With clinical rotations, you treat patients using the diagnoses you discussed in the classroom. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

Medical school coursework breaks down into two distinct stages: preclinical and clinical.

The former teaches you about the human body and how it’s supposed to function as well as the diseases that can affect it. You memorize the smallest details about such complicated topics as transporters in the kidney and genetic changes for uncommon congenital pediatric diagnoses. Then you try to store all this information in your brain until the much-feared USMLE or COMLEX exam.

The latter includes clinical rotations. This is where medicine truly comes alive. You treat patients using diagnoses you discussed in the classroom and prescribe the pharmacologic agents you previously memorized. Of course, rotations come with their own challenges. Here’s a look at what to expect and how to succeed.