In the first two years, students direct and individualize their learning experience without the daily pressure of intense competition and grading that characterize most pre-medical experiences. This amount of responsibility can be challenging for some, liberating for others, and invaluable to all future physicians A place to train in varied hospital and community settings Clinical medicine is introduced during the first and second years through the Doctor-Patient Course. Students form small groups and are assigned a Clinical Tutor. Yale students are trained to be excellent clinicians and caring physicians. During the third and fourth years, students have the unique opportunity to perform their clerkships at Yale-New Haven Hospital , a facility which combines a tertiary care center, a community hospital, a University hospital, and an urban hospital under one roof.
Many students pursue training in community and primary care settings.
They perform their rotations at New Haven area health clinics, HMO's or one of the 10 statewide private and public hospitals affiliated with Yale-New Haven. Other students elect to do their clerkships at other sites such as the Indian National Health Service, hospitals in their hometowns, or in foreign countries. Opportunities abound for Yale medical students. Students form study groups that emphasize learning and understanding not competing. Small groups, seminars, and clinical tutorials allow students to engage professors and peers in discussions ranging from hematology to health care administration.