WSU medical students to begin LIC clinical training

Starting June 24, patients and community members across Washingtonstate will see some new faces in white coats as the inaugural class of medicalstudents from the Washington State University (WSU) Elson S. Floyd College ofMedicine begin their clinical training as third‑year medical students.

The third‑year clinical training, called the Longitudinal IntegratedClerkship (LIC), is a unique feature of the College of Medicine’s curriculumthat focuses on giving students experience in the comprehensive clinical careof patients. The WSU College of Medicine is one of the first in the country toemploy the LIC model for all third‑year medical students.

Unlike traditional clerkships that focus on certain areas ofmedicine such as OB/GYN, pediatrics and psychiatry for just a couple monthseach, the LIC integrates students with clinical faculty and patients over a 10‑month time spanand across all major medical disciplines simultaneously. This enables them toform relationships with patients and doctors, gain experience over time andacross specialties, and see many of the same patients over several months toget a complete picture of treatment.

“Launching the longitudinal integrated clerkship is a majormilestone for us as a medical school and reinforces our focus on providing acommunity‑basededucation that prepares our students to serve the communities of Washington,”said Dr. Jaime Bowman, clerkship director at the Elson S. Floyd College ofMedicine. “The clerkship years are an exciting time for our medical studentsand for our state as our citizens get to play an active role in buildingrelationships with our students and shaping them into the doctors they willbecome.”

Approximately 15 third‑year medical students are based at each of the College of Medicine’s four clinical campus locations: Everett, Spokane, Tri‑Cities and Vancouver. Students are assigned to doctors in those communities whom they work alongside. Patients seen by those doctors or in participating clinics or hospitals are invited to take part in the medical students’ training. Participation is voluntary and may be discontinued at any time.

Source: Washington State University