When people think of teaching hospitals, they usually think about big cities and names like Johns Hopkins or Cedars-Sinai; however, medical students can gain top quality, hands-on experience right here in Williamsport! Each year, over 50 students take part in The Family Medicine Residency Program Student Clerkships.

Third and fourth year medical students from schools that Susquehanna Health has a clinical affiliation with such as: Temple University, Drexel University, Penn State - Hershey and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine take part in clerkships that last for approximately four to six weeks. Clerkships are offered in obstetrics, pediatrics, family medicine and sports medicine. Many students take part in a rotation in obstetrics from a family medicine perspective that's received rave reviews from the students who have completed it. During the OB rotation, students gain a lot of practical experience in a hands-on pregnancy care environment.

Having medical students here at our Health System, our medical staff and residents are continually being tested. "The students that participate in the clerkships push our residents and faculty to a higher level," says Timothy M. Heilmann, M.D., Coordinator of Student Clerkships, "Having students with us challenges our residents and faculty to stop and explain to someone else what you are doing and why."

Today there is an increasing demand for clerkships from medical schools. "The medical student clerkship program is vital to the recruitment of applicants for our Family Medicine Residency Program," stated Robert E. Kane, Jr., B.S., M.B.A., Administrative Director of the Family Medicine Residency Program. We have accepted the highest amount of medical students to date in our program." In the 2006-2007 class of first year residents, four out of the seven completed clerkships here. "The demand for our program speaks volumes about the quality education the students receive here. The medical schools have certain standards and expectations that we are certainly exceeding," he adds. The schools also evaluate SHS on what it teaches students. In return, SHS evaluates the students very closely. Students are offered feedback on a daily basis - something they rarely get anywhere else. They are rated on eight different areas - knowledge base, history taking, physical exam, problem solving, progress notes, oral presentations, reliability and initiative and interpersonal skills. At the end of their clerkship, they receive an overall evaluation during a one-on-one meeting.

Students are considered to be an important part of the patient care team. They get to experience caring for patients with the supervision of a physician.

The students offer very valuable, positive feedback about the program. Even students that are not planning to practice family medicine say that the family medicine rotation is a good experience.

"We've set up our clerkships to provide a variety of opportunities for learning in an environment that's challenging yet comfortable," explained Annette Sheets, Family Medicine Residency Coordinator, "students really enjoy our program because they truly are embraced as part of our team."