What are Clinical Rotations? What Purpose Do they Serve?

For a student of medicine, a clinical rotation is crucial. It works as a training phase. This phase fills in the gap between one’s practical experiences and theoretical learning. The American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUA) provides that hands-on experiences to students as they participate in clinical rotations. The entire training takes place under the supervision of well-trained and experienced physicians. They help students develop more knowledge, build practical experiences, and form their abilities. They obtain valuable skills to connect with, diagnose, and treat different conditions. Following this phase, students get trained to work as doctors when they step into the professional field.

What is a Clinical Rotation?

Clinical rotation is also known as a clerkship. It forms an important part of a student's medical education. It is a kind of training that usually occurs during the final 2 years of the MD program . As part of this training, a student  during this phase is actively participating in the care of patients, conducting physical examinations, checking medical histories, and assisting in procedures under supervision. This practice takes place under the supervision of an experienced medical faculty or expert physician in teaching hospitals.

●     During clinical rotations, students have to dedicate themselves to weeks of training.

●     This training is to make them experts in particular medical specialties.

Why are Clinical Rotations Important?

Clinical rotations hold immense importance for the students of medicine. These phases of training enable them to use the knowledge attained in a medical university. Thus, they bring them close to the real-world setting. Through such hands-on experiences, students are better able to understand their role as physicians.

Purpose of a Clinical Rotation

The purpose of a clerkship in the medical field extends beyond exercising the knowledge obtained by students while studying medicine. As per AUA or the American University of Antigua College of Medicine, clinical rotations provide integrated educational experiences that enable students to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professionalism necessary for effective, efficient, and humane patient care.

●     Students get to interact with patients in real-world settings.

●     As guided by expert physicians, they learn how to communicate with patients undergoing different conditions.

●     Under supervision, they help in conducting examinations.

●     As supervised, they are involved in recommending treatments to patients.

What are Core and Elective Rotations?

Core and elective are 2 types of rotations in the medical field. They work in different ways to help students become specialized and attain a new milestone in their journey to becoming physicians.

Elective Rotations

During an elective rotation, a student understands and explores a particular area of medicine. It serves the interest of the aspirant in order to pursue his/her medical career. These areas can include surgery, Internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and Psychiatry , etc. Thus, in another way, it can be said that this type of training aligns with the career objective of a student.

Core Rotations

One can understand a core rotation as a mandatory training period. A student is required to complete it to receive valuable clinical experience. This experience comprises training in crucial areas of medicine. Relevant knowledge as well as skills are provided to students.

During core rotations, the areas covered can include:

●     Diagnosis of symptoms/diseases

●     Treatment of different medical conditions

●     Providing medical care to adults, children, and infants

Which Skills are Developed during Clinical Rotations?

Students of medicine can develop important skills like clinical assessment when clinical rotations take place. Thus, they become trained to go through the histories of patients to know about their health. They learn to physically examine patients as well.

According to AUA/American University of Antigua College of Medicine, a student can develop other skills too. Some of these are:

●     Students learn to be good at understanding and connecting with patients.

●     They develop and enhance their abilities to diagnose medical conditions/symptoms.

●     Also, they become skilled in planning the treatment as per the condition.

●     Time management is a crucial skill developed.

●     Abilities to manage and use the equipment in medical settings are formed.

How Do You Get in a Clinical Rotation?

To get into a clinical rotation, a student can rely on his/her university. A school of medicine has a specific procedure to provide this training. Also, during the final 2 years of medical education, this training phase begins.

Universities like AUA maintain a fine network of hospitals or clinics throughout USA which students can complete their rotations. They can choose the particular area in which they want to specialize. In accordance with the same, the exact hospital/clinic can be preferred. For information regarding these clerkships, students can additionally connect with the faculty of the university.

In a Nutshell

Clinical rotations form a significant part of a student’s medical career. Therefore, it is important to be fully aware of these. For the best opportunities, it is also crucial to study medicine at schools with an impressive network of hospitals for clinical clerkships. The American University of Antigua College of Medicine or AUA, among others, is the leading example of the same.