Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Office of Student Affairs

CLASS OF 2009

INTRODUCTION TO FOURTH YEAR SCHEDULING &

PLANNING

Agenda

Fourth Year & Clerkship Track System Lottery Process Required courses and clerkships Elective requirements & registration USMLE Step 2 requirements & timing Residency Planning Preview On-line Resources

Table of Contents

Slides 4 – 12: 4th Year Overview 13 – 19: Required Clerkships (Sub-Is and Neuro) 20 – 25: Electives 26 – 30: 4th Year by Season 31 – 33: Intramural Electives 34 – 39: Extramural Electives 41 – 42: Discretionary Time 43 – 45: Step 2 Exams 46 – 49: Prep for Residency Application

Handout Clerkship Track System and Its Policies

Lottery Timeline

Lottery Numbers

Fourth Year Calendar

Timeline for Elective Registration Calendar

Track Rank Form

Calendar

Yr 4 starts June 30, 2008

½ day Orientation on June 30th

No Week One seminar course as in past

Fourth Year

12 weeks of core clerkships (Neuro, Sub-I Wards, Sub-I ICU)

34 weeks of elective clerkships

Bioethics Requirements Completion of Ethics Case Paper Completion of Ethics Grand Rounds (min. of 4 sessions)

USMLE Step 2 CK and CS

Core Clerkships

One 4-week Wards SubinternshipAvailable periods: all periods 9A (July) through 12A (April),

except 10C (December) One 4-week Critical Care Subinternship

Available periods: all periods 9A (July) through 12A (April), except 10C (December)

One 4-week Neurology ClerkshipAvailable periods: all periods 9A (July) through 12A (April)

Bioethics Requirement

Ethics case paper due July 11, 2008

Four Ethics Grand Rounds must be completed cumulatively over 2nd, 3rd and 4th years

Elective Curriculum

34 weeks available

26 weeks minimum graduation requirement

8 weeks = additional elective time or “discretionary time” (use “DT” for USMLE study, residency interview time, personal, etc.)

Fourth Yr Track Features

Flexibility

Opportunity for student choice

Dispersal of core clerkships across all quarters

Availability of at least half of the elective time in first half of the year

Fourth Yr Track System

Assignments to track by lottery

Computer generated lottery number

Rank order all tracks

Submit rank form by January 23, 2008 to Reg. & Records (ORR)

Picking a track…

Consider what your elective and residency needs may be in each quarter

Consider when you will take USMLE Step 2 CK and CS

Consider which core clerkships prep you best for the electives you will take

Attendance

Limited time off for serious reasons in both subinternships and neurology (2 – 4 days)

Final exam schedule is NOT changeable

Plan holiday or interview travel only after determining the date & time of day of final exams

Requirements Clerkships

Purpose and Assignment Process

Subinternships

4-weeks: Ward Medicine

4-weeks: critical care unit in medicine, surgery, pediatrics, OB

Assigned to Loyola and other sites

Purpose of subinternships

Focus on skills and attitudes necessary to care for hospitalized and critically ill patients

Emphasis is on patient care in the context of wards or ICU; emphasis not on the specialty

Thus, subinternships are posted on SSOM transcript without specialty noted (transcript reads only “Subintern-Wards” and “Subintern-ICU”)

Subinternship assignments

Opportunity will be provided to submit preference rank lists

Assignments by lottery to services & sites by late winter through Dr. Fitz’s office

Track lottery numbers DO NOT APPLY to the subinternship lotteries; this is a separate lottery process

Neurology Clerkship

In- and out-patient experiences

LUMC and HVA hospital sites

Site assignment by lottery about a month before the clerkship starts

Rescheduling Sub-I or Neuro

Changes may be possible according to track system traffic rules

May trade entire track or individual clerkship

After Subinternship site/service assignments are created, changes must be initiated through Debi Kurcab in the Med Dept.

ELECTIVES

Policies & registration process

Purpose of elective curriculum

How to design your program

Electives

Course Descriptions online in SSOM Elective Catalog

Usually are 4 weeks in length

Several 2-week electives available

At least five electives that are 4-weeks long must be included within the 26 week minimum

Electives (continued)

12 weeks of elective time permitted away

12 weeks permitted in any specialty Excludes time in core clerkships in the specialty Includes electives at Loyola and away Includes clinical and research courses

Other elective policies in catalog preface

Purpose of Electives

Broadens & strengthens clinical experience

Tests interest in an area of specialization

Provides research or special opportunities

Permits self determination & responsibility for content of program

Building Your Elective Program Content Use “Specialty Elective Guide” at online Loyola Elective Catalog

site

Talk to faculty advisor(s)

Attend department sessions & ask questions

Talk to faculty in your field(s) of interest

See Dean Wronski or Dean Mendez for input

Attend SAS programs

Keep Objectives in Mind

Electives should provide a broad-based educational opportunity

They are not intended solely as a residency job search tool

What you take is critical to your preparation for internship/residency and USMLE Step 2

Don’t get lost in where and when strategy only

4th Year Goals by Season

Focus of each quarter

Summer Goals Solidify specialty interest

May/may not need to take specialty elective at Loyola to earn a recommendation letter (depends on prior exposure)

Summer work may bump up performance level

Courses provides prep for important externships

May need study wks/month for early USMLE Step 2

Preparation of residency application starts

Externships start

Fall Goals Externships continue

Residency interview season kicks in; will you need time off? Should you take DT?

Should you plan an away elective geographically to place you in proximity to residency interview locales?

Sept/Oct courses could still produce residency recommendation letters

Winter Goals Take courses to round out your education

Prepare for starting a residency (what do you still need to learn?)

Prepare for Step 2 and block study time if still pending

Rank residencies for match (late Jan-Feb)

Spring Goals

Complete graduation requirements

Take enrichment courses

Take residency prep electives offered at SSOM

Get tuition’s worth by staying enrolled

Take DT for personal/transitional use

Elective Registration Process

How & When to Register

Loyola (intramural) elective sign up

Through submission of an application

Must adhere to the official “timetable for elective registration”

Sign up starts about 5 months in advance of the each elective month’s start date

Elective RegistrationIntramurals (Loyola)

Review course descriptions & policies in elective catalog online

Registration form available online

Complete and submit to elective designate (may be centralized in dept.)

Department will confirm to you and O.R.R. that elective has been approved

Externships (extramural electives) Up to 12 weeks permitted away usually through another US med

school

Loyola sign up Timetable does NOT apply

Reference AAMC Extramural Elective Compendium for timeline, websites, contact person at site (link available at Loyola Elective Catalog website)

Sign up 1 – 5 months in advance of start date; typically April – mid-May for summer courses.

CHECK YOUR EXTRAMURAL SITE’S SIGN UP DATE!

Purpose of externships To get an excellent learning experience

To help narrow specialty interests

To see a program of interest first hand

To work with an outstanding faculty

To show your stuff & perhaps get a recommendation letter

To assess a program’s compatibility with your needs

To do unique non-hospital based experiences

Do you need to do 3 externships (12 weeks)?

It depends… On your interests, profile, specialty field and

geographical considerations

Most students should do one or two

Some specialties discourage more than one elective in the field; others promote student enrollment in several. SEEK ADVICE!

Externship Course descriptions

Online at other school’s web site

Or provided by school’s contact office (listed in AAMC Extramural Compendium)

Extramural Registration Review policies in SSOM catalog

Review visiting student policies in other school’s catalog

Complete Loyola’s extramural application AND

Complete other institution’s Visiting Student Application (may be available online)

Often possible to list more than one date or several elective preferences

Compile supporting documents; submit in one mailing through O.R.R. (see Tess Kazda)

Extramural RegistrationTypical Supporting documents Faculty Advisor’s & Dean Mendez’s signatures

Proof of liability coverage

Current immunization record

Proof of UP/OSHA/HIPAA training

Proof of hospitalization insurance

Possibly SSOM transcript

Possibly faculty/dean’s letter of recommendation

Possibly criminal background check record

Elective Add/Drop Policy

Add: register for electives at least one month prior to start date

Drop (Loyola courses): at least one month prior

Drop (Extramurals): according to other institution’s policy, typically 4 – 6 weeks prior

Discretionary Time Use

For USMLE Step 2 study time

For Extramural calendar adjustment

For remediation needs

For personal needs

Applying for Discretionary Time Off

Application must be filed in advance (to ORR)

Form available in ORR or online

May be taken in one week or longer increments

USMLE STEP 2 CK & CS

Requirement & Timing

USMLE Step 2 planning: Residency considerations

Early test = before Sept 30 (scores out before interviews are offered)

Mid-yr test = by end of Nov (scores out before residency rank season)

Late test = after mid-January (scores out after match ranking finished)

USMLE Step 2 CK & CS timing USMLE Step 2 CK & CS must be taken and PASSED to

graduate

CK Test date between July – February advisable but no later than April 1, 2009 (National trend is to take Step 2 by January in case residencies require proof of score before ranking)

Take CS no later than end of February 2009 Scores are reported according to a block

schedule: Test dates Jan 1 – Feb 23 = scores out Mar 26 – Apr 23 Test dates Feb 24 – Mar 22 = scores out Apr 23 – May 21

Residency Recommendations

Up to four for NRMP programs

Up to three for early match programs

Request letters when opportunities present

Submit with 2009 ERAS cover letter in June - Sept to Student Affairs (cover letter available in June)

CV and Personal Statement

Will be requested in the near future by Student Affairs to use in preparing the dean’s letter

Instructions and timeline will be provided

Online Resources Loyola Elective Catalog

AAMC Extramural Elective Compendium http://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/electives/start.htm Page also linked through Loyola Elective Catalog under “Extramural Registration”)

AMA-FREIDA (www.ama.org/FREIDA)

Match info (www.AAMC.org/nrmp)

Residency Web Application process (www.aamc.org/ERAS)

Future Workshops

Dean’s Letter Process (February)

The Match (NRMP Ranking System) & ERAS (electronic application system) (April)

Ask Questions!

It is acceptable, expected, smart Where:

O.R.R. (how to sign up, policies) Student Affairs (what, when) Faculty Advisor (what, where, when) Specialty faculty (where, when, how many) Elective dept. offices (how)

Questions?

Track rank form due January 23th in ORR (Rm. 220).