You will receive a lot of advice on this. We hope you find positive aspects to all the choices. There are no significant differences in student grades based on when you take your clerkships. If you have any questions, please reach out to your advisory deans, associate deans, or student leadership.
The order is determined through OASIS, our online scheduling system.
The following clerkships do not have weekend responsibilities:
Emergency MedicineandPsychiatryclerkships have variable weekend schedules.
Surgery, Ob/Gyn, and Neurology clerkshipsmay require some weekend work.
Core 2 is a 48-week curriculum for students in the non-MD/PhD track.
A two-week vacation is scheduled from June 21 to July 6, 2025. No other weeks off are permitted except for extenuating circumstances, such as a family emergency or personal illness.
Traveling during Core 2 may be necessary. TheEmergency Medicine and Family Medicinerotations may offer sites that require students to travel. Students without a driver’s license are not excluded. They will be required to travel to sites accessible via public transportation or carpool.
Please carefully review the descriptions for patient population, hospital/practice characteristics and travel requirements. Students who encounter health issues that might interfere with travel (such as a broken leg) will be accommodated. This process is managed by the Registrar’s Office.
Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology departmental exams are given at the end of each week.
An OSCE is an objective structured clinical exam. An OSCE exam is given in:
Family Medicine/Internal Medicine (at the Sim Center with standardized patients)
Neurology (at HUP with no standardized patients)
Pediatrics
Surgery
A shelf exam is an end-of-clerkship standardized exam produced by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Questions are written and reviewed by the national test committees that prepare material for USMLE Step 2. The exam contains 110 questions and is strictly timed at 2 hours and 45 minutes. A shelf exam is given in:
