Skip to main content
Logo

Mobile Main Nav

  • About AUC
    • About AUC
    • Residency Placements
    • Accreditations & Approvals
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Meet Provost Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA
    • Board of Trustees
    • St. Maarten Campus
    • UK Track
    • Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine
    • Facts & Figures
    • News & Publications
    • Blog
    • Events
    • Community Affairs
  • Admissions
    • Admissions
    • Admissions Requirements
    • Request More Information
    • Admissions Assessment
    • Request An AUC Campus Tour
    • Non-US Applicants
    • MCAT Information
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Scholarships
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • MD Program
    • MD Program
    • Medical Sciences
    • Clinical Sciences
    • UK Track
    • Medical Education Readiness Program
    • Hospital Teaching Sites
    • Medical School Guides and Resources
    • USMLE Preparation
    • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
    • Student Handbook and Course Catalog
    • Student Forms
  • Student Life
    • Student Life
    • About St. Maarten
    • Virtual Tour
    • Safety & Security
    • Clubs and Organizations
    • Spouses Organization and Families
    • Housing
    • OSPD
    • Class Profiles
    • Alumni Class Notes Form
  • Galleries
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Call
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
Request info
AUC Med Logo
  • About AUC
    • About AUC

      Our medical school offers a collaborative learning environment that features a multitude of student organizations, small class sizes, international training opportunities, and a team-based learning culture.

      Learn More

      • About AUC
      • Residency Placements
      • Accreditations & Approvals
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Meet Provost Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA
      • Board of Trustees
      • St. Maarten Campus
      • UK Track
      • Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine
      • Facts & Figures
      • News & Publications
      • Blog
      • Events
      • Community Affairs
  • Admissions
    • Admissions

      Our medical school admissions team is eager to assist you as you embark on your journey to become a physician. Our goal is to provide you with all of the information and guidance you need to explore AUC as a medical school option.

      Learn More

      • Admissions
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Request More Information
      • Admissions Assessment
      • Request An AUC Campus Tour
      • Non-US Applicants
      • MCAT Information
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • Webinars
      • Events
  • MD Program
    • MD Program

      A US-modeled curriculum designed to prepare you for practice in the US, Canada, and beyond.

      Learn More

      • MD Program
      • Medical Sciences
      • Clinical Sciences
      • UK Track
      • Medical Education Readiness Program
      • Hospital Teaching Sites
      • Medical School Guides and Resources
      • USMLE Preparation
      • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
      • Student Handbook and Course Catalog
      • Student Forms
  • Student Life
    • Student Life

      Learn what it's like to be a student at AUC, including living in St. Maarten, opportunities for community involvement, and clubs and organizations.

      Learn More

      • Student Life
      • About St. Maarten
      • Virtual Tour
      • Safety & Security
      • Clubs and Organizations
      • Spouses Organization and Families
      • Housing
      • OSPD
      • Class Profiles
      • Alumni Class Notes Form
  • Galleries
  • Apply Now
      • Start Your Application
      • Submit Your AMCAS Application
      • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
      • Continue Your Application
Pattern Two
Friday, April 8, 2016 - 12:00
dmi:news/tips-tricks
dmi:news/front-page

Share

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • email

Breadcrumb

  1. About Us
  2. News & Publications
  3. 3 Tips to Succeed in Your Clinical Rotations

3 Tips to Succeed in Your Clinical Rotations

Clinical rotations are an important part of medical education. During the third and fourth years of medical school, students travel to teaching hospitals and health systems to train with physicians, learn about various medical specialties, and refine their clinical skills. Here are some tips for clinical rotations that often help students narrow in on a specialty of choice and can play a significant role in obtaining residency.

Clinical Rotation Tips

Nikole Czapp, a fourth-year medical student at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) and a Clinical Student Government Association (CSGA) representative for the state of Florida, calls on her various clinical rotations tips on nailing this part of medical school.

1. Assimilate yourself into the team from day one.

Healthcare would not function without teamwork. Everyone from the custodial staff to the chief of each department is an integral part of the team. Often times, medical students struggle to find their role in rotations, especially when each rotation has a different system with different responsibilities. Determine what is expected of you and then plan to meet those expectations and then some.

Show up early, stay late. Help the medical assistant get a room ready for a patient. Offer to run specimens down to the lab during downtime in an ER shift. Transport the patient yourself to x-ray if you’re free instead of waiting for transport to arrive. Get to know your patients!

Usually medical students have less responsibility than other members of the team involved in patient care so take this opportunity to really get to know them and their healthcare goals—after all, they are a part of the team too.  

At this point in your training, it is important to realize no job is below you and you can learn from EVERY person you encounter. Menial tasks are not always the most exciting part of rotation but if you can help out with something that will make it easier for everyone on the team, step up and do it with a smile. The willingness to work outside of your direct responsibilities will highlight your dependability and professionalism which are both characteristics that will make you shine on the rotation.

2. Exude confidence and excitement for your knowledge, but at the same time don’t be afraid to ask for help or admit your mistakes.

If you forgot to check on something that comes up during rounds, say that you don’t have that information, but will obtain it. If you’re asked a question or are “pimped” on a topic you don’t know, it’s absolutely ok to say you don’t know but that you will find out. No one is expected to know everything and admitting your weaknesses actually comes off as a strength.

Don’t say you know how to do a procedure or a certain suture technique if you really don’t. It looks much better to say “I’ve never done that before but if you can guide me, I’ll do it”. This displays maturity while still showing your eagerness to learn. A lot of learning will come from your experiences during rotations.

Use Up to Date often as you come across different pathological processes in your patients. Combining real-life experiences with your studying will help solidify your knowledge. At the same time, it is important to do adequate studying outside of your clinical work and managing this balance will vary with the demands of each rotation.

3. Make the most out of YOUR rotations.

To put it bluntly, we are paying for these rotations, so make it your goal to get the most out of them!

Often times things get busy and a resident or an attending might not come right out and offer to teach you something and may just do it themselves instead. If the resident is about to remove a chest tube, speak up. Let them know that you’ve never removed one before and ask if they mind showing you how to do it.

Ask to help close during surgery if you’re scrubbed in. During ER rotations, become best friends with the techs and nurses. When you have time between patients, take blood, start IVs, place catheters, run EKGs. Expose yourself to as much as possible.

One of my preceptors complimented my ability to be aggressive without being a sledgehammer. Be assertive, but respectful and take advantage of each unique learning opportunity in front of you while it is there. I’ve rotated with students who don’t like to step up and try new things unless they are forced to because they are scared of messing up. This is your time to not be 100% perfect at things and it is expected that you will need help and guidance. It is better to get some of these fears out of the way now, before residency when more responsibility is placed on you. Not only that, but your residents and attendings will notice your enthusiasm which will surely reflect in your evaluations.

Exposing yourself to as much medicine as possible now will help you gain the confidence you need for residency and as a practicing physician.

Good luck and enjoy your clinical rotations!

GET STARTED TODAY

TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS YOUR

MOST PROMISING FUTURE

Request Information
  • Call
  • Chat
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers
  • "Chat Now"
    Top
    AUC Med Logo

    Footer Social Media Navigation

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Careers
    • Student Email
    • Colleague Email
    • Contact
    • Sitemap

    ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

    880 SW 145TH AVENUE • SUITE 202
    PEMBROKE PINES, FL 33027
    PHONE: 305-446-0600

    TOLL-FREE: 866-DR2B-AUC
    (866-372-2282)
    FAX: 305-444-6791

    ST. MAARTEN CAMPUS

    1 UNIVERSITY DRIVE AT JORDAN ROAD, CUPECOY, ST. MAARTEN

    PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

    FAX: +1 721-545-2440

    PRESTON, UK PROGRAM SITE

    VERNON BUILDING ROOM 64, SIZER STREET PRESTON, LANCHASHIRE PR1 1JQ

    PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

    FAX: +305-444-2440

    AUC is accredited through 2021 by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM, www.accredmed.org), which is the accreditor used by the country of St. Maarten. The United States Department of Education, via the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), reviews the standards that countries use to accredit medical schools. The NCFMEA has determined that the ACCM's accreditation standards are comparable to those set by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), which accredits medical educational programs in the United States. 

     

    © 2021 American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. All rights reserved.   Privacy Policy | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility