary case management rounds. Students present new admissions during attending rounds and are expected to independently formulate a comprehensive differential diagnosis and evidence-based management plan. Attendance is required for all Senior Medicine didactic sessions, which cover a broad range of topics pertinent to the care of the hospitalized patient. Students are also encouraged to attend departmental conferences including Intern Report, Noon Conference and Grand Rounds.

Assessment methods: Evaluations are done through direct observation by residents and attendings. There is no exam for this course. Verbal feedback is provided to students on a regular basis throughout the month and a final written evaluation of their performance is submitted upon completion of the elective.

Evidence-Based Medicine Inpatient Elective

This fourth-year medical student elective was designed and co-directed by our Hospitalist faculty to provide medical students with an in-depth exploration of landmark evidence in internal medicine and surgery specialties. Each year several hospitalists supervise weekly sessions and review new literature to further build the curriculum.

Visiting Minority Clerkship in Hospital Medicine

Co-sponsored by the Lindenbaum-Thomson Society (LTS) and the Division of General Medicine, the LTS Visiting Minority Clerkship is a one-month clerkship for highly qualified fourth-year students of color from accredited U.S allopathic medical schools who are interested in a career in Internal Medicine. Students rotate on an inpatient medicine unit and are assigned a resident and faculty advisor. During the month on the clerkship, students have numerous opportunities to interact with faculty and residents of color and to meet with residency program leadership. Living expenses, application fees and housing, where applicable, will be provided by the University.

Interested students should contact William Turner, MD at wt62@cumc.columbia.edu for more information and application materials.