Excellence in Clinical Training

tanford students are trained to provide compassionate patient-centered care, using best practices in the biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences.

Foundational Training

The Practice of Medicine program provides broad clinical science education in the first two years with early exposure to patient care and the practice of medicine. The program employs a variety of instructional methods to equip students with the critical thinking and communication skills essential  to providing compassionate, expert care. These include clinical problem-based cases, videotaped simulations with standardized patients and computer-based instruction.  

Stanford is a pioneer in the field of immersive and simulation-based learning, which serves as a bridge between classroom learning and real-life clinical experience.

Early Hands-On Experience

In addition to early patient exposure through the Practice of Medicine program, Stanford's Cardinal Free Clinics provide a remarkable opportunity to gain hands-on experience beginning in the preclinical years.  By volunteering at the clinics, students acquire basic clinical skills and learn how to work closely with one of the most diverse populations in the country.

Learn about our free clinics

Broad Clinical Exposure

Through an extensive schedule of clerkships, students learn how to work closely with one of the most diverse populations in the country, while gaining exposure to a range of chronic and acute conditions under the mentorship of leading experts. Participating hospitals include Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. 

Abraham Verghese, MD, professor of medicine, discusses the importance of bedside diagnostic skills and the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship.

Global & Community Health

Hands-on experiences in local communities and abroad allow our trainees to develop expertise in international and community-based medicine while addressing the needs of underserved populations. 

Paul Wise, MD, professor of pediatrics, has been taking students to the Guatemalan highlands for over 25 years.

Stanford 25

Created by Abraham Verghese, MD, MACP, the Stanford Medicine 25 initiative teaches techniques and skills for effective bedside medicine.

Educators 4 CARE

The Educators-4-CARE program provides interpersonal training to foster compassion, advocacy, responsibility and empathy.