The senior academic year begins with a one-day orientation. Nine periods of four (4) weeks each will follow; six of them before the Winter break and three afterwards. There are two weeks free before graduation, which is tentatively scheduled for May 22, 2010. The didactic period is five weeks and is obligatory for all students. Of the nine blocks of four weeks that are available during the year, students are required to complete six and a half blocks. Thus, the total time of required scheduled activities for the senior year is 31 weeks.
Two of the 4-week periods must consist of REQUIRED SENIOR SELECTIVES. These SELECTIVES must be ON CAMPUS. For the purpose of this criterion, ON CAMPUS refers to any academic experience in the designated department, which is under the direct control and supervision of UTHSCSA faculty, either full-time or clinical. One four-week period of selective work must be taken on campus for in-patient training and the second four-week period in ambulatory care, with an emphasis on systems of health care. Certain rotations have been designated as satisfying the selective requirements. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs has been charged with the responsibility of determining if a waiver of the senior Selective on campus requirement should be granted any individual student. That process involves a student's submission of a written request for a waiver; approvals are relatively rare and are based on family hardship. Following approval in the Medical Dean's Office, appropriate documentation is forwarded to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for implementation.
The remaining weeks of Electives may be taken on or off campus. A student can not be enrolled in two courses at the same time. The only exception to this policy are the "longitudinal" electives which span several months. Two and a half of the nine 4-week blocks available are free for students to use as they wish and do not need to be occupied with scheduled elective activities. We expect that many students will want to use one of those blocks of time to prepare for Step 2 of the USMLE. Step 2CK and Step 2 CS of the USMLE must be taken by all students as one of the requirements for graduation. A STUDENT MUST PASS STEP 1 OF USMLE BEFORE BEGINNING THE SELECTIVES OR ELECTIVES OF THE SENIOR YEAR. If a student has to re-take Step 1 in the fourth year, they can request to begin electives after they have taken the exam and are waiting for the score report. This request is handled by the Office of Student Affairs.
The Longitudinal Electives begin early in the fourth year and end March 1. All requirements of the course must be completed by March 1. All Longitudinal Electives are worth two weeks of credit in the fourth year and are the only electives that can be scheduled to run concurrent with other rotations. A student may only register for one Longitudinal Elective during their fourth year. These are not available to visiting students.
Interviews for residency positions are not to be scheduled during rotations. There are three (3) weeks of vacation at Winter break to be used for this purpose plus ten (10) weeks of possible vacation time that can be scheduled anytime during the year, except during didactics. If it is unavoidable, an interview may be scheduled during a rotation only if the supervising faculty and departmental faculty coordinator sign a permission slip (listed under forms). This signed permission slip must be received in the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at least one week before the interview.
Students can not take an Elective, Selective, or Longitudinal elective during the Didactics Sessions.
The senior year is comprised of the following:
IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO GRADUATE, EACH SENIOR MUST HAVE A TOTAL OF 26 WEEKS OF SENIOR COURSE CREDIT , must pass all Didactic Courses, AND SENIORS MUST PASS STEP 1 OF THE USMLE AND TAKE the Clinical Skills Exam, and the STEP 2CK and Step 2CS OF THE USMLE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH STUDENT TO ENSURE THAT THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE UNEQUIVOCALLY FULFILLED.
II. SCHEDULING TIME FOR RESIDENCY INTERVIEWS
Time for interviews for residency positions must be taken from the 3-weeks of vacation at Winter break and from the 10-weeks of vacation that can be scheduled anytime during the year (except during a rotation or during didactics). If it is absolutely unavoidable to schedule an interview during a rotation, the student must obtain a Request for Absence form that must be signed by the supervising faculty and department faculty coordinator, and received in the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at least one week prior to the planned absence. Some rotations will not allow absence for interviews under any circumstance, and it is the decision of the supervising faculty and department faculty coordinator whether permission is granted or not. Do not assume that permission will be granted. To obtain this form click here: Request for Absence for Interview.
III. USMLE REQUIREMENTS
Students must pass Step 1 of USMLE before beginning the clinical portion of the fourth year. However, since it takes 4-6 weeks to receive Step 1 results, students may request to begin a clinical rotation after re-taking the exam. This request is handled by the Office of Student Affairs. Students must take Step 2CK (Clinical Knowledge) and Step 2CS (Clinical Skills) before the end of the academic year in order to graduate. These exams are not to be taken during a rotation or during the Didactic session. The 10 weeks of vacation and 3 weeks of Winter break are to be used for this purpose. It is strongly advised that students complete Step 2CK and Step 2CS in the Fall of their fourth year.
All courses NOT described in the current catalog require approval at least one week before the course begins.
Student is required to complete a Course Approval Form and:
Courses described in the current Senior Academic Year Catalog.
Students enroll on-line for standard 4 week selectives/electives that are described in this catalog. A student can not be enrolled in two courses at the same time. The only exception to this policy are the "longitudinal" electives which span several months. Students will also enroll on-line for courses that are always 2 weeks in length (MEDI 4017, 4077, 4201 and PEDI 4205). Click on link below:
Student Enrollment Link
Some courses require departmental permission before enrollment. Students must contact the sponsoring department for permission before attempting to go on-line and add these courses.
Most standard courses can be added or dropped on-line up to the respective deadline and are handled on a “first come/first served” basis.
Any course that is not taken for the standard four week period (or one of the four standard 2 week rotations noted in the first paragraph), will require an Add/Drop Form signed by the student and the sponsoring department.
Deadline to ADD and/or DROP classes on-line - 2 weeks prior to the start of a period.
If a deadline is missed, student must complete an Add/Drop Form signed by the student and the sponsoring department.
The final deadline for adding or dropping a course using the Add/Drop Form is one week prior to the start of the rotation.
Any student who drops a class after the start of the period, will receive grade of “W”.
Students cannot begin a class unless they have successfully enrolled in the class on-line or with the proper paperwork signed and completed. Failure to properly enroll in a class will result in no credit being awarded for that class.
COURSE EVALUATIONS
Student evaluation of courses is required to receive credit for the course. The Student Evaluation form and the Student Evaluation Credit Sheet are available in the Registrar's Office and on the web. Evaluations are due upon completion of each course.
SCHEDULING VACATION TIME
Students must notify the Registrar's Office of any planned vacation time prior to the intended dates of vacation by submitting a Vacation Notification Form which is available in the Registrar's Office, as well as on the Web.
REQUEST OF ABSENCE FOR INTERVIEWS
In the unusual event that a student must schedule an interview during a rotation, the student must complete the Request for Absence for Interview.pdf' target='_new'>Request for Absence for Interview form and obtain the appropriate signatures. This form must be received in the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at least one week before the interview. Some rotations do not allow absence for interviews under any circumstance.
VIEWING YOUR SCHEDULE AND COURSE AVAILABILITY LISTS
Students will be able to view their 4th year schedules and course information on the web. Contact the Registrar's Office for instructions. It is the student's responsibility to make certain they are registrered for rotations. A STUDENT WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR A ROTATION IF THEY ARE NOT REGISTERED FOR IT.
GRADING
At the conclusion of each course, the department submits a letter grade and evaluation of the student's performance to the Registrar's Office. Final grades are due to the Registrar's Office two (2) weeks after the ending date of the period.
SCHEDULING STEP 2CK, Step 2CS
The USMLE Step 2 exams should be scheduled during vacation time, NOT during an elective or selective. If the latter cannot be avoided, you MUST receive permission from the supervising faculty and department.
ALL 4th YEAR FORMS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AND IN THE REGISTRAR'S OFFICE (319L).