Clinical Experiences

WesternU podiatric medical students learn at the bedside, not just from textbooks. Beginning in their first year, students gain experience in a broad range of clinical practices.

Year	Length	Clinical Setting
1	10 weeks	Western University of Health Sciences Service learning opportunities in pediatrics and geriatrics
1-2	20 weeks	Western University of Health Sciences Working with standardized patients and simulations
3	42 weeks Local	Clinic and hospital rotations at local WesternU affiliated sites including: General Medicine Internal Medicine General Surgery Surgery Subspecialty: Vascular Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery Emergency Medicine Medicine Subspecialty: Endocrinology, Infectious Disease, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Rheumatology Podiatric Medicine
4	42 weeks Local & National	Clinic, hospital and private practice rotations at WesternU affiliated sites including: General Medicine Internal Medicine General Surgery Surgery Subspecialty: Vascular Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery Emergency Medicine Medicine Subspecialty: Endocrinology, Infectious Disease, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Rheumatology Podiatric Medicine Pediatric Medicine

Rotation Sites
The College of Podiatric Medicine has established affiliations with institutions, and will continue to develop affiliations in order to maximize each student’s clinical exposure opportunities. Third year core rotations are based out of academic centers the greater Los Angeles area, including Veterans Administration facilities, County Hospitals, as well as others. Fourth year core rotations expand to include academic centers that are located locally, and across the nation. The organization of the third and fourth year schedules provides students with ample opportunities to extern with programs across the nation, exposing students to varied residency programs.

International Rotation Options
Dean Harkless, an internationally recognized expert on the diabetic foot, has professional relationships in Japan, Australia, China, Singapore, Vietnam, New Zealand, South America, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Africa, India, England, Wales, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Israel and the Philippines. We will develop international rotations based on student interest.

Equipped with early and lengthy exposure to clinical practice, you will be more than prepared
to meet the demands of your career in podiatric medicine.

Excellent Clinical Preparation
We are committed to providing outstanding clinical experiences to our students, ensuring that they will work with the volume, variety, and diversity of patients that will give them the strongest background for their future career. Our preceptors are passionate clinical faculty experienced in the teaching/learning process.