BU Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine

BMC: Core clerkship site for ~140 students/year

BCH: Dedicated advanced elective (M4) in Cardiology and Complex Care

Overall curriculum

• Pre-clinical years: 1.5 years in length; longitudinal Doctoring course focused on clinical skills
• Clinical years: Pediatrics, FM, psych, OB/GYN are 6 weeks, surgery and medicine are 8 weeks
• Academic year started 4/21/26 - you will be joining our Block 2 students

Clerkship Structure: 6 weeks

• Inpatient: 2-3 weeks wards (2 week days +/- 1 week evening admits)
• Outpatient: 2 weeks of ED OR 2 weeks outpatient
• Nursery: 1 week newborn nursery
• Some outside sites including South Shore, BMC Brighton and Salem

Assessments

We DEPEND on your feedback but you are rarely directly filling out evaluations:

• ED: QR code evaluation with competency based numeric scale and comments
• Ward days – share feedback to the attending on service
• Ward eves – share feedback with the senior resident for their evaluation
• Nursery – share feedback with the attending or NP who leads your rounding team

Clerkship Grading

• Honors, HP, Pass, Fail
• Evaluation rating scale 0 (n/a) to 5 (exceeding expectations for M3)
• Note – you will be reminded of our competency grading scale in rotation expectation emails

Longitudinal commitments

• Conferences: Students expected to with team to Grand Rounds and Case of the Week, resident noon conference is optional
• Meetings: Mid-rotation feedback

Key contacts

Julia Aquino, MD: Clerkship Director (julia.aquino@bmc.org)

Ruby Bartolome, DO: Associate Clerkship Director (ruby.bartolome@bmc.org)

Carly Werner: Clerkship Coordinator (carly.werner@bmc.org)

Harvard Medical School

BCH: Core clerkship site for 75% of HMS students (~100 students/year)

Sub-Is, electives, advanced integrated science courses, clinical capstones

Overall curriculum

*Note, MD/PhDs in both tracks

Pathways: 15 mo pre-clerkship phase with summer recess between Year 1 & 2, take Sept 1 Nov/Dec, start 12 mo Core Clerkship year in January of Year 2.

HST: Combined HMS/MIT program; ~20 month more traditional pre-clerkship structure/courses; 12 mo clerkship phase starts in April of 2^nd year.

Post-clerkship: Sub-Is, advanced electives, Capstone course in March of 4th year.

Clerkship Structure: 6 weeks

• 2 weeks PHM days (A, B, or C)
• 2 weeks combined newborn medicine/primary care
• 1 week PHM ADMIT/PHM NIGHT SHIFTS Sun-Wed, 5PM-10PM
• 1 week selective (ED, Heme/Rheum, ID consult, Neuro)

Assessments

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• Feedback from YOU (and residents, fellows, attendings) – compiled by clerkship directors
• CORE FACULTY ASSESSMENTS: ~5 Direct Observations over the 6 weeks
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) ratings (done by faculty and clerkship directors)
• Shelf (have to pass to pass the clerkship; pass = 5^th percentile nationally)

Clerkship Grading

PASS/FAIL (for now; adding element of distinction in 2028)

Evaluation includes description of: Strengths (w/ examples), Areas of Ongoing Development (w/ examples), Professionalism, Shelf, EPA ratings

Longitudinal commitments

• Longitudinal primary care clinic once/week or every other week
• Longitudinal core curriculum, including “The Developing Physician” course

Key contacts

Katie O’Donnell, MD: Clerkship Director and Associate HMS Dean for UME at BCH

Liza Pingree, MD: Associate Clerkship Director

Beth Harper, MD: Assistant Clerkship Director and Sub-I/Elective Director

Jayme Wilder, MD: Assistant Clerkship Director

Tufts University School of Medicine

BCH: Inpatient core clerkship site for ~70 students/year

Dedicated Tufts electives/sub-internships

Overall curriculum

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Pre-clinical years: 1.5 years in length; longitudinal primary care course during M2 year (weekly)

Clinical years: Pediatrics, FM, psych, OB/GYN are 6 weeks, surgery and medicine are 8 weeks

Clerkship Structure: 6 weeks

3 weeks at BCH

• BCH: 3 weeks (no Saturday or Sunday shifts; usually, will rotate on weekday holidays)

1.5 weeks – Pulmonology days - one “long day” where they will stay into evening

1.5 weeks – Heme/Rheum/Pulm evening (M/T/W) and Admit Shift (R/F) - all shifts are 5-11p

• Tufts: 3 weeks – nursery (4-5 days), ED (2 shifts) and Gen Peds Clinic for the rest

Assessments

• Clinical grade – feedback/assessment survey from YOU! We use a behavior-based/criterion-referenced assessment form (formal) to help inform clinical grade - pick the best fit, you are NOT assigning a grade. The survey will be emailed to you. Students may ask you to fill this out via a QR code - this is the same as the emailed survey.
• Assessments/feedback from all venues synthesized by clerkship directors for final grade
• Please let us know about any concerning students ASAP (learning needs/not meeting expectations or behavior/professionalism)

Clerkship Grading

• Pass, high pass, honors
• Final clerkship grade a combination of clinical grade and NBME exam (need to hit specific threshold to get final grade of honors)

Longitudinal commitments

• Wednesday afternoon didactics – typically 1-4p (please allow students to leave at noon)
• Students attend resident rotation didactics and BCRP noon conferences with their team
• Periodic meetings for which they may be away from the wards for a short time, approx 3 times per 6 week block (feedback, coaching sessions)
• OSCE: usually the last Tuesday morning of the block

Key contacts

Farhana Amanullah, MD (nephrologist at BCH and Tufts): BCH Site Co-Director

Chas Hannum, MD (general pediatrics at Tufts): Overall Clerkship Director, Co-Director for BCH site

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