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Clinical Curriculum

The third and fourth years are viewed as a single unit with the student assuming progressive responsibility for patient care. The third year provides an introduction to clinical science. Students are evaluated based on clinical performance and end-of-clerkship examinations. The fourth year includes more independent, direct patient care opportunities.

Combined, the third and fourth years provide a strong grounding in clinical science with a progressive opportunity for primary patient care responsibility. The curriculum is designed to prepare the medical student for the increasing responsibility demanded by the specialty residency programs throughout the country.

Responsibilities of the University of Maryland School of Medicine: Clinical Learning Environment

  1. The University of Maryland School of Medicine, herein referred to as UMSOM, has a responsibility to maintain a positive, respectful, and adequately resourced learning environment so that sound educational UMSOM medical student and visiting medical student, herein referred to as student(s), experiences can occur. Therefore, the UMSOM will provide students and faculty with access to appropriate resources for medical student education including:
    1. access to patients at the UMSOM affiliated facilities in an appropriately supervised environment, in which the students can complete the school’s curriculum;
    2. student security badges or other required security access to patient care areas;
    3. access and required training for medical students in the proper use of electronic medical records or paper charts, as applicable;
    4. adequate access to computers with the ability to utilize the medical record and other healthcare technologies pertinent to patient care;
    5. secure storage space for personal items of students when at UMSOM affiliated facilities;
    6. access to call rooms, if necessary;
    7. provisions for a safe work environment including access to a safe parking environment at UMSOM affiliated facilities.
  2. The UMSOM will retain full authority and responsibility for patient care and quality standards, and will maintain a level of care which meets generally accepted standards conducive to satisfactory instruction. While in UMSOM affiliated facilities, students will have the status of trainees; are not to replace UMSOM staff; and, are not to render unsupervised patient care and/or services. All services rendered by students must have educational value and meet the goals of the medical education program. The UMSOM and its staff will provide such supervision of the educational and clinical activities as is reasonable and appropriate to the circumstances and to the student’s level of training.

Duty Hours

The policy for duty hours can be found at https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/osa/handbook/School-Policies/Duty-Hours/

Last Revision: 12/23/2019