Orthopaedic Surgery Clerkship for Visiting Medical Students

The Wake Forest School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery welcomes all fourth-year medical students to rotate as acting interns in our department. Medical students currently enrolled in U.S. allopathic medical schools should apply through VSAS. Options for international medical students are below.

Our top priorities during your rotation are to:

Advance your orthopaedic knowledge base.
Help initiate the transition from medical student to resident.
Provide extensive hands-on experience.
Expose you to a wide variety of Orthopaedic surgical conditions and clinical styles.
Develop friendships and connections with other members of our Orthopaedic family

We accept up to eight students to rotate during each academic block.

Curriculum

The cornerstone of our program is extensive operative experience with our fellowship-trained academic orthopaedic faculty, many of whom are considered world experts in their respective orthopaedic subspecialties.

Clerkship curriculum will also include:

Orthopaedic clinic and call experience to learn about the peri-operative, non-operative, and acute management of orthopaedic issues, with teaching and participation in Emergency Department procedures such as casting, splinting, joint injections, joint aspirations, revision amputations, etc.
Take part in departmental educational conferences, grand rounds, cadaveric and saw-bone operative surgical skills labs, and journal clubs.
Attend didactic lectures designed specifically for fourth-year medical students.
Receive guidance from a senior resident mentor.
Experience life in Winston-Salem and consider what it would be like to complete your residency here.

Rotation Dates

Below are Wake Forest School of Medicine rotation blocks for 2018. Students are strongly encouraged to rotate on these dates if at all possible. Rotations are available anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks. If you prefer a shorter rotation, please contact our clerkship coordinator for approval (contact info above), and verify with your home school that they will accept this for partial credit.

Start Monday, May 20, 2019 Monday, June 17, 2019 Monday, July 15, 2019 Monday, August 12, 2019 Monday, September 9, 2019 Monday, October 7, 2019 Monday, November 4, 2019	End Sunday, June 16, 2019 Sunday, July 14, 2019 Sunday, August 11, 2019 Sunday, September 8, 2019 Sunday, October 6, 2019 Sunday, November 3, 2019 Sunday, December 8, 2019.

Alternative date are also available.

Alternative Dates Pilot Program

If the dates above will not work for you, orthopaedics is part of a new pilot program, which will allow students to visit on their home school's schedule. To participate in the pilot, you will need to email our clerkship coordinator to request dates and receive approval prior to entering any requests in VSAS. Once approved by the clerkship director, you will need to select the closest block dates listed in VSAS, and the coordinator will manually change the dates to those requested and offer them to you in the system. A minimum of 60 days' notice is required for alternate schedule requests.

Student On-boarding Information

3rd Year Student Packet (Password PDF)
4th Year Student Packet (Password PDF)

How to Apply

Applications for an acting internship rotation are accepted through the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO). Applications will be accepted according to the dates in VSLO. Applications must be submitted 60 days prior to the requested rotation, and per university policy, all visiting students must rotate on the School of Medicine’s block dates.

International Applicants

For international medical students interested in completing an educational opportunity at WFBMC, an application must be completed and submitted to the Office of Global Health at least 90 days prior to the beginning date of the desired rotation. Those applications completed in entirety will be reviewed each academic year. No more than 5 final year medical students in good standing at their home medical school will be selected to complete 1 four week rotation.

International students interested in a rotation at Wake Forest Baptist Health should contact Lynn Snyder in our Global Health office lsnyder@wakehealth.edu

Scholarship and Grants

The Scholarship Clerkship Program for Visiting Medical Students is administered by the School of Medicine’s Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity. This program is designed to promote diversity in the residency programs at Wake Forest School of Medicine and annually offers scholarship assistance to visiting fourth-year medical students rotating in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family and community medicine, general surgery, plastic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, neurosurgery, dermatology, neurology, otolaryngology, psychiatry, orthopedic surgery, urology, nephrology or radiology.

Download the Scholarship Application

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