Students have a variety of academic resources available as a student at the School of Medicine. Whether planning for electives, getting help with classroom work, or managing your time and study habits, help is available for every student.
Consult Tables & Tutoring
The Consult Tables & Tutoring program has been developed to provide medical students with opportunities for learning assistance outside of class. The program offers individual and group study opportunities throughout the academic year through regularly scheduled drop-in sessions during the pre-clinical curriculum. Sessions are staffed by structure and block content specialists. Individual and group tutoring is also available.
Study Skills & Time Management
The School of Medicine has a Learning Specialist team available to help students improve their personal productivity, study habits, and time management strategies. One-on-one appointments are available by appointment.
Thinking About Clerkships
The clerkship year is a major milestone in a medical student's career: it brings together basic science learning and clinical practice in an immersive full-year experience. The School of Medicine has three clerkship tracks to choose from: the standard clerkship block schedule at University Hospitals, VA Medical Center, and MetroHealth Medical Center; the Cleveland Clinic Longitudinal Clerkship (CCLC); and the MetroHealth Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (MetroLIC). More details on the three clerkship models can be found on the Curriculum website.
Each type of clerkship has its own unique features and benefits that may be beneficial to know when planning the third year. In the longitudinal clerkships, students have the opportunity to build relationships with faculty mentors over the year. In the standard clerkship model, students can rotate at a variety of sites across the city and see different patient populations, health systems, and work with different faculty. Elective rotations during the third year can be done at any clinical affiliate.
Elective Planning
A wide variety of electives are available for students throughout the pre-clinical and clinical curriculum that can help enhance and deepen knowledge. A full listing of electives can be found in the course catalog on the SOM Registrar website.
Electives during the pre-clinical curriculum are done to help supplement learning or gain more exposure to a specialty of interest.
Electives in the final year have three different features: 1) help prepare the residency application; 2) provide some flexible time to allow for residency interviews; 3) build skills for a smooth transition to be an outstanding intern. Throughout the late third year and early fourth year, students will work with their Society Dean to plan out their final year and create the Student-Generated Education Plan (SGEP) document. This will help ensure that students have all educational time accounted for well before graduation.
Check out an example of the SGEP document
Preparing for USMLE
The United States Medical Licensure Exams are graduation requirements for all medical students at the School of Medicine. Having a solid plan when preparing to enter study time is essential, so we have compiled study resources and example schedules.
The following resources have been created and modified by current and former students to assist you in navigating medical school and the next chapters in your career.