
Stage Three: Individualized Exploration
In stage three of NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s MD curriculum, you can take Step 1 or Step 2 of the U.S. Medical Licensure Exam (USMLE) and pursue individualized exploration in specialty and subspecialty areas of interest through post-clerkship electives, and the advanced clinical skills module.

Critical Care Clerkship
In a four-week critical care clerkship, you develop the knowledge, skills, and experience you need to care for critically ill patients. You are assigned to a specialty intensive care unit and become an active member of the care team. Responsibilities include daily teaching rounds and following, assessing, and treating critically ill patients.
Subinternships
Another component of stage four of the MD curriculum is a four-week subinternship in one of three areas—advanced medicine, advanced surgery, or advanced pediatrics. During the subinternship, you take on patient care responsibilities that exceed those in your core clerkships. This helps you excel during the internship year of your upcoming residency. Subinternship responsibilities may include taking overnight calls, admitting patients, and entering orders.
Advanced Medicine Subinternship
The advanced medicine subinternship provides additional training and experience in managing the care of hospitalized patients on an internal medicine inpatient ward. It better prepares you for a residency in internal medicine or, if that is not your eventual destination, offers a final opportunity to study internal medicine before you complete residency training in another area.
Advanced Surgery Subinternship
The advanced surgery subinternship provides additional training and experience in general surgery. It also fulfills the subinternship graduation requirement for students applying for a residency in general surgery or another surgical specialty.
Advanced Pediatrics Subinternship
The advanced pediatrics subinternship is for students who have successfully completed their pediatrics clerkship and are interested in additional pediatrics training and experience. It also fulfills the subinternship graduation requirement for students applying for a residency in pediatrics.
Grades are honors, high pass, pass, and fail.
Senior Clinical Skills Exam (Night-on-Call)
The senior clinical skills exam, part of our Advanced Clinical Skills Curriculum, is an immersive experience that consists of a night on call in the simulation center. The exam challenges students to be the intern and perform tasks that include evaluating patients, collaborating intra- and inter-professionally, using oral and written documentation, and critically appraising information to inform decision-making. All of this work is framed within routine clinical activities that you should be ready to perform upon graduation. You receive written feedback on your performance, including areas of strengths and gaps that might be addressed before or upon transitioning to residency. Past participants have found this exam to be an authentic, rewarding, and enjoyable experience.
Transition to Residency
During the two-week transition to residency course, students focus on integrating basic science and clinical knowledge. You then work to identify your own learning needs as you look ahead to your internship. The course is a mix of workshops, simulation, and conferences. A key focus is on developing autonomy, understanding the limits of self-reliance, and knowing when to ask for help. The overall goal is to put students in a position to not only survive, but also to thrive as a leader and educator during your internship and residency years.
Dual Degree/Research Year
At NYU Grossman School of Medicine, our four-year dual MD/master’s degree programs allow students to explore various interests along with medicine. You can earn your MD degree in tandem with a master’s degree from another NYU graduate school, expanding your career options in less time and at a reduced cost than completing the degrees separately.

Students can access specific requirements through Brightspace (a Kerberos ID and password are required), our learning management portal.
MD/Phd Training
At NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, we prepare MD/PhD candidates who seek to move beyond the boundaries separating scientific research and clinical practice. Under the guidance of our training faculty, our graduates are poised to assume leadership positions in academic medicine and biomedical research. Through our Medical Scientist Training Program, one of 49 programs in the United States recognized by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences, our rigorous dual MD/PhD curriculum merges the fundamentals of scientific inquiry with clinical insight and experience.

The authoritative source for curriculum requirements is exclusively found at NYU Bulletins.