Student Testimonial: Hear from Your Peers

Our commitment is to provide an educational environment that equips students with necessary medical knowledge and immerses them in the practical aspects of healthcare, ensuring they are ready to excel in their future careers. There’s no better way to understand the impact of our programs than hearing directly from those who have lived it. Student testimonials provide a real-world glimpse into what it’s like to be a part of the Riverside community.

Salankara's Story

Photo of Salankara, a medical student, smiling confidently in front of Riverside Medical Center. Salankara Bandyopadhyay, DO
Des Moines University School of Medicine & Health Sciences,Class of 2024

I have had a great experience at this site and would highly recommend it in terms of both education and quality of life. You will be rotating at Riverside Medical Center and its affiliated clinics around the Kankakee/Bourbonnais area, and you may also have rotations that take you into AMITA St. Mary's Hospital. All of these sites are very close together and you can easily travel from one end of the city to the other in less than 20 minutes. Some rotations may have you going to a more distant site for a day or two, but none of them are terribly far out of the way.

All of the preceptors I have rotated with have been very interested in teaching, so you never feel like your time is wasted at any point, and there is a good variety of patients that come to the hospitals in the area. Most of your rotations here will be one-on-one with your preceptor which is great, and there are a couple of rotations such as Psych which allow you to rotate with a handful of other medical students. I would also highly recommend this site because a lot of the graduation recommendations that you need for 3rd and 4th year can be easily met with how strategically the Riverside coordinators work to schedule you.

If you are thinking of conducting research, Riverside preceptors and coordinators are wonderfully supportive about helping you get in touch with people who can help you reach your research goals, and you may be able to find opportunities to present some of your research to the Riverside medical body as well. Some more specifics are as follows:

Inpatient settings - Your exposure to inpatient settings will vary based on the rotation you are completing. The rotations at Kankakee which are heavily inpatient-centered are Psychiatry and Internal Medicine and potentially Emergency Medicine. My family medicine and pediatrics rotations were both outpatient, and my general surgery rotation had moderate exposure to inpatient cases.
Variety of patient presentations - This can vary based on the preceptor you are assigned to and the rotation that you are on. For me, Family med patient cases tended to fall into one of a few categories e.g. Diabetes management, Hypertension management, Hyperlipidemia management, and Wellness exams. Pediatrics had a ton of RSV cases due to the timing that I was scheduled, but this is of course subject to what time of year you may be scheduled to have your pediatrics rotation. Surgery has a good chance for you to see a greater variance in case presentations, but this again depends on which attending you are following and what their case-loads tend to represent.
One-On-One - You absolutely have opportunities to assist with procedures, and the attendings and their staff are incredible about making space for you to do so. Your rotations will usually consist of a few days of shadowing so that you get a feel for how your attending operates and what information they ask from their patients, then you transition into being the main information gatherer for HPI and physical exam if your attending asks for it. If there are instances that patients need procedures, your attending will likely show you how the procedure is done initially and then they will let you do them with supervision if the patient is amenable to it. For your general surgery rotation, your attending will absolutely have you scrub in. They will have you assist with holding the retractors, suturing when possible, and may need further assistance as they see fit. So you have a lot of chances to learn and get right into the action of things!
Life in Kankakee - I really like the atmosphere in Kankakee! Although it is a smaller town, I found that it was not lacking in any of the amenities that I needed. The whole town can be driven through in about 25 minutes, and you have great food options, hiking/nature trails, and easy access to the local hospitals and clinics. Traffic is very navigable and is nothing like you would see in a big city. You can definitely make it to Chicago for a day trip if you want, and there is also a shuttle from Kankakee to Midway airport for $2 which made life so much easier. Some of my roommates were from Chicago and went home every weekend, so I am sure you would be able to do the same if you wanted! Most rotations do not ask you to come in on weekends unless you are on call, so you can certainly plan little getaways if you want. In fact if you are on an elective rotation (and therefore won't have a COMAT/Shelf to study for) I would recommend that you make plans to enjoy your weekends as much as possible!

Why Choose Riverside for Clinical Student Rotations?

We believe that you are more than just a student; you are part of a community that values educational growth and personal development. Our programs are structured to provide one-on-one mentorship, varied patient cases, and substantial procedural experience. Whether you’re shadowing a seasoned professional or leading a patient consultation, our goal is to provide a learning environment that is both challenging and supportive.

Join Riverside and Shape Your Future

If you’re looking for a place to grow, learn, and succeed, consider Riverside Healthcare. Check out more about our student rotations or get in touch with us to start your journey in the rewarding field of healthcare. Your future starts at Riverside Healthcare!