Family Medicine Clerkships - Multiple Locations

Medical Student Clerkship Application

The Sutter Health Family Medicine Residency Program prides itself on teaching and involving medical students in patient care. Students are often surprised by the variety of patients seen and the amount of procedures performed. Some students even return as residents to our program. For more information, please read the descriptions below, or contact us at sutterfmrp@sutterhealth.org.

Applications are accepted twice a year as follows:

Medical Students apply to Sutter Health FMRP Clerkships through the AAMC VSLO system.

• Our elective offerings are detailed below.
• Apply only once per academic year. No direct applications emails please.
• Your application will not be considered complete until all required documents have been received.
• Please note that we do not accept international medical students.

What is it?

• $1,500-$3,000 financial assistance to support 4th-year students who are underrepresented in medicine and interested in Family Medicine as a career
• URiM broadly includes historically and intentionally excluded groups such as underrepresented races and ethnicities, LGBTQ+, students with disabilities, and low socioeconomic status

Rotation Details:

• Complete a 2–4 week rotation in inpatient or outpatient Family Medicine setting in diverse Sacramento metropolitan area, including rural opportunities
• Weekly didactics lecture attendance participation
• Mentorship through designated faculty/residents
• Scholarly project/presentation on a topic of interest during the rotation

Medical Student Rotations - Locations

Outpatient Family Medicine - Sacramento

In our midtown clinic near Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento students work closely with residents and core faculty to enhance clinical skills during this 2- or 4-week rotation. Students routinely see patients independently and then present cases to the attending or resident. Students quickly learn how a thriving clinic functions and become proficient in using electronic health records. Emphasis is placed on interpersonal skills, physical exam techniques, and evidence-based medicine.

Our clinic population is diverse and students can expect to see a variety of pediatric, adolescent, adult, obstetrical, and geriatric patients. Procedures include joint aspiration/injection, casting/splinting, circumcisions, OB and MSK ultrasound, and vasectomies. We also have specific clinics for colposcopy and dermatologic procedures. Students may participate in a home visit as well.

Schedule: Clinic runs from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Wednesday afternoons 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, students participate in didactic lectures on various topics, and enjoy a provided lunch. Thursday mornings 7:00 am to 8:00 am, there are morning report discussions where residents present interesting inpatient cases.

Outpatient Family Medicine - Davis

During their 2 or 4 week rotation at the Sutter Davis clinic, students participate in the care of a smaller town population (50,000) with a diverse university and agricultural patient base. Students work alongside residents, core faculty, and community attendings. All outpatient care is done via an electronic health record, and health maintenance is emphasized. Patients range from newborns to geriatric patients, with everything in between. Spanish skills are helpful but not required. Interested students may also chose to round in the 36 bed Sutter Davis hospital where full spectrum inpatient medicine includes ICU care. There are also opportunities to round in nursing homes with faculty as well as participate in a home visit. Commonly done procedures with the sports-minded, outdoor active Davis population include joint aspiration/injection, and casting/splinting. There is also exposure to circumcisions, OB ultrasound, dermatologic and gynecologic procedures, and vasectomies.

Schedule: Clinic runs from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Wednesday afternoons 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, the Davis and Sacramento residency tracks meet together for didactic lectures on various topics, and enjoy a provided lunch.

Inpatient Family Medicine - Sacramento

During this 4-week subinternship rotation, fourth-year students serve an integral part of the Family Medicine inpatient team at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. Students can expect to see a wide variety of disease processes. In addition to the student, the team is usually comprised of a junior and senior resident along with an attending physician. The number of patients ranges around 6-12, and includes not only adults, but also newborns, pediatrics, and postpartum care patients. Procedures may include paracentesis, thoracentesis, and lumbar puncture. Students become proficient at using electronic health records, and are exposed to cutting edge technologies such as digitally accessed radiology and remote monitored electronic ICUs. Overall goals are to enhance history taking, physical exam, and assessment skills and to promote the development of evidence-based treatment plans. Students also work with a variety of ancillary staff and specialty physicians.

Schedule: The average workday is 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. Call duration is from 6:00 pm until 7:00 am the following day and is not more than once a week. Wednesdays 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm is spent in didactic lectures with residents. Every Thursday 7:00 am to 8:00 am in the hospital conference room, students participate in "morning report" where an interesting case is reviewed. Also, mirroring the rotation for the first-year resident, the student may spend one half-day a week in the Family Medicine ambulatory clinic seeing patients.

All 4th year medical students interested in Family Medicine are eligible to apply for this rotation. Meals in the hospital and parking pass are provided.

Rural Family Medicine - Amador

This is a two-week primary care rotation in the rural Sierra foothills, home of the Sutter Health Amador Rural Residency Program. Students have the opportunity to work with several family doctors who care for patients who often present with multiple, complex diseases processes and socioeconomic challenges, such as finding affordable transportation and accessing mental health services.

Students will gain experience practicing broad-spectrum family medicine, including diabetes management, dermatology, addiction and musculoskeletal medicine.

Students can expect to get plenty of hands-on experience doing outpatient procedures. Students often also have opportunities to work within our local rural hospital emergency department, with local physical therapists as well as the county public health department

Schedule: Outpatient clinic runs Mon-Friday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the Jackson family Medicine and Plymouth Health Centers. Students will have time off for lunch. If also working with our hospital emergency department and local physical, those schedules will also be day shifts on weekdays.

How to Apply:

Simply apply to our FMRP Elective in VSLO and answer the additional questions below:

Please tell us your “My Path to Medicine” Reflection

1. Please tell us who you are 
2. What kind of physician you hope to become 
3. What makes you a strong applicant