How do you describe the anticipation of a third-year medical student about to begin clinical rotations in hospitals and clinics with patients?

A mixture of frightening and exciting, said Elena Busuito after conferring with classmates Krishni Kumaresan and Annelise Gordon.

The three Wayne State University School of Medicine students, along with nearly 300 other classmates, launch their third year of medical school this week with clinical rotations that will allow them to experience various fields of medicine, from dermatology to surgery.

While the prospect can be daunting, it is the first true taste of medicine for students.

“I feel like we finally get to do what we came to medical school for,” said Busuito, who is considering a career in surgery, while Kumaresan and Gordon have their eyes on internal medicine and family medicine, respectively.

The Class of 2026 gathered March 28 at the WSU Community Arts Center on the cusp of their third-year rotations for the first Clinician Investiture ceremony, the capstone of their preparation for clinical clerkships.

“You have worked very hard to get to here. We selected you from nearly 10,000 applicants because we believe in you,” Dean Wael Sakr, M.D., told the assembled students. “We believe you have the talent and skills to become excellent clinicians. Perhaps most important, we believe that you will become the type of physicians that set Wayne State University doctors at the pinnacle of patient care.”

During clerkships, students engage in direct patient care alongside doctors, residents and other members of the health care team, to learn and gain experience in primary care and medical specialties. During the ceremony, students received a commemorative stethoscope, reinforcing the sacredness of the doctor-patient relationship through physician connectedness to the heartbeat of the patient. They also received a copy of the Wayne Warrior M.D. Physicians-in-Training Principles of Professional Identity and pins to wear on their white coats as a reminder of their duty to patients and their profession.

While clerkships provide students with the experience to assist in determining what field of medicine students want to go into, keynote speaker Eileen Hug, D.O., FAAP, FACOP, director of Undergraduate Medical Education at Henry Ford Hospital and a WSU clinical professor of Pediatrics, asked them to also consider what type of doctor they want to become. Will they be the type of doctor who, when a patient is thirsty calls for a nurse or gets the patient water? One who issues orders or who speak with a heart that listens? Judgmental when working with a patient suffering cirrhosis from a lifetime of alcohol abuse or compassionate?

The considerate, caring and compassionate physician, Dr. Hug advised, will be able to look back on an amazing career when it is time to hang up the stethoscope.
 
The students also heard words of encouragement from clerkship directors and other medical education leadership.

The ceremony concluded with Senior Vice Dean and Vice Dean of Medical Education Richard Baker, M.D., leading the class in the recitation of the Ethics and Professionalism Pledge.