Metamorphosis of a Medical Student

Third-year experiences in the clinic spur a remarkable transformation

Everything changes during the third year of medical school. Leaving classrooms for the clinic, students begin to apply lessons learned from textbooks, lectures and labs to real patients. And for the first time, future MDs begin to feel like doctors.

A new podcast explores this intense—and rewarding—year, known at Harvard Medical School as the Principal Clinical Experience, or PCE. Listen as students and faculty members share, based on personal experiences, how the approach fosters mentoring, communication and empathy.

HMS student Kat Wakeham (far right) and her mentor David Hirsh discuss their perspectives on the third year of medical school in a new podcast. Hirsh, an HMS assistant professor of medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance, champions an integrated, longitudinal experience for students. Photo by Leonard Rubenstein