Medical Education Program

Medical students attend highly regarded intensive sessions in cardiovascular examination and identification of heart sounds. Students contact us years later about how this experience has influenced their skills as physicians over many years. Medical students also have access to elective courses relating to many cardiology subspecialties, including:

• Cardiac ultrasound echo & doppler
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• Cardiothoracic surgery
• Clinical electrocardiography
• Diabetes enrichment
• Cardiac imaging
• Native American health services
• Pediatric cardiology

Current medical students can explore the opportunities offered by the University of Arizona Medical Student Cardiology Interest Group.

Awards and Scholarships

The Division of Cardiology firmly believes in fostering interest and feeding the passion of trainees for cardiology. Students with particular interest in cardiovascular research have found many opportunities with the Sarver Heart Center. Many cardiovascular medicine faculty support students pursuing research honors. Annual research awards can include:

• The Zenas B. Noon Award to outstanding cardiology clerkship students in both Tucson and Phoenix
• The Margarito Chavez Student Award to an undergraduate or medical student conducting promising research that contributes to the improved prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cardiovascular disease

Students will learn how to recognize and manage basic disorders of skin, accessible mucosal surfaces and adnexal structures. The rotating medical student should learn how to examine the skin, how to describe cutaneous findings, and how to recognize common skin disorders. The diagnosis and pathophysiology of common skin diseases will be emphasized.

Students will spend time with multiple providers and get exposure to general dermatology, medical dermatology, dermatopathology (depending on length of rotation), cutaneous oncology, oncological surgery and Mohs surgery. Dermatology clinics are fast moving, so you will get exposure to a multitude of diseases!

This is your time to develop your visual recognition of dermatology conditions. This will be a hands-on clinical evaluation of patients with skin disease under the close supervision by dermatology faculty and residents. The clinical experience will be complemented by online modules through the American Academy of Dermatology website, small group lectures specific for the medical student, and Grand Rounds with residents and faculty.

This rotation provides clinical experience with patients with endocrine problems in primarily outpatient, and potentially inpatient, settings. At the conclusion of the rotation, students will have gained insight into the pathophysiology, diagnosis, natural history, and management of many common endocrine and metabolic diseases. The goal of the rotation is to refine the student’s approach to common endocrinology problems seen in the primary care setting. Students will see patients with a variety of hormonal problems, metabolic bone and mineral disorders, and Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Opportunities to diagnose, evaluate, and manage rare endocrine and metabolic disorders also will be provided.

This rotation is designed to strengthen clinical reasoning, procedural understanding and patient management skills in both inpatient and outpatient gastroenterology and hepatology, providing a strong foundation for future medical practice.

The four-week inpatient and outpatient gastroenterology and hepatology rotation provides medical students with a comprehensive and immersive experience in clinical gastroenterology. Under the supervision of GI fellows and attendings, students will actively participate in the General Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Biliary-Pancreatic consult services, while also gaining exposure to outpatient care through continuity clinic rotations.

Structure of the Inpatient Rotation

• General Gastroenterology (2 weeks): Students will evaluate patients with a variety of luminal GI disorders and follow them through diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures.
• Hepatology (1 week): Focuses on acute and chronic liver disease, the interpretation of liver function tests and transplant indications.
• Biliary-Pancreatic (1 week): Covers pancreatic and biliary system disorders with opportunities to observe advanced endoscopic procedures, including ERCP and EUS.
• Outpatient Continuity Clinic (4-week additional elective offered): Students will attend General GI and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) faculty clinics, where they will gain experience in managing chronic GI conditions, patient follow-ups and outpatient diagnostic strategies.

Expectations & Responsibilities

Medical students will be expected to:

• See and present all assigned patients daily
• Write detailed consult notes and progress notes under the guidance of fellows and attendings
• Interpret diagnostic tests, including labs, imaging and endoscopic findings
• Engage in clinical decision-making, formulating assessments and treatment plans
• Communicate recommendations to the primary care team
• Attend and contribute to rounds and teaching conferences
• Participate in self-directed learning, presenting relevant literature to the team
• Engage in outpatient care, evaluating and following patients in General GI and IBD clinics

Learning Opportunities

Students will gain expertise in managing common and complex GI conditions, including:

• GI bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, cirrhosis and hepatic failure
• Advanced diagnostic tools such as endoscopy, liver function tests and imaging
• Risk-benefit discussions and shared decision-making in patient care
• Long-term management of chronic GI conditions through outpatient clinic experience

Schedule & Teaching

• Morning rounds begin around 8 a.m., with times set by the attending
• Weekends off during your GI – Hepatology – Pancreas/biliary rotations
• Weekly conferences (Wednesdays, 7:30-9:30 a.m.) include lectures and case-based discussions
• Outpatient clinic rotations occur during General GI and IBD faculty clinic sessions
• Students are encouraged to be proactive in learning and gathering feedback

Medical students participate in a variety of clinical and educational experiences through the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, gaining exposure to the following related issues:

• Adult medicine
• Adverse drug events reporting
• Antibiotic resistance
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Elder care
• End-of-life care
• Genomic medicine
• Geriatrics
• Hypertension
• Immunization
• Lipids and cardiovascular risk management
• Menopause
• Obesity and weight management
• Pain management
• Palliative care
• Precision medicine
• Rare diseases
• Substance abuse and addictions

This elective offers an intensive experience in all aspects of clinical hematology and oncology. The student will have an active role in seeing patients at BUMC North Campus. Subspecialty clinics designed for breast cancer, melanoma, sarcoma, lung cancer, GI cancer, head and neck cancer, hematologic malignancies (leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma), general oncology and benign hematology are held each week under supervision of faculty members with special interests in each area. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate new patients and to see and follow-up patients with attending supervision.

The goal of this rotation is to provide you with the opportunity to learn some of the nuances and cutting-edge treatments offered to our patients. During this course, you will rotate through a variety of heme/onc subspecialties and clinics. Students will be encouraged to pursue areas of interest in depth. If you have a particular interest in an area, please let us know and we will try to prioritize your time.

The infectious diseases elective is a popular rotation. Medical students participate in a variety of clinical and educational experiences through the Division of Infectious Diseases during the fourth-year elective course. The rotation involves four weeks of inpatient consultative service.

Students will be exposed to the following ID syndromes during the rotation:

• Febrile patients presenting with rash or FUO
• Upper respiratory tract infections
• Pleuropulmonary and bronchial infections
• Urinary tract infections
• Peritonitis and other intra-abdominal infections
• Cardiovascular infections
• Central nervous system infections
• Skin and soft tissue infections
• Infections related to trauma, burns, and human and animal bites
• Gastrointestinal infections and food poisoning syndromes
• Bone and joint infections
• Infections of reproductive organs
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Infections of the eye
• Viral hepatitis
• Sepsis syndromes
• Nosocomial infections
• Infectious and non-infectious complications of HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
• Infections in the immunocompromised or neutropenic hosts
• Infections in acute leukemia and lymphoma
• Transplant-related infections, including bone marrow and solid organ
• Infections in geriatric patients
• Infections in travelers
• Infections related to intravenous drug use

Hospital medicine over the last few years has gained momentum, and now represents one of the largest growing communities of physicians in the United States. Many of our students and residents wish to pursue careers as hospitalists. As a part of our mentorship program, our faculty members are actively involved in the education of third- and fourth-year medical students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson as well as at Midwestern University. In addition to day-to-day bedside clinical education, our faculty members partake in classroom didactics, shelf-exams and U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) reviews for our students.

Current students should also explore related opportunities offered by student clubs, including the Internal Medicine Student Association.

Amy Sussman, MD, Department of Medicine clerkship director, Nephrology Fellowship Program director and an associate professor of medicine, developed an innovative medical student elective in renal medicine, which breaks away from the conventional inpatient nephrology rotation. This novel elective aims to provide a more global and holistic approach to renal medicine, in which the student goes to dialysis units, attends outpatient nephrology clinics, attends the nephrology interventional vascular access center, and sees a kidney transplant.

In general, medical students participate in a variety of clinical and educational experiences through the Division of Nephrology both during the third-year internal medicine clerkship and during fourth-year elective courses relating to all of the subspecialties within the Department of Medicine.

A typical rotation for a third-year medical student involves exposure to nephrology via the ambulatory clinic setting. An elective rotation for the fourth-year medical student involves two weeks of inpatient consultative service and the last two weeks spending time in the ambulatory setting. This includes time spent in a general nephrology clinic, transplant nephrology clinic and outpatient dialysis (both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), participation in kidney transplant surgery and in-depth evaluation of urine sediment.

Medical students participate in a variety of clinical and educational experiences through the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. They also have access to elective courses relating to all of the core areas related to PACCS:

• Anesthesia/anesthesiology
• Cardiothoracic surgery
• Diagnostic radiology
• General medicine
• Intensive care medicine
• Neuromuscular disorders
• Arthritis and clinical immunology
• Care of the older adult
• Emergency medicine
• Immunobiology
• Medical imaging
• Pediatric critical care
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• Coronary care unit
• Epidemiology
• Integrated emergency medicine/critical care
• Medical toxicology
• Pulmonary consultation service

The Division of Rheumatology offers an elective for students to acquire knowledge and skills related to the diagnosis and management of various types of arthritis, as well as autoimmune disorders.

The medical student will gather knowledge by reading, discussions with faculty and surveying the appropriate literature. Clinical data will be obtained by patient interview, physical examination and review of laboratory data. The medical student will be involved in outpatient clinics and may share in taking consultations in hospital-ward cases. As part of the team, the medical student will participate in patient history-taking, examination and management.

They will participate in weekly rheumatology conferences (including Grand Rounds and Fellows’ Conference), which cover clinical and basic science topics in rheumatology, musculoskeletal radiology, immunology, research study designs and various other topics.

They will participate in ambulatory clinics where they will be supervised by faculty members who conduct bedside teaching.

• Banner – University Medical Center South
  • Rheumatology Clinic
  • Lupus Clinic
• Indian Health Service Clinic – Pascua Yaqui
• Southern Arizona VA Health Care Center – Tucson

The inpatient medicine student clerkship consists of two four-week blocks at either BUMC Main, BUMC South or SAVAHCS. Students are expected to achieve a level of responsibility during the inpatient setting appropriate for a third-year student:

• independent data gathering
• critical assessment of the data
• communication of data to other health professionals

Students additionally have the option of doing two-week elective rotations in hematology/oncology and infectious disease.

In addition to the clinical experience, students will perform or observe a list of procedures. They will also attend didactics each week and will participate in a simulated patient (SP) encounter.

Hematology/Oncology

The goal of this rotation is to provide exposure to the world of hematology/oncology to prepare you for your internship year. Topics will include histopathologic diagnosis of malignancies, evaluation of benign hematology and blood dyscrasias (anemia, thrombocytopenia, etc.), staging of malignancies, biomarkers and “personalized” medicine, and managing side effects from systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy. You will be expected to carry 2-4 patients per day depending on acuity, and you will not take call on this rotation.

Students are strongly encouraged to attend Collaborative Cancer Center Grand Rounds Friday at noon. You may attend the heme/onc core faculty lectures on Friday mornings from 8-9 a.m. as time allows (often there is free breakfast), but this is not mandatory. Your attending is expected to give you meaningful feedback regarding your notes and oral case presentations. The attending (or fellow) is expected to observe you doing a physical exam. Your attending will give you meaningful feedback daily, formal feedback midway and summative feedback at the end of the rotation.

Infectious Disease

The goal of the VA infectious diseases (ID) rotation is to build your medical knowledge and gain valuable insight into the use of antimicrobials and diagnostics related to management of infectious diseases. In this two-week rotation, you will round Monday through Friday with the infectious diseases consult team, which consists of an attending, an ID fellow and a pharmacist. Residents may also be on the team. You will be assigned patients on whom to perform new consultations and learn to take an ID relevant history and physical, gather clinical data from the electronic medical record (EMR) and outside records, and present data to the attending. You will participate in medical decision-making and clinical reasoning, and write consult notes in the EMR. You will answer calls regarding your patients, discuss cases with the attending, communicate with the primary team regarding any new patient recommendations and write a follow-up note if indicated. You will be expected to carry two or three patients per day depending on acuity.

Students are encouraged to attend intern and resident reports, ID case conferences and other teaching sessions as they arise. Your attending is expected to give you meaningful feedback regarding your notes and oral case presentations. The attending is expected to observe you performing a physical exam. Your attending will give you meaningful feedback daily, formal feedback midway and summative feedback at the end of the rotation.

This four-week required clerkship offers medical students a broad perspective on ambulatory medicine and the practice of medicine. Students will see new and established patients in various general and specialty outpatient medicine clinics, as well as inpatient consult services. Students will attend ambulatory medicine clinics or consult services each week as assigned. They will scrutinize available chart data, and in many cases, they will take a history, perform relevant physical examinations, and propose diagnoses and mechanisms of disease. Students will work to propose treatments/management plans based on underlying causes of disease (including basic mechanisms of action of disease or therapeutics). Their clinical encounters will be under the supervision of faculty physicians or physician trainees. On-time physical and mental attendance, engagement, and the ability to apply science and mechanisms of action, along with the critical application of evidence-based-research to clinical medicine, are expected in the clinics as well as throughout the clerkship.

In this four-week rotation, you will take on more responsibility under direct supervision of the senior resident and the attending. As a sub-I, you will manage your own patients, participate in medical decision-making and clinical reasoning. You will also write notes in the EHR like an intern. You will field nursing questions and other calls regarding your patients. This is your time to learn for learning’s sake. Ask as many questions as you can and take a chance. You will learn and discuss common medicine topics and learn to discuss them on rounds. This sub-I will advance your medical knowledge and decision-making skills while you function as an acting intern. This experience will graduate your skills from reporter to an interpreter/manager. Team service locations are BUMC Tucson, BUMC South and the VA Hospital.