LIC Testimonials
One of the missions of SLICC is to promote and educate others about longitudinal integrated clerkships and curricula. We aim to share the benefits and challenges that our alumni have experienced so that interested students, preceptors, educators, and future employers may understand how LICs have influenced students’ career paths. We asked alumni the following questions. Their anonymous responses are below.
Want to submit your own testimonial from your experience at an LIC? Please fill out our Alumni Survey by following the link below! (Make sure to click “yes” for answering a few more questions about your LIC experience.)
How do you feel being in an LIC influenced your career path?
“My LIC gave me a broad perspective on medicine that has helped me to understand the systems in which we work.”
“It changed my life. I was sent to places I’d never otherwise go, and over time cemented my commitment to rural health care.”
“Incredible mentorship shaped my choice to enter internal medicine. So much hands on experience helped me to become an independent decision-maker.”
“I was able to work extensively over several months with one of the orthopaedic surgeons in the area, which helped me realize how much I love the field. ”
“My LIC experience helped be proactive about the type of professional I want to be.”
“I gained a much richer understanding of healthcare transitions for patients. ”
“My LIC exposed me to family medicine in a longitudinal way which helped me understand and appreciate the relationship you build with patients and the value of continuity of care. My rural clerkship taught me the breadth of rural family medicine, and this is the reason I am doing what I am doing today.”
“I think it gave me very strong role models and helped influence my professional identity in a very strong way. I do not think I would be where I am right now without my experience in the LIC. ”
“Offered assurance and gave me confidence in my abilities and my specialty decision. It also helped me form incredible relationships within the area I will now be practicing as a physician.”
What did you enjoy most about being in an LIC?
“I loved having continuity with my cohort of patients, teachers, and peers. ”
“Flexibility to focus on personal interests while also meeting program requirements.”
“It allowed me to follow patient through different specialties and see the full continuum of care. It also allowed for greater flexibility in my day-to-day schedule. ”
“The patient relationships, in which I truly became the provider for my patients, not just another medical student. ”
“I loved the relationships I was able to form with patients as well as with faculty, many of whom became important mentors to me.”
“Ability to have mentorship from a few mentors over a longer period of time contributed to both advancing learning (not ‘starting over’ every few weeks) and to high-quality reference letters from mentors.”
“The camaraderie and teamwork with the attending physicians was amazing. Even though we were just medical students, we were truly treated as members of the team, by nurses, GPs, and specialists. ”
What was the greatest challenge of being in an LIC?
“I had to truly embrace being a self-directed learner. ”
“When entering acting internships and residency, I did feel I had slightly less inpatient experience than some of my peers.”
“Decreased exposure to tertiary care facilities and systems made the technical learning curve steep for residency. ”
“It was challenging at times not to be integrated into a resident team, in which I could be taught more formally. ”
“The first few months of learning how to function in each clinic or ward all at once can be difficult and overwhelming.”
“The learning curve for the first 6 months.”