Clerkship

[Bawgg]

Hello guys. I know I might be asking a very broad question here but would anyone please be able to tell me what a general schedule looks like when doing a Clerkship at McMaster. I know it vary but just a general example would be helpful. From the number of days a week to the time spent there and also include the actual work that a clerk does. Thanks alot

[DaWiz]

Similarly, how much are clerks expected to move around Hamilton and other cities/towns?

[Edict]

60 hours a week typically and you will probably have to do call depending on the specialty and how interested you are in it. Also you rank your locations and then get placed to wherever and someone posted your chances of remaining in hamilton in one of these threads, so look for that. 

[Organomegaly]

I don't know much about clerkship schedules but I hear medicine and surgery are demanding rotations and family/psychiatry/emerg (shift work for emerge) tend to be lighter.

 

Can't speak to paediatrics and ob/gyne but they're definitely not on the level of those last three. 

[thestar10]

Peds can be on par with Sx and IM. 

 

on average in hospital 5-6  days a week. again dependant on rotation. 

 

Clerkship day to day is pretty much the same anywhere. go to the hospital early and leave late. Things will vary depending on the rotation and location. often there are teaching days. 

[bearded frog]

There are different clerkship streams so everyone does their units in different orders. Which stream you get is assigned by lottery. Generally the major specialties are six week blocks, and typically in Hamilton (assuming Hamilton campus) but you might have to spend units in towns around Hamilton, and as far away as Barrie for OB/Gyn, etc. If you are assigned far from Hamilton you will get free living arrangements. Schedules vary by specialty, but its typically 5 days a week, Plus a varying number of call days (overnights and weekends). IE 3 weekend 24 hour periods in a 6 week rotation. Some units have evening call only, meaning you are on call from 5-11 on weekdays or 8-11 on weekends but you don't get a post call day.

 

What a clerk does depends on the rotation, but generally they try to get you to be as close as possible to an intern/pgy1 in that specialty. Ie for medicine you are assigned patients and carry the call pager just as the residents do. Obviously you need to have orders cosigned etc. You will be taking history/physicals, writing consult notes and orders and generally managing patients. In other specialties you work with a staff/resident to help them out, ie anaesthesia, but can do any of the procedures they are ok with you doing.