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).