During the OMS-III year, students continue developing their research and scholarly skills through Introduction to Clinical Scholarship, a required course designed to introduce forms of scholarship relevant to clinical practice. As part of the course, students develop a written case report based on a patient encountered during their clinical rotations. Strong case reports may be further developed for presentation at professional, state, or regional conferences, with continued guidance and support from the WCUCOM Research Team. Outstanding projects may also be appropriate for submission to a scholarly journal for publication.

Clinical rotations also provide opportunities for students to become involved in research with their clinical preceptors. Depending on the preceptor and clinical setting, these experiences may include secondary analysis of existing data, clinical research projects, quality improvement initiatives, or participation in ongoing clinical trials.

Students may also pursue a research elective rotation during either the OMS-III or OMS-IV year. The elective provides dedicated time to participate in research and may be particularly beneficial for students seeking additional scholarly experience as they prepare for residency. Students are encouraged to consider research opportunities during the clinical years regardless of their intended specialty. 

During the OMS-IV year, students’ priorities increasingly shift toward residency applications, interviews, and preparation for graduate medical education. A research elective rotation remains available during the fourth year, including for students who completed a research elective during OMS-III.

Students should keep residency application timelines in mind when planning research during this period. Scholarly activities completed later in the fourth year may not be finalized in time to be included in residency application materials. Whenever possible, students are encouraged to bring ongoing research projects to completion by the beginning of the OMS-IV year so that resulting presentations, publications, and other scholarly accomplishments can be reflected in their residency applications.