Due to COVID-19 we will have reduced capacity for student learners.
Gundersen Health System is one of the largest health systems in the United States. For more than five generations, it has been providing primary care and specialty care to over half a million residents of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Northern Illinois.
In 1996, in recognition of the quantity and quality of medical education provided to the University of Wisconsin medical students, the UW Regents and UW Medical School designated Gundersen as the Western Academic Campus of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Gundersen is a complete medical center with more than 400 staff physicians, each of whom have been carefully selected for their clinical expertise as well as commitment to teaching. Indeed, each staff member joins our multispecialty group only if they understand that a requirement is their willingness to support a very aggressive education program through their teaching.
Residents and staff spend large amounts of one-on-one time teaching students.
Scheduling Information
Gundersen Medical Foundation recognizes that having visiting students at Gundersen Health System for clinical electives is important to the recruitment process for our residency programs. There may also be exceptional circumstances where a residency program requests special flexibility that allows a visiting student to come for an elective rotation "off-block" or for a period of less than 4 weeks.
Applications must be submitted at least 3 months prior to the start of the requested rotation.
Upon being extended an offer, you have one week from the date of notification to accept or decline the offer.
The appropriate contractual Affiliation Agreements for Gundersen Health System must be in place at least one month prior to clinical placement. If a contract is needed with the school/university for student placement, please note:
This process can be lengthy and does not guarantee student placement
There is no guarantee that a contract will be successfully negotiated
Student cannot be placed or start a clinical rotation and or project until contract is in place
Medicine Sub-Internships (Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Pulmonary/ICU)
Medical students are welcome to participate in medical clerkships here at Gundersen. We have three rotations available for 'Sub I' clerkship rotations including General Medicine wards, Cardiology inpatient service and the Medical ICU/Pulmonary service. During these Sub I rotations, students will be expected to perform the role of a medical intern to the best of their capabilities. This will include rounding on their own patients daily, writing the official admission, discharge and daily progress notes for the patient, order writing and communicating with consultants. Supervision and teaching will be provided by senior medical residents and the internal medicine or subspecialty teaching attendings. A combination of teaching and work rounds occur Monday through Friday from 8:30- noon on the General Medicine service, from 9 – noon on Cardiology and from 7:30 – 11 on the ICU/Pulmonary service. The timing of weekend rounds is customized based on the number of patients on the given service. Students can expect at least one day off/weekend. Evaluations will be completed by the teaching attendings on these services. All three of these experiences are exclusively inpatient oriented.
Learn more about our Internal Medicine Residency.
Family Medicine Sub-Internship
Thank you for your interest in our Family Medicine MS4 Elective rotation at the Gundersen Foundation Family Medicine Residency. This is a 2-4-week rotation, designed for medical students with an interest in Family Medicine, and with a specific interest in exploring our Family Medicine Residency for future training. This experience is primarily ambulatory. You will see patients with both attendings, residents, and our PhD psychologist. You will be expected to attend the didactic learning conferences that occur during your rotation.
We offer the rotation from July through December each year. Please apply early and fill out our application.
Best wishes as you pursue your medical career.
Learn more about our Family Medicine Residency.
General Surgery Sub-Internship
We welcome medical students to participate in general surgery clerkships. During the experience, the medical students will function as an integral part of the surgical team under the direct supervisor of the surgery residents and faculty.
On the General Surgery Service, students are expected to participate in the preoperative evaluation of patients with a myriad of general and vascular surgical diseases in office and emergency room settings. They will gain experience with invasive and non-invasive diagnostic testing for oncologic, gastrointestinal and endocrine diseases such as laboratory evaluation, abdominal, pelvic and thoracic CT scans, MRI, PET scans, ultrasounds and invasive angiography. Medical students will actively participate in the outpatient/off setting with post-operative patients and new patients referred to the surgical service for evaluation.
In the operating room, students are responsible for assisting the surgical team and will have the opportunity to demonstrate manual dexterity skills, overall comprehensive knowledge of disease states, and pathophysiologic alterations caused by surgery and surgical diseases. Students will assist with the post-operative management of patients and write daily progress notes. Overall, students will gain experience with a wide variety of general surgical, vascular and traumatic disease states.
Medicals student sub-interns will be assigned a faculty mentor, have requirements for discharge summaries and history and physicals, call responsibilities, participate in a focused cadaver dissection and present a formal clinical presentation to the residency program. All students will also meet with Dr. Jarman (General Surgery Residency Program Director) at the end of their rotation.
Learn more about our General Surgery Residency.
General electives
The Internal Medicine residency offers a variety of medicine subspecialties as elective rotations for fourth year medical students. Students can select an elective from the following list:
- Allergy
- Endocrinology
- GI
- ID
- Nephrology
- Palliative
- Rheumatology
Fourth year students on these subspecialties will frequently be working alongside an internal medicine resident. Students are allowed as much autonomy on these rotations as they demonstrate they are competent to handle. Teaching rounds are performed daily M-F. Outpatient oriented rotations include: Allergy, Endocrinology, Oncology and Rheumatology. Inpatient based rotations are GI, ID, Hematology, Nephrology and Palliative Care.
Students participating in these rotations are welcome to attend any of the internal medicine residency weekly conferences or any of the conferences held within their subspecialty.
Additional rotations include:
- Dermatology
- Pathology
Resources and accommodations
At no expense, the students may be housed in furnished, air-conditioned efficiency apartments located directly behind the medical center if space is available. These nice apartments all have a separate kitchen and bathroom. Free laundry facilities, wi-fi and parking are also available.
If you do not need housing during your rotation here but still commute, free parking is also available!
Computers with internet access are in the Medical Education Office, the Medical Library and Michael Erickson Apartments Student Lounge.
Looking for a job shadow experience or observation?
Medical Student Program Coordinator
[email protected]
Medical Education Office
Gundersen Medical Foundation
(608) 775-2081
Fax: (608) 775-1548
Mailstop: C03-006A
Key Faculty
- Kyla Lee, MD - Director of Student Programs, Acute Care Block Director, Phase 3 Inpatient Acting Internship Site Director
- Irina Shahknovich, MD - Surgical and Procedural Care Block Director
- Kimberly Lansing, MD - WARM Program Site Director, Chronic and Preventative Care Block Director
- Kelly Hodgson Kline, MD – Care Across the Life Cycle Block Director, Phase 3 Ambulatory Acting Internship Site Director
Please reach out to learn more or to donate to Gundersen Medical Foundation.