ELECTIVE INFORMATION FOR MUSC STUDENTS

REQUIREMENTS

A total of (40) elective credit hours including your Medicine and Surgery Care Cores and an Externship.  Four (4) week electives count for 5 credit hours and all two (2) week electives count as 2.5 credit hours.

PLEASE NOTE: 

• There are no cores scheduled for the months of December and January to allow you time to interview, take Step 2, etc.

• EXTERNSHIP - This rotation is an acting internship (subinternship) must be for four (4) weeks and will count for five (5) credit hours. During this externship, the student has primary responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of the patients while being supervised by residents and attendings.  The student becomes an integral part of the hospital team, rotates call schedules and admits patients with the interns.  This experience prepares the student for the following year as an intern.  This rotation can be done at any institution or facility and in a variety of disciplines with prior approval from the Office of Student Affairs.    DO NOT SCHEDULE AN EXTERNSHIP DURING A MONTH WHERE YOU WILL BE INTERVIEWING FOR YOUR RESIDENCY AND THUS REQUIRE MANY DAYS OFF TO TRAVEL, I.E. DECEMBER AND JANUARY.

• ELECTIVES - You are required to choose a minimum of 25 additional credit hours.  You are encouraged to fill out your senior year with electives that will make it meaningful.  Please note that only two electives in any given specialty are allowed (i.e. 2 Pediatrics, 2 Orthopaedic Surgery, etc.) unless the third one in that field is an externship. Your core rotations do NOT count toward this total.  The Catalog of Electives, available at www.musc.edu/comelectives/index.html lists electives that have been approved and are currently being offered.  In addition to the clinical and basic science courses listed in the Catalog, you also have the option to enroll in courses offered by other medical colleges or in extramural electives off-campus (see attached for additional information)

• AHEC ELECTIVES - scheduling an AHEC Elective can be arranged by  contacting Gayna Faulconer, AHEC Office, 802 Harborview Tower,  (843)-792-4433 beginning March 5th.

An elective may be scheduled for the months of December and/or January in lieu of having that month off to interview, take Step 2, etc.  However, do not schedule an elective and expect to take a lot of days off (see absenteeism policy) for any reason.

REGISTRATION TIPS

• Do not schedule an externship during the months in which you will be interviewing – typically December/January.
• Do not schedule an elective in July, August, or September in a specialty that you are not interested in going into.  Highly competitive rotations (DERM, ANES, etc.) fill up fast and those who are interested in matching in those specialties should be able to take them early for Letters of Recommendation.
• If you plan to do an elective to get a Letter of Recommendation, you need to do so in July, August or September.  Forms for these letters are available in the Office of Academics and Student Affairs.
• Do not forget to give the Office of Academics and Student Affairs a copy of your confirmation for any away electives that you plan to do.  Credit will not be given retroactively for any elective taken for which you were not registered.
• Not all rotations will contact you prior to the start of the month.  Please keep a copy of your schedule handy so you can contact them or go to www.musc.edu/~gillescf and look under 4th Year Info/Elective Contact Information.  It is your responsibility to know where, when and to whom you should report. 

ABSENCE POLICY

Emergency Excused Absences
For an emergency excused absence, the student must contact the Course Director to obtain approval.  Students may be granted emergency excused absences under the following circumstances:

• Death or serious illness of a close family member (i.e., grandparents, parents, spouse, children, siblings).
• Personal illness.  A doctor's excuse is needed if the student is away for 2 days or longer.

PLANNED EXCUSED ABSENCES

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For a planned excused absence, the student must contact the Course Director at least one week prior to the start of the rotation regarding the absence.  Planned excused absences are not permitted on the first and last day of a rotation, except under unusual circumstances.  Students may be granted planned excused absences under the following circumstances (see separate section for 4th year interviewing and taking USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills exam):

• The student is making an academic presentation at a regional or national conference.  NOTE:  The Dean’s Office must approve this type of absence prior to informing the course director. Students should contact Myra Haney at haneymk@musc.edu or 792-1672 prior to being absent.
• Significant life events that involve a close family member, such as wedding or graduation.
• Mandatory court appearances.
• Time away from the core must be minimal and preferably, no more than 2 patient care days.

Procedures to Make Up Time Missed for Both Emergency Excused and Planned Excused Absences
For emergency excused absences:

• No make up of rotation time is required for 1 day away.
• Make up of rotation time is required for 2 days or more away, and the student is required to make-up all of the rotation time missed.
• Make up of rotation time should be completed during the rotation, and when not possible, the dates for the make-up of rotation time are at the discretion of the Course Director.

For planned excused absences:

• All rotation time away must be made up.
• All patient care responsibilities must be covered during the period of absence.

Senior Excused Absences for Interviews and USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills Exam (NEW POLICY BEGINNING 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR)

• Students may be excused for up to a total of 4 days during a four week rotation in November, December or January for interviewing, for traveling and taking the exam.  For two week rotations, students may miss up to a total of 2 days.
• The time does not need to be made up as these are requirements that the student must complete.

Senior Core Post-Match Excused Absences

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Students enrolled in a senior core following the Match are allowed a two-day block of time during one core to be engaged in residency-related preparation activities (i.e. locate housing). 

The Course Directors will inform the Dean’s Office, via the Director of Student Services and Career Development, Candace Gillespie, of all unexcused student absences.

Revised by Clinical Sciences Subcommittee on 12/13/04

Clinical Practice Exam (CPX)

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The CPX is an eight station OSCE style examination utilizing standardized patients (similar to the Surgery OSCE).  It also includes some paper/pencil questions to be answered that arise from the patient cases.  This examination is graded on an Honors/Pass/Fail basis and will be included on your transcript.  In addition, the feedback you receive from the CPX will help you identify your areas of strengths and areas in which you need to improve and will help you in preparing for the USMLE Step 2, Clinical Skills Exam. 

The CPX will be scheduled in July with a few dates in August.  Your date will be assigned to you and, in the event that you will be out of town or cannot come on that date, you can switch with a classmate. 

STEP 2 – Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Skills

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Students must take Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) before December 31st.  This allows students to take the test and, in the event that they do not pass, allows them enough time to take it again before graduation.  Failure to adhere to this policy can lead to a student’s inability to graduate on time and can result in the cancellation of their residency contract.  Students must also have taken Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) prior to receiving their diploma.  Successful completion of Step 2 CK but not Step 2 CS is required for all graduating students.

ELECTIVES AND EXTERNSHIPS OUTSIDE THE MUSC or AHEC SYSTEM

• You are allowed to take all of your electives and your externship outside of the MUSC system – at another LCME College, a free standing hospital or by special arrangement with private practices.
• You absolutely CANNOT take a core outside of the MUSC system. 
• Opportunities at LCME Colleges can be found at http://pnet400.aamc.org/eec/student.cfm
• Opportunities at free standing hospitals can be found by searching for their web site or by calling them directly.
• Approval MUST be obtained PRIOR to going on the rotation for:

• Externships – a complete description including call, patient load, etc. MUST be given to Pam for approval
• Free Standing Hospitals – same
• Private Practices – see Pam for details

• Many institutions require either a letter from or the signature of a member of the Office of Student Affairs, which we will be glad to provide for you.
• A confirmation of acceptance MUST be received from the institution PRIOR to your rotating.  You MUST bring this to Pam or you will not be registered, covered under malpractice insurance or receive credit.  There are NO exceptions to this requirement.
• Please remember that once you have accepted an elective position at another institution, you are expected to honor that commitment.  If you must cancel, for any reason, please follow the guidelines at the particular school or give at least one (1) month's notice, whichever is greatest.

EVALUATION FORMS FOR ELECTIVES AND EXTERNSHIPS
OUTSIDE THE MUSC or AHEC SYSTEM

An Evaluation of Performance form will be required once you have completed an away elective. IT IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO OBTAIN THIS FORM FROM THE OFFICE OF ACADEMICS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS AND TAKE IT TO THE INSTITUTION. It is also the responsibility of the student to follow up on the evaluation to assure that it has been received and recorded.  Instructions for its return can be found on the form.

MALPRACTICE/LIABILITY INSURANCE ISSUES

As a student in an approved course of training (must be registered), you are covered under the State of South Carolina’s Insurance Reserve Fund for $300,000 per incident and $600,000 aggregate.  There are many institutions that require more coverage than we offer and there are no reasonable solutions.   Please check with the individual institution that you are interested in attending to see if you will be able to rotate with our minimum coverage or if they have a program where you can purchase additional coverage.  As a last resort, contact Shand, Morahan and Co., Inc. at 847-572-6000 where you can purchase additional coverage for around $1,300.00.