West Plains

Keep in mind that most rotations are preceptor-based, so the schedule will vary somewhat for every rotation.

Medical students may be expected to pre-round before the attending gets to the hospital. There are no residents or interns at Ozarks Medical Center, so the student will be expected to do many of the H & Ps as well as progress notes. Because of this, students should plan on pre-rounding between 6 and 7 a.m.  Periodically, this will be followed by a physician’s group meeting. Medical students should attend these meetings as things such as call schedules, patients, and chart reviews are discussed. Afterwards, the student will round with the attending physician. From there, the student will either move on to the daily clinic, the OR, or the endoscopy suite for the rest of the morning. Usually there is time to take a lunch break at or around noon, but this can be easily interrupted by deliveries, long surgeries, or late clinic schedules. The attendings in West Plains are very good about making time for a break though, no matter what the schedule dictates.

Students may be expected to give presentations, case reports, or discuss journal articles over the noon hour as well. Occasionally, there will be drug rep lunches or seminars by other doctors over lunch that students will have the opportunity to attend. The afternoon is much like the morning schedule, where the student will see patients in the clinic or OR until 5-5:30 p.m., followed by evening rounds with the attending. Some attendings will excuse students early from clinic so that they can pre-round before the attending.

Medical students should expect to take call at least one week/weekend during the rotation. In general, the call schedule is much like the rest of the week, and rounding is usually done with the attending instead of pre-rounding. Some rotations have a heavier call schedule than others; therefore, students may be required to work two or more weekends a month for certain rotations.

Student feedback regarding site

“The clinical rotations at West Plains are top notch. The physicians at the hospital and surrounding clinics are fantastic teachers. All rotations are one-on-one with the physician, so the clinical experience is excellent. I was able to perform all procedures with the physician looking over my shoulder, patiently instructing. The hands-on experience you will receive is invaluable and for those reasons, I highly recommend West Plains.”