Students in the University of Vermont College of Medicine’s Class of 2018 gathered in the Sullivan Classroom October 14, 2015 to participate in a lottery that kicks off preparations for the next phase of their medical education – taking care of patients in clinical settings.

The Clinical Clerkship level of the Vermont Integrated Curriculum (VIC) provides students with exposure to and training in seven different specialties, including Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology/Outpatient, and Psychiatry.

Flight groups determine the order in which the rotations are completed, and on Thursday, October 14, students relied on equal combinations of strategy and luck to secure their desired group. The student chosen last in the lottery received a nice consolation prize: a fishbowl full of $1 bills contributed by classmates.

Next up is a “trading” period before students rank their preferences for locations, which include clinical training sites in Vermont, Florida, Connecticut, Maine, and New York. Then, in March of 2016, the Class of 2018 will officially enter Level Two of the VIC, leaving classroom-based learning behind to join medical teams in hospitals and outpatient settings in order to gain the skills they need to be fully competent physicians upon graduation.