ok,
i have read a lot about clinicals, but still some questions remain..
1) If one is unable to do their clinicals in one city, then how do those who do it do it? For how long is a person in one city? Does one have to apply to each different hospital in each different city? On average, how many times can one expect to move?

2) do those who go to england do their final two years there? or do some go there for a year and come back to the states for another?

3)is it hard to get into clinicals in the us coning from auc or any carib. school?

thanks a lot gor helping me understand this. i am new to this forum and new on research.

You will see that this topic has been discussed ad nauseam on this and other forums. If you do your core clinicals in the UK you do them straight through (a plus for many people) -- most core sites have all the clinicals in one location but a few send you to a different site for, say, psych. Most folks who go to the UK do only their cores and maybe one or two electives there (because they know and like the preceptor) and because of the ease of just getting it done. Plus, if you're under a time crunch to meet the match deadline, it can be very handy to crank through a number of your electives. Most folks who go to the UK would also suggest that you also do a least 12 weeks of US clinicals, just so you can do the necessary catch-up to learn the US system. It's not that different from the UK, but just like their English slang is different from our English slang, it does take some adjustment.

Folks who do their cores in the US generally do have to go to more than one site. Most folks can do it in 2 or 3 sites. There are a couple of places where you can go all the way through, but there aren't many such spots -- it is one thing that AUC is working on. However, there are lots of places where you can do all but one core --which core is "missing" depends on the site. Go to the AUC website to see which cores are offered at which sites and you'll have a better idea. As to how often you will have to move, there is no easy answer. The problem is that although sites may offer a particular core, they may not offer it on a timeline that meets your needs, so you may be better served to go to a different site for that core to meet your timeline. Or, if you are interested in a residency in a particular specialty and a site offers that core specialty, you may prefer to do your rotation at that site simply to try and get a leg up on a possible residency spot.

In the end, don't sweat that part. It will come and it won't be that difficult to make your decision. Also know that AUC is actively developing more US slots and that things can change a lot in a couple of years.

I am affiliated with an AUC/Ross U.S. clinical site for Medicine. We typically accept 12 students per rotation (6 from each school). Right now we have a total of 6. That leaves 6 spots open. I think that should tell you that US clinicals are not hard to get. US clinicals are not a huge issue. Those who are in the UK are there becasue they want to be. If you want the US it shouldn't be a problem. Good luck to you. G

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