During the clinical phase of Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s M.D. curriculum, you acquire invaluable experience on the wards and clinics at Montefiore and our affiliated clinical training sites. Over the course of 12 months, you develop the clinical judgment necessary to diagnose and treat patients, leveraging your education in foundational sciences to better understand the pathobiology of patient illnesses.

The clerkship year begins with a five-week Transition to Clerkship course that rigorously prepares you through clinical simulation experiences and active learning in clinical reasoning, note writing, and didactic sessions on topics that span clinical medicine. You also prepare for part one of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USLME Step 1) with a six-week study block. 

After Transition to Clerkship, students participate in the following clerkship rotations in an order determined by a lottery system:

  • Integration and Clinical Selectives, 6 weeks
  • Internal Medicine and Primary Care, 12 weeks
  • Neurology, 3 weeks
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6 weeks
  • Pediatrics, 6 weeks
  • Psychiatry, 6 weeks
  • Service Learning and Impact, 3 weeks
  • Surgery, 6 weeks

The integration and selective block includes two weeks focused on further integrating basic, health system, and clinical sciences, along with two two-week electives in specialized areas of clinical medicine. The six-week service learning and scholarly impact block includes three weeks of in-patient learning, and three weeks of time for students to engage in service learning and work on capstone scholarly projects.

Clinical Phase: Clerkship Year
February
Transition to Clerkships Course
USLME Step 1 Study Block
March – March of following year
Clerkships
Longitudinal Course
(concurrent with other learning)
Patients, Doctors & Communities Course

During the clinical phase, you participate in patient care and work with attending physicians, fellows, residents, physician assistants, nurse midwives, and advanced practice nurses assistants at our clinical training sites. You learn and practice more advanced patient histories and physical examinations, perform proper analysis and interpretation of laboratory and imaging data, gain an understanding of disease mechanisms, formulate rational therapeutic plans, and carefully evaluate treatment effectiveness. The clinical phase of our M.D. curriculum incorporates a variety of teaching methods—problem-based learning, team-based learning, case-based discussion, online education, and more—to enhance your clinical knowledge and skills. You also learn how to demonstrate compassion and consideration for patients and their families, appreciate the influence of sociocultural and economic factors, acquire an understanding of ethical issues in clinical decision-making, and work effectively as members of interprofessional healthcare teams.

After the clerkships, you are required to complete the United States Medical Licensure Examination Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (USLME Step 2CK). You may also apply to participate in a one-year fellowship for long-term immersion in various areas of scholarship with guidance from a faculty mentor as part of Einstein’s Scholarly Impact and Research Program.

Professional Development

During the last 18 months of Einstein’s M.D. curriculum, you take on increasing responsibility for patient care duties while maintaining appropriate supervision, hone your specialty interests, complete work on your required capstone project, and prepare for residency. You complete two required acting internships, as well as several clinical electives, and research or classroom electives that you can complete at Einstein, locations across the United States, or around the world.

During your acting internships, you become an integral member of the patient-care team, assuming many responsibilities of an intern with supervision from residents, fellows, and attending physicians and further integrate and consolidate your basic, clinical, and health systems science knowledge. One of your required acting internships must be in medicine, pediatrics, or family medicine. You can also choose from any of these categories for your second acting internship or from other specialities including emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and surgery. In March of the professional development period, you complete a Transition to Residency course that facilitates a smooth transition from medical school to your first year of residency training and that includes activities specific to the type of internship or residency program you will be entering.

Clinical Phase: Professional Development
March – May of following year
Acting Internships
USMLE Step 2 (complete any time before August 31 of senior year)
Residency Interviews
Advanced Clinical, Reading & Research Electives
Transition to Residency Course

The remainder of your time in medical school is dedicated to completing clinical electives, service-learning experiences, and research. You have options to choose clinical electives from virtually every Albert Einstein College of Medicine department. You may also arrange to take electives at other medical schools in the United States or abroad. Funding may be available to participate in exchange programs with overseas medical schools or to obtain clinical or research experience in less developed nations. Your scholarly research product, a requirement of graduation, which you’ve developed over all four years of medical school as part of our Scholarly Impact and Research Program, is also due at this time. Your research experience culminates with Einstein’s Scholarly Impact Day, an event where students present their projects and celebrate with their mentors, college faculty, and administration.