Helpful Hints and Suggestions

  1. You must select an Elective Advisor by April 6, 2007.  To make it more convenient, you can simply log on to Year Four website to select the Elective Advisor from the list.  Please be sure to make contact with that individual and get their approval before you make your selection.     

  2. It will be much easier for you to complete your elective request form if you familiarize yourself with the requirements/procedures BEFORE attempting to fill out your registration form.  PLEASE take the time to read the material in your Orientation packet, paying close attention to the Year Four Policies and Procedures and Student Misconceptions.

  3. Make copies of the Registration Form to use as worksheets.

  4. Browse through the Year Four Elective Catalog (Year Four – Class of 2008) a few times and make a list of the courses that interest you.

  5. Try to make sure your Registration Form has enough course requests to fulfill graduation requirements.  Feel free to list 20 to 25 requests - you will not get all of your top priorities.  There is no problem if you “over-request.”

  6. Have this list of requests with you when you meet with your Elective Advisor.

  7. All requests are entered into the system by priority number.  Once the system prints the preliminary schedules/rosters, there will be a two-week period to meet individually with the Y3/4 Registrar to make changes without requiring Add/Drop slips.  Hopefully, we have your schedules to you by the middle of May.  Don’t panic.  Your entire schedule can be re-worked; however, remember, everyone will not get all of their requests.

  8. Start inquiring about off-campus electives now.  The library has a website of other schools' elective offerings.  Also, most schools' catalogs are on the internet.

  9. Don’t be afraid to make requests for Individually-Designed electives.  Procedure to be followed is included in the Year Four Policies and Procedures.

  10. You MUST have approval before beginning an Individually-Designed or Extramural elective or you will not receive credit.

  11. There will be changes/additions/deletions/corrections in the Elective Catalog.  ASK us instead of relying on word-of-mouth.  We will send notifications to you via email to alert you to changes as they occur.

  12. If you are ill (or experiencing an emergency situation) and are not coming in - call your elective faculty and the Y3/4 Registrar to let us know.

  13. Make sure that you are familiar with the add/drop/switch policy/procedures.

  14. Student feedback from electives in past years on each course is in the library and posted on the web (use your email username and password to access this).  The link is located on the Year Four Curriculum webpage.

  15. We RELY on e-mail and your student mailbox.  Try to check both daily.  You are responsible for any information sent to you either way.

Here are some bits of information that you may find helpful in considering your choices.  Don’t hesitate to call Cherie (545-6124) with any questions you have.

  • Some courses are only offered once or twice during the year - consider these when scheduling vacation and/or off-campus time:

  • Statistics in Medical Research / Advanced Therapeutics

  • (extended - You can do either 5 wks or all 10 wks of some extended electives)

  • Medical Students as Teachers (this is 2-part course.  You must request both:  full time one week, AND extended, two 5-week blocks)

  • Clinical Pathology (weeks 43-46) – Offered only once yearly.

  • Acupuncture -  IN CHINA - see Dr. Davis prior to requesting.

  • International Health & Tropical Medicine – see Dr. Agamah prior to requesting.

  • Surgical Residency Readiness

  • Popular electives with limited enrollment - consider this when prioritizing. 

  • Clinical EKG

  • Emergency Medicine/Springfield

  • FP Subinternship/Springfield

  • Intensive Care/Springfield

  • Ambulatory Pediatrics Preceptorship

  • Pediatrics Sub I

  • Pediatric General Surgery

  • Clinical Hospital OB Sub I

  • General Surgery Externship

Remember - course enrollment minimums/maximums and closed weeks (as indicated by faculty) will be enforced.

Some courses do not have dates available yet (ACLS, etc.) and some courses may include additional dates later in the year.  These will be posted as they become available, and you will have to fill out add slips for them at that time. 

There are three categories of electives:  Intensive Clinical Electives, Basic Science Electives, and Traditional Electives.  Be sure to carefully check the Year Four Elective Catalog for the Class of 2008.

Also, some courses are offered as full-time, half-time, and extended.  Make sure to select the right one on your form and indicate the number of weeks you want to be enrolled.  Full-time courses end in a 3, half-time courses end in 1 or 2, and extended courses end in a 4.

When scheduling vacation time and/or off-campus electives, keep in mind that the 2- and 4-week electives will normally begin on odd weeks.

Advanced EKG - This is to be arranged by the students on an individual basis, only after you have completed the regular EKG elective.  See Dr. Frank.

ACLS - You are responsible for the enrollment fee for this course.  For more information about the ACLS course, please contact Kari Thevenot (788-3658) or Chris Reavis (757-4225) in the Education Department at MMC.  ACLS courses are also offered at St. John’s Hospital; you may contact Sandy Kirchoff at 544-6464 (ext. 44445) for further information.

In addition to registering at the hospitals, you will also need to schedule the ACLS course using an Add/Drop form signed by Dr. Kovach (or secure approval via email) to ensure the course appears on your schedule/transcript and you receive the appropriate credit.

Some electives require permission from the faculty before you can register.  This requirement is noted in the course description.  If you want to take one of those courses, you must have written permission (or e-mail) from the faculty before you can register for that elective. 

All Individually-Designed and Extramural Electives will require a 2-page report, or in the case of an elective with a clinical component, a 1-page report and logbook record of patient encounters.

Preceptorships  - Read the description carefully, as there are some Preceptorships that require you to make your own arrangements, while other Preceptorships will assign you to a faculty attending.  Either way you will still have to get Add slip signed by course faculty.  Please make sure you read and follow the instructions for the course you are taking.

Remember to call each elective faculty ahead of your scheduled start times (as directed in the catalog course description).  This is YOUR responsibility.

Elective Feedback forms must be submitted at the end of each elective.  The forms are on the Year Four Curriculum Webpage, Online Forms, Year 4 Student Evaluation of Elective.  You will not receive credit for any elective experience until you have filled out and submitted your feedback form AND the faculty member has returned your evaluation form indicating that you have satisfactorily completed all of the elective requirements.

 

Revised: 070307