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Post-Clerkship

Medical student using an ophthalmoscope to look into the eye of a patient

The Post-Clerkship phase is the final 12 months of medical school. The curriculum is composed of:

  • 1 four-week subinternship
  • 4 four-week elective clinical rotations (16 weeks total)
  • 1 week-long Social Medicine rotation
  • Transition to Residency
  • Internship Bootcamp (held at the Simulation Centers).

Time is also allotted for residency program interviews and vacation.

Clinical electives

Students complete a minimum selection of clinical electives. These can be completed at Mayo Clinic campuses in Minnesota, Arizona, or Florida, as well as at national and international locations. Many students complete an international or underserved population elective in the fourth year.

Surgery electives (partial list)

  • Anesthesiology
  • General surgery
  • Gynecologic surgery
  • Ophthalmology
  • Orthopedics
  • Head and neck surgery
  • Surgery subspecialties (trauma, cardiovascular, colorectal, pediatrics, plastic)
  • Urology

Pediatric electives (partial list)

  • Community pediatrics and adolescent medicine
  • Critical care (neonatal and children's)
  • Genetics
  • Hospital pediatrics
  • Pediatric subspecialties (infectious diseases, hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, neurology)

Medicine electives (partial list)

  • Critical care medicine
  • Family medicine
  • General internal medicine
  • Medicine subspecialties (cardiology, gastroenterology, hematology, infectious diseases, nephrology, rheumatology)
  • Physical medicine and rehabilitation

General electives (partial list)

  • Dermatology
  • Neurology
  • Obstetrics
  • Pathology
  • Psychiatry
  • Radiology
  • Urology
  • International and underserved populations

Community Physician Apprenticeship Program (optional for students interested in rural primary care)

The Community Physician Apprenticeship Program (CPAP) elective is a 12-week community immersion experience focused on continuity care in the outpatient and hospital environment. It is a collaboration among Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, the Department of Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and Mayo Clinic Health System.

Designed to immerse the fourth-year medical student in a community care system outside of the Rochester environment, it consists of outpatient and inpatient experiences at a Mayo Clinic Health System location with a physician mentor.

You’ll follow patients through the care process and become part of a care team that includes other community physicians, specialists and subspecialists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, therapists, social workers, and nurses. A community health project serves as a bridge between the community and the student.

The 12 weeks of CPAP satisfy 12 of the 16 required clinical elective weeks.