Your Clinical Years

Your journey to becoming a physician starts here. At SHSU-COM, you’ll move from classroom to clinic with confidence, gaining real-world experience in communities across Texas while learning to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care.

A Curriculum That Meets Patients Where They Are

From day one, you apply foundational sciences in simulated clinical settings. Early training includes osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), standardized patient encounters, high-fidelity simulation, and cadaveric dissection in the anatomy lab. These experiences build the clinical reasoning, hands-on skills, and confidence you will use throughout your third and fourth years.

At SHSU-COM, your clinical years are rooted in community-based, hands-on learning. From urban hospitals to rural health centers, you’ll gain experience in real-world environments that reflect the diverse healthcare needs of Texas.

How Placements Work

SHSU-COM follows a distributive model, which means you learn in multiple partner hospitals and clinics across Texas rather than one centralized teaching hospital. During your third and fourth years, you are assigned to a clinical region through an algorithm and lottery system that considers your hometown and preferences. This approach mirrors how medicine is practiced: collaborative, adaptable, and community-centered. It also supports our mission to improve access to care across East Texas.

Where You Learn

You’ll rotate through a variety of healthcare settings, from large medical centers to small rural clinics. Our mission focus lies in East Texas, roughly east of I-35, from the Red River to the Rio Grande. We continue to expand partnerships that serve both communities and student doctors.

Real-World Training, Real Impact

Throughout your rotations, you’ll work closely with experienced physician mentors at affiliated clinics and hospitals statewide. Whether you’re seeing patients in Conroe, Corpus Christi, or the Piney Woods, you’ll be part of a network of compassionate, skilled, and service-driven care that prepares you to make a lasting impact as a future physician.

Osteopathic principles throughout

Osteopathic principles and OMM remain integrated across the clinical years. You sharpen your exam skills, apply whole-patient care of mind and body, and learn to work on interprofessional teams that put patients first.

Readiness that shows up on day one

Preceptors tell us SHSU-COM student doctors arrive ready to serve and ready to learn. You will manage real-world complexity, adapt to different workflows, and communicate with patients and teams in a way that adds value from your first day on site. That preparation is rooted in our early clinical exposure and reinforced by strong board outcomes.

Support you can count on

Regional clinical coordinators and faculty mentors help you plan schedules, meet requirements, and prepare for residency applications. You receive ongoing feedback, skills assessments, and advising so you grow with purpose.