Tools and Templates for Third Year Rotations
Written by Samuel Fuller
It can be intimidating and exciting to move from the classroom into the hospital to put your knowledge into practice! This article will hopefully ease some of the nerves and make this transition exciting with resources as well as presentation templates for many of your rotations.
Recommendations for clerkships:
Comfortable shoes: no matter what rotation you are on, you will likely be doing a lot of standing. So get comfortable shoes that you will be able to stand in for hours. Check to see if you are allowed to wear scrubs and sneakers or if you will need to wear professional clothes and wear dress shoes. Ensure you have both options since some rotations will require professional attire in the clinic.
Rounding template: the first week of any rotation can be overwhelming as each specialty has specific questions and note templates (etc). Some people use a note template to help organize their time. In this post, I have included my templates (for free!) that I made for Internal Medicine (used during IM, peds, and family medicine), surgery, psychiatry, and OB/GYN.
Pocket-sized notebook: use this notebook to write important tidbits about patients that are discussed during rounds. Include information that you want to review at the end of the day.
Granola bar/small snack that can be kept in a pocket: rounds are long on some rotations, and you will likely be expected to be at the hospital early. Keep a nonperishable snack if you get hungry during the day (ex: nuts, pretzels, protein bar).
Appropriate equipment (stethoscope, reflex hammer, penlight, otoscope, ophthalmoscope, etc): Have the proper equipment for each rotation. If you are on internal medicine, bring your stethoscope. However, you might not need one for psychiatry. If you are unsure what medical equipment to bring at the start of the rotation, bring everything in your bag and ask on the first day of your rotation.
Extra pens: occasionally a resident, another medical student, or attending may forget their pen. Having a few extra pens can be helpful for the team!
Tide to-go pen: If you spill coffee or anything else on your white coat, you can clean it easily!
UWorld subscription: outside of reading about the conditions of your patients, use UWorld as your main study tool for shelf exams.
UpToDate subscription: do not buy this before starting your rotation. This is a great resource to use to read about the conditions your patients have, but many institutions have a subscription you can use.
An open mind, positive attitude, and good work ethic: You can do this! Good luck!
* We do not receive any benefits from endorsing any products and any products are what the writer of this article has found helpful.
