Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

1. Information gathering

1.1 Comprehensive early information regarding individuals pathways from clinical rotations to
residencies.
Available online
Comprehensively covers ALL available AUC Affiliate clinical sites. This information can be found
in the Core Clerkship Guide and the Elective Clerkship Guide. The links for both have been
listed. http://www.aucmed.edu/student-services/forms-and-resources/pre-clinical-
forms.aspx http://www.aucmed.edu/student-services/forms-and-resources/clinical-
forms.aspx
Lists specialties available, elective rotations, start dates, and schedules. The list of specialties
can be found in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Results and Data Report
that is drafted each year after The MATCH. A link to the data has been provided.
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Advance-Data-Tables-2016_Final.pdf
Elective rotations, start dates and schedules will be discussed with each student in more detail
as they submit a passing United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score.

1.2 Advice on how to pick elective to shape [you] a candidate for a competitive NRMP MATCH.
Debunking rumors, and having reliable resources to address future concerns. The Elective
Clerkship Guide can provide a good source of information regarding the elective that should
be taken per specialty. Also, the Office of Clinical Student Affairs (OCSA) and Office of Student
and Professional Development (OSPD) advisors can be a great source of information and are
be able to assist you in making informed decisions regarding your elective rotation choices.

1.3 Is there a database

1.3.1 Listing Alumni of various locations? Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA), alumni locations are not disclosed. Residency lists for AUC Grads can be found here:
http://www.aucmed.edu/alumni/residency-placement/2016-residency-placements.aspx.
1.3.2 With information about what Alumni in specific specialties did to get into that specialty?
AUC graduates closely mirror the top factors for obtaining interviews in the 2014 Program
Director Survey (http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PD-Survey-Report-
2014.pdf) as well as the characteristics listed in Charting Outcomes in the Match for IMGs
(http://www.ecfmg.org/resources/NRMP-ECFMG-Charting-Outcomes-in-the-Match-
International-Medical-Graduates-2014.pdf)
o 1.3.2.1 What were they involved with? See 1.3.2.3 below.
o 1.3.2.2 What rotations did they complete prior to getting into specific specialties?
Consult the Elective Guide: http://www.aucmed.edu/getattachment/8fb1ea74-4a48-
4814-8c5d-d862c505d919/February-2016-Elective-Clerkships-Guide-02-03-16.pdf.aspx.

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 Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

o 1.3.2.3 What did they do that made them successful? Strong USMLE Step scores and
academic performance, extra-curricular activities, competitive for specialty in which
they applied, organized and interesting CV and personal statement(s), great interview
skills, use resources provided by AUC, NRMP and Educational Commission for Foreign
Medical Graduates.
1.3.3 Listing criterias that led to best match rates? See 1.3.2.3 above.

1.4 Is there a database or someone we can contact to get information on the alumni?
http://www.aucmed.edu/alumni/get-involved/alumni-contact-network-request.aspx

2. Timeline

2.1 When should we start looking into rotations? During 5th semester. Electives upon receiving
schedule of core rotations.

2.2 What are the start dates for rotations?

As of July 7, 2016 the information below stands correct, however it is important to understand that
contracts with our affiliated sites may be renegotiated at any time and may change the information
listed.

Danbury Hospital November

Providence Hospital July

Nassau University Medical Center September

All other site cores (IM, Surgery, OB/GYN, Peds, and Psych) are every 6 weeks

2.3 For our January class,

2.3.1 What do we do after we leave the island? Study for the USMLE Step 1 exam, complete
health clearance documents, and submit preferences (http://www.aucmed.edu/student-
services/forms-and-resources/core-location-preference.aspx)
2.3.2 What is the best time to take USMLE Step exams, with regards to rotations? Prior to the
deadline provided by Dr. Yoshida or the campus registrar.
2.3.3 What do we do/should we do if we have a few months off prior to rotations? Complete
your health clearance documents. If you need a B1 visa, be sure to email the OCSA to request
your B1 visa supporting documents.

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 Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

2.3 For those who want to wait for a specific rotation start time, what do you recommend spending the
intervening time doing? For example, our class gets done in September, but some rotations dont start
until May. How should we spend that time productively? It is not recommended students wait for a
specific rotation start time so that they can be placed at a specific site. AUC has availability for
students to be placed and begin their rotations in a timely fashion. As a student, your goal is to
complete your clinical clerkships in a timely manner so that you may graduate, apply for The MATCH
with a competitive application, and become a licensed physician.

3. Rotation Placements

3.1 How are we scheduled for our Core Clerkships? After submitting our top picks, what factors are
considered for placement? This is determined by two variables. Students are placed in order by when
they sat for the USMLE Step 1 exam. In the event multiple students sat for the USMLE Step 1 exam on
the same date, we will place students in order by the date and time stamp of their received Core
Location Preference Form.

3.2 Are Rotation spots first come first serve? Please refer to answer from 3.1

3.3 How does the couples MATCH work?

Couples matching works best if both candidates are considered competitive for their selected
specialty, hospitals have to agree to accept both candidates
Couples should consider applying to different hospitals in the same area if competitiveness is
an issue

1. How it Works http://www.nrmp.org/match-process/couples-in-the-match/

2. Video Tutorial on how Couples Matching Works http://www.nrmp.org/match-a-to-z/video-

tutorials/participating-in-the-match-as-a-couple-tutorial/

For further questions, please contact the OSPD via email at OSPD@aucmed.edu.

3.4 For Canadian Students

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 Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

3.4.1 How does this work for Canadian students? The same as U.S. students. Except students need to
obtain a B-1 visa. OCSA provides the B-1 visa supporting documents. The OCSA provides our
international, non-US resident students with a letter in support of a B-1 visa, which is a visitor visa
that will allow students to stay in the U.S. temporarily to complete their clinical training in U.S. The B-
1 visa is usually issued for the period of time indicated in the letter, but no more than a 12-month
period. Students will request a letter for third year, and have to request another B-1 visa letter from
OCSA as they enter into their 4th year.

You can be granted supporting paperwork to request a Visa from the American embassy or consulate
for clinical rotations. When you have passed your fifth semester, please notify the OCSA so we can
start preparing the necessary documents.

When you have a passing USMLE Step 1 score on file with the OCSA, you will also send the OCSA a
copy of your passport (photo page) and your mailing address. Within 10 business days you will be
given a proposed clinical core schedule that will take you through 42 weeks. Once you have officially
confirmed this schedule, you will receive via FedEx to your mailing address:

1) B-1 Visa support letter (generated by OCSA)

Supporting documents:
2) Letters of Good standing
3) Letters from the Hospitals in which you will be rotating, indicating you will be at those sites
for the allotted amount of time.
4) Official transcript

Once you have received the B-1 visa support letter, you will then take the letter along with your
supporting documents (valid passport, clinical assignment letter(s), and official transcript) to the
nearest U.S. consulate or embassy for processing. The consulate or embassy official will l place a
stamp in your passport noting the status of your admission and the period of the authorized stay.

Remember, the B-1 Visa is only good for the time frame indicated in the letter, but for no more than 1
year. As you confirm additional rotations during your 4th year, you will need to request another B-1
letter from OCSA before the current B-1 visa expires. (The B-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa which
cannot be used to establish residency or permanency in the U.S).

3.4.2 What if a student has a contact in Canada is there anything the student needs to do in
advance to complete elective rotations there?
A maximum of eight weeks of electives may be taken through an institution in Canada that is
affiliated with a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, after
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 Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

obtaining written approval from OCSA. The only hospital affiliation AUC has is with Saskatchewan
Hospital. They only accept one student per year and the student must be a resident of
Saskatchewan.

4.1 Is there a plan for increasing options for where students can complete rotations? Specifically. AUC
is always working on new affiliations, however what is currently listed in the Core Guide is what is
available.

4.1.1 Florida? Center for Haitian Studies

4.1.2 California? KERN Medical Center
4.1.3 Michigan? Providence Hospital
4.1.4 Texas? For electives only at teaching hospitals.

4.2 Is the Long Beach location opening up more spots? The only affiliated site for core rotations in
California is Kern which is in Bakersfield, CA.

4.3 Are there any locations where we are we able to rotations so we dont have to move around? (Some
have families, and it would be preferable to stay in one place for all the rotations)

Nassau University Medical Center

Providence Hospital
Danbury (Students scheduled for clerkships at Danbury Hospital (DH) will be required to
reside in DH Housing. There are NO exceptions to the Housing requirement.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON HOUSING:
o Married students cohabitating with their spouses must comply with housing
requirements provided for married students.
o Children are not permitted in DH Residences. AUC students who have or who are
expecting children during their rotations should consider other rotation sites.
o Pets of any kind are not permitted at any student housing: including dogs, cats,
reptiles, rodents, etc. Not even for the purpose of pet sitting or therapy pet.
o Housing will be charged to student accounts, please contact Student Accounts at
accounts@aucmed.edu for cost and other information.
o MEAL PLAN: Students will have $100/week added onto their ID badge to be
used at any of the DH dining locations (coffee shops, caf, and bistro bistro
open 24/7).
o Funds will be added monthly and accumulate throughout the academic year, but
must be used before the end of the students last Elective rotation at DH, as
there will be no reimbursement.
o There are NO exceptions to the Meal Plan requirement.

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 Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

KERN Medical Center, Center for Haitian Studies and Baton Rouge Medical Center
offer almost all of the Cores
Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center offers all the Cores but they are not a full Core
program at the moment.

4.3.1 If so, is there a list of them or some place to go to get this information? Please reference
the Core Clerkship Guide http://www.aucmed.edu/student-services/forms-and-resources/pre-
clinical-forms.aspx

5.1 How can students maximize their potential to obtain the residency they want? It will be important
to make a good impression with everyone at the site. This includes attendings, residents,
coordinators, program directors, nurses and all staff. Students should show up on time and participate
and show an interest in the rotation. During the rotations, there will be time for community service
activities. Students should participate but not at the cost of your grades. Be professional at all times
during your rotations. All of this will be considered when you are being graded for your rotations and
possibly mentioned in your letters of recommendation. To obtain the residency that you want, you
should make sure that you are competitive for the specialty and programs to which you are applying.
Please also refer to Section 1.3.

5.2 Do we still have classes or will it be all self-study? During the clinical portion of AUC's doctor of
medicine degree program, students perform as an active member of a team comprised of students,
residents, and attending physicians. Under supervision, clinical students perform histories and
physicals, evaluate laboratory data, analyze information to diagnose patient cases, and undertake
limited procedures.

5.3 How do you take exams and shelf during rotation? Shelf exams are scheduled for the last week of
your core rotations only. Three months prior to the end of each core, the Office of the Registrar will
schedule each student into the respective cores shelf exam. At this time the student will receive a
permit from National Board of Medical Examiners which may be used to schedule your exam date
within that window through Prometric.

5.4 What is there to expect during rotations? Prior to starting clinical science rotations each student
will be placed into a program called the Transition to Clinical Medicine Community Mentorship
Program, or TCM program, which they will be assigned a clinical fellow. During this time frame the
clinical fellows will work on preparing students with a smooth transition. They will discuss things like

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 Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

cases, hospital expectations, how to complete case logs, what to expect on your 1st day of rotations,
dress code, etc.

5.5 Will housing be provided or will we have to find our own housing? AUC does not offer housing at
each location that rotations are being offered. However AUC an agreement with DH which requires
student to stay on campus for an additional fee onto your tuition. Presently AUC is working on a
housing website which we will be sure to keep you posted on once it is complete.

6. Preparing for USMLE Step Exams

6.1 For accreditation, there has to be a certain amount of time spent on topics.

6.1.1 How is class time being monitored? Class time is being monitored, based on the
attendance policy set forth in the student handbook. Students are expected to be present and
attentive 100% of the time, if any time is requested off it must be preapproved and the
student is responsible to make this time up with the site coordinator.
6.1.2 How is class time determined? Essentially each site is given a curriculum that is
determined and looked over by our Dean of Clinical Science and the Dean of Curriculum. Each
site is supposed to follow these guidelines to ensure that the student is receiving the quality
education as approved by the Deans, and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education (ACGME). AUC ensures this for each and every core rotation. The Dean of Clinical
Sciences conducts site visits to ensure that the students educational needs are met and they
satisfy both ACGME and The Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM).
During site visits the Deans will then meet with the students to receive feedback on the
rotation and the hospital experience.

6.2 Why are we not allowed to use the Becker Professional Education question bank as we are going
through the material in class? We are given the option of using the review books but not the question
set. If it has clinical questions similar to the USMLE Step exams, its preferable to see them now versus
later when there are other options to use for USMLE Step prep. Please refer this question to Dr.
Yoshida, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

7. Finances

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 Clinical Student FAQs: January 2016 Class

7.1 How much is it going to cost? This is a vague question. However all question regarding cost should
be directed to the student finance team.
7.2 Will loans cover everything? This is a vague question. However all question regarding cost should
be directed to the student finance team.

8. Suggestions

8.1 Clinical rotation workshops to discuss future plans and have a chance to ask questions EVERY
semester
8.1.1 Pertinent questions regarding class start dates vs. clinical start dates
8.1.2 How do we go into a particular specialty? You must be competitive for the specialty in
which you are interested. During the NRMP MATCH you will simply apply to programs within
your specialty of interest. The OSPD has begun working with students on campus to form
Specialty Interest Groups.

9. Miscellaneous

9.1 There are rumors that AUC may lose its accreditation. It was understood that to stay accredited, the
minimum USMLE Step 1 pass rate had to be at least 90%. Apparently AUCs 2016 pass rate was 87%.

9.1.1 Is that true? No. In 2015, AUC received accreditation for six years.
9.1.2 And if thats true, isnt there need for concern? N/A
9.1.3 Are there any changes planned to improve? AUC is continually monitoring USMLE pass
rates and makes changes accordingly to ensure students have the best possible chance at
passing on the first attempt and scoring as highly as possible.

9.2 Does AUC have locked/guaranteed residency spots? No. Please see responses 1.3.2 and 1.3.2.3 for
criteria on how to become a competitive applicant.

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2016 American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. All rights reserved.