Normally, US medical students are taking clerkship or rotations during their 3rd or 4th year on hospitals of the school they are attending or the school's affiliates as a requirement towards graduation. For international medical graduates, this program is a part of their educational curriculum. Medical clerkship falls on the hands-on category.
MedObserverships provides medical/clinical Observerships, externships and clerkships in the USA with hands on US clinical experience (USCE) for International
This term refers to a clinical experience which is not provided by the medical school in opposite to clerkship. The term is also known as "audition rotations" because medical students or graduates are doing rotations in other institutions to impress people in the department where they have applied or to gain letter of recommendations from influential persons in the specialty. This rotation is done by medical students who have not yet graduated as well as this experience is being used by medical graduates who attempt to strengthen their resume and clinical background.