Medical Students

The overall goals of our Undergraduate Medical Education Program are to:

  • Provide all medical students with a broad introduction to patient management within the general fields of clinical neurosciences and musculoskeletal medicine, with special emphasis on how primary care physicians can work collaboratively with PM&R specialist physicians.
  • Provide fourth year medical students with the opportunity to experience in-depth elective rotations within our specialty, in either inpatient or outpatient settings.
  • Give interested students the opportunity to gain knowledge of the department’s residency training program.
  • Increase medical students’ knowledge of and exposure to the care of disabled patients through faculty participation in other interdisciplinary courses in the medical curriculum.

Rotations for ECU/BSOM medical students

  • RE 408.5 Clinical Neuroscience/Introduction to PM&R – All M-4 students at Brody SOM are required to complete this two week rotation. The course features general exposure to most aspects of PM&R, with emphasis on clinical neurosciences and musculoskeletal medicine. Students spend the first week rotating through a generalized experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings; the second week consists of subspecialty experiences tailored to meet individual student interests. Students have assigned reading materials and take a 30-item examination at the end of the rotation. During their rotation they also participate in procedures, observed physiatric exams and team activities.
  • Electives/Clerkships – Course blocks are a maximum of 2 weeks in duration unless approved by the PM&R Program Director. The following electives are available to M3 and M4 students.
    • M3ELE: 3rd Year Elective, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
    • RE402: Introduction to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
    • RE403: Ambulatory Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
    • RE405: Medical Acupuncture/Complementary and Alternative Medicine
    • RE406: 4 Geriatric Rehabilitation
    • RE455: Acting Internship in Pediatric Rehabilitation

Clerkships for Visiting Medical Students

To apply for a clerkship, interested students should email their CV to Debra Mercer at mercerd@ecu.edu. At this time, electives/clerkships are not available to non-US citizens attending international schools. More information can be obtained by visiting the BSOM Office of Student Affairs website. Course blocks are a maximum of 2 weeks in duration unless approved by the PM&R Program Director. The following electives are available to visiting M4 students:

  • RE402.4VS – unless otherwise arranged, students will rotate generally across a variety of clinical settings including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, general rehabilitation, stroke, pediatric rehabilitation, outpatient clinics (amputee, medical acupuncture, etc)

Summer Scholars Student Research Program

From a research standpoint, the field of physical medicine & rehabilitation has been rapidly expanding in recent years. Because of the breadth of our discipline, multiple opportunities for research exist across the entire spectrum of basic science, clinical and educational endeavors within PM&R. There are multiple opportunities for BSOM medical students to participate in ongoing research efforts in the department. The medical school offers a formal “Summer Scholars Research Program” through the Office of research and Graduation studies, whereby selected students spend 8 weeks doing research on a variety of topics. students have previously participated in numerous research protocols in PM&R.

For more detailed information about research efforts at ECU/Brody School of Medicine, please visit the research section of our website.

For more information about the Summer Scholars Research Program and how to apply, please contact Dr. Kori Brewer at 252-744-2159 or brewerk@ecu.edu

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