Subinternship in Medicine

A one-month Subinternship in Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics or General surgery is required of all fourth year medical students at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. The Medicine Subinternship is offered at many of the teaching hospitals in the UMass Chan System. In general, subinternships in Medicine may be taken at institutions outside UMass Chan teaching hospitals in addition to, but not instead of, a subinternship at core UMass Chan affiliates.

The goal of the subinternship in Medicine is to allow each student to function as close to an intern as possible, under the close supervision of residents and attending physicians. The number of patients for whom a student is responsible will be adjusted to maximize the learning potential and to fit each individual’s capabilities. Students admit new patients and may also assume the care of those admitted by other covering physicians on nights or weekends.

Students participate in all house staff conferences and meet in small groups with the site director (or designee) to review the subinternship curriculum topics. This curriculum is standardized across all sites and all required subinternships to meet the specific objectives of the subinternship. Students are expected to participate in other site-specific teaching sessions with faculty and teams to include opportunities such as case presentations at conferences, topic reviews and bedside presentations. Feedback, personal involvement and individual evaluation are emphasized in this modified apprenticeship model.