Clinical medicine is the field of medicine which concerns itself with the study and practice of medicine after direct examination of patients. This field is different from other sciences which focus mainly on the basics and theoretical study of the medical sciences.
In clinical medicine, the medical practitioners assess their patients to diagnose, prevent, and treat health issues and diseases.
Clinical medicine clearly puts more emphasis on practice than on only theoretical studying. This branch of medicine focuses on directly healing the patients through the means of medical diagnosis, treatment, surgery, etc. This is in contrast to basic medicine as it focuses mostly on studying human life in detail and its diseases, providing valuable theoretical knowledge and support for clinical practice. Together, both practices assure faster health improvement.
Are you an aspiring medical student looking for the right clinical medicine program? Read this article to learn more about the program and how to succeed in it.
How many years does it take to complete Clinical Medicine in the Caribbean?
The clinical medicine program is divided into several weeks of studying and practicing a myriad of topics.
The program typically follows an eight-week research module. It is followed by 72 weeks of clinical rotations to finish the degree. The program is divided into 30 weeks of elective clinical rotations and 42 weeks of required core rotations.
Core rotations consist of —
- Internal Medicine: The typical program aims to denote 12 weeks of studying internal medicine where students build on their skills for a physical diagnosis like completing a thorough history of the patients and physical examination. Students learn clinical management care under the direct supervision of a senior physician. Students learn from both lectures as well as from class assignments, and attending clinical conferences.
- Surgery(12 weeks): Students learn about various ways of surgical intervention. Students learn about the procedures of an operating room, maintaining sterility, scrubbing etc. Students learn to observe and assist in operating rooms and learn follow up and health checkups post surgery.
- Psychiatry(6 weeks): Students learn about minor and major psychiatric illnesses and anxiety disorders with stronger emphasis on how an organic mind differs from one with functional mental problems. They also learn about the use of psychotropic drugs and their management.
- Pediatrics (6 weeks): Students are introduced to the challenging field of healthcare for infants and adolescents. They also learn to take patient histories as well as perform physical examinations on infants in clinical settings.
- Obstetrics and gynecology (6 weeks): Students are introduced to the normal pregnancy course including labor, delivery, prenatal care, and even the postpartum phase. Students learn the fundamentals of obstetric and gynaecology along with history and examination. Students get access to observe and assist in some live births for the experience. They also learn from classroom lectures to learn about the complications during pregnancy and study on delivery.
Students are also taught the basics of family planning as well as gain awareness about sexually transmitted diseases.