What to Expect

Rotations for Clerkships

Family Medicine

Students routinely see patients independently and then present cases to the attending supervisor or the resident. Students quickly learn how a thriving clinic functions and become more proficient in using electronic health records.

Our clinic population is diverse and students can expect to see a variety of pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric patients.

Our clinic runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to noon on Friday. Students attend didactic lecture presentations on Fridays from 8-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.

Students will round in the hospital for one week of the clerkship. Students can expect to see a wide variety of disease processes. In addition to the student, the team is comprised of a senior (PGY2) resident and 2-3 interns with an occasional PGY3 resident and a faculty supervisor. You will be required to participate in one Saturday call. Sign outs start at 7 a.m. You may pick the Saturday of your choice, but please be aware there may be other students working also so work together when picking call dates. Please call/page day intern on call with you on Friday. Overall goals are to enhance history taking, physical exam, and assessment skills and to promote the development of evidence-based treatment plans. Students also work with a variety of ancillary staff and specialty physicians.

Meals in the hospital, parking and entrance badge are provided.

Inpatient Rural Medicine

Established in 1937, North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC) has grown from Tupelo’s solitary “hospital on the hill” to the flagship hospital and referral center for North Mississippi Health Services, a not-for-profit health care delivery system serving 24 rural counties in northeast Mississippi and northwest Alabama. At 650 beds, NMMC is the largest non-government hospital in Mississippi and the largest rural hospital in the country.

NMMC’s 3,875 employees and 277 physicians provide a wide array of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services ranging from high-tech trauma and cardiac care to compassionate home, hospice and long-term care. Providing acute care is NMMC’s primary service generating more than $443 million annually, 65 percent of NMMC’s operating revenue.

Geriatric Medicine

The geriatric rotation is available to medical students wishing to gain additional knowledge and experience in the field of geriatric medicine. During this rotation, the student will gain hands-on experience in the development of clinical competencies needed to diagnose and manage medical illnesses and injuries related to geriatric medicine. Clinical experience will include long-term care, hospice care, skilled care and rehabilitation.

Educational Purpose

To give the student formal instruction, clinical experience and opportunities to acquire expertise in the evaluation and management essential to the practice of geriatric medicine.

The student will demonstrate their competency in his/her ability to:

Enhance clinical competence in the assessment, prevention, and management of common complications experienced by the elderly patient
Learn appropriate health maintenance/disease prevention measures for older patients, following accepted clinical guidelines
Understand the components of and perform a comprehensive history and physical examination on elderly patients
Acquire experience working with an interdisciplinary care team
Become familiar with proper nutrition, exercise, screening and immunizations for the elderly

Clerkship Philosophy

The clerkship design is based on the following assumptions:

Each student brings to the clerkship a wealth of experience and knowledge that can be and should be tapped in patient encounters and case discussion sessions.
Adults learn best by actively participating in their own education and by receiving close and prompt feedback on clerkship encounters and written work.
People best clarify their ideas and understanding of concepts and issues through discussion, writing, and opportunities for application.
Students have different learning styles and interests, which this clerkship takes into account in order to ensure the best learning experience for everyone.

Clerkship Organization & Design

The Clerkship is designed to provide students with a variety of experiences and opportunities to discuss those experiences. These will include clinical experiences under the direction of a preceptor, lectures, case discussion sessions and presentations.

Attendance

If students need to miss a session for any reason, they must notify the clerkship coordinator and their preceptor(s) as soon as possible.

Attire & Demeanor

Courtesy to patients and other health professionals is expected at all times.

Every student must be introduced and introduce him- or herself as a "student doctor" or "medical student." Under no circumstances may the student ever imply or assert that he or she is a licensed physician.
Always address patients with their formal title (Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Miss) unless the patient requests that the student do otherwise.
Never discuss a patient or a patient's care except in an approved setting with appropriate health care personnel.
Students in the community are expected to be professionally and appropriately dressed for participation in the clinical experience. Good grooming and meticulous personal hygiene are imperative at all times in a clinical setting. If in doubt, students should consult their preceptors. No blue jeans or open-toed shoes are allowed at any time.
Honesty and integrity are expected of every student.