Spine Institute of Arizona

3rd Year Clinical Rotation

This rotation is designed to give the medical student a well rounded exposure to clinical spine care. The student will be exposed to patients with degenerative disease of the spine (the most common spinal disorder), spine deformity, and trauma. We have physicians who specialize in non-surgical and surgical management of spinal disorders. Students have the opportunity to mold their clinical experience around their interests. The student will learn how to perform a musculoskeletal history and exam with an emphasis on the spine. The student will learn how to formulate a treatment plan based on the patient’s chief complaint including ordering the appropriate diagnostic studies (radiographs, MRI and CT scan), participating in spinal injections, and surgery when indicated. The student will be encouraged to manage patients under the supervision of the attending physician in the clinic, hospital, and during surgery. We have multiple research projects available for student participation which will lead to publications in medical journals. Our goal is to give the student an exceptional clinical experience which will benefit them regardless of their special interests-family practice, internal medicine or surgery.