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UNC
SOM > Education
> Offices
of Medical Education
> MD
Curriculum >
Curriculum Description
> Fourth Year Requirements and General Information Purpose [top]The purpose of the fourth-year curriculum is to offer a flexible educational experience which can be tailored to the career goals and intellectual interests of each student. Clinical activities are offered as well as opportunities for in depth study and investigation. Approved courses may include educational programs in other schools of the university, in other universities, in other clinical settings in the state, and in foreign countries. The required fourth-year selectives and the elective courses approved by the respective departments are described on the following pages. In addition, students with special interests may design individual projects in conjunction with faculty sponsors. All courses must be approved by the student’s Career Goal Advisor prior to the beginning of the course; there are no provisions for retroactive course credit. Course selection and registration
are coordinated through the Clerkship & Elective
Program Manager’s Office of the School of Medicine under the supervision
of the Electives Sub-Committee. Students scheduling courses must
make arrangements through the Clerkship & Elective Program Manager’s
Office, and must comply with regulations noted on the following pages. The Doctor of Medicine Degree [top] Requirements for the medical degree include seven full-time fourth-year courses, each of four weeks' duration. A full time course has the credit value of six hours, and courses meeting the equivalent may be substituted with advisor approval. Each student's curriculum must include at least four courses in which the student has primary responsibilities for patient care:
The ambulatory care requirement must be selected from the series of courses designated ACSM (Ambulatory Care Selective); the acting internship from the series of courses designated AHEC; the critical care requirement from the series of courses designated SURS (Critical Care/ Surgery Selective); and, the neuroscience requirement from the series of courses designated NEUS (Clinical Neuroscience Selective). In addition, each student must have three six credit hour electives. Two three-credit hours are equivalent to one six-credit hour elective. Graduation from the School of Medicine with the degree of Doctor of Medicine is dependent upon the completion of the required and elective curricula in a manner satisfactory to the Student Promotions Committee, acting for the faculty. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill awards degrees in August, December, and May. The School of Medicine has a formal hooding ceremony at the May commencement. In order to be considered by the Student Promotions Committee for graduation, the minimum requirements must be completed by the end of the elective period immediately preceding the degree date. Students who wish to postpone
graduation to take additional courses must obtain permission from the Associate
Dean of Student Affairs. Please refer
to the school’s policy on “Delay
of Graduation.” Student performance must be evaluated by the responsible preceptor(s)
at the conclusion of each course. The evaluation is a part of a student’s
permanent academic record and is available for review by the student.
Faculty with legitimate educational reasons may also review student
records. There is a policy for appeal of an evaluation, should the
need arise (see “Appeal of a Course grade”). An evaluation
of Incomplete in an elective converts to a grade of Fail at the end
of one year. Medical students enrolled at UNC-CH are protected by liability insurance, provided that the insurer is informed of scheduled course work at least one month prior to the beginning of the course. Students should be aware that late schedule changes may jeopardize coverage. In addition, students taking electives at other institutions must usually verify liability coverage to the host institution. The UNC policy covers students working at other institutions only if (1) the course is for credit and, (2) the insurance carrier receives prior notification as stated above. Faculty Approvals [top]Courses for credit must be approved by the appropriate advisors and
documented on forms provided by the Office of the Clerkship & Elective
Program Manager prior to the commencement of such courses and by published
deadlines. Specific instructions are given on subsequent pages. When planning the fourth year, students should select a career
goal advisor who represents their career goal. Students’ courses
for the fourth year must be approved by this career goal advisor.
Individual
schedules are put in each student's mailbox and mailed to advisors
when preliminary scheduling is completed. Opportunities for changing
scheduled selectives are very limited. Students who want changes
in their schedule can request them during the designated drop-add
period,
or in the case of electives at other schools, as early as possible.
Enrollment in non-credit seminars is informal and requires only the
approval of the course director. Fourth-year students are given priority for courses in preliminary scheduling, and in the first part of each drop-add period. Scheduling [top]Scheduling for the fourth year begins in the spring of the third year when students turn in their registration packets to the Office of the Clerkship & Elective Program Manager. Based on student registration packets, the Clerkship & Elective Program Manager prepares a schedule for each student. Schedules are distributed to students in late May. Schedule Changes [top]Established drop-add deadlines for 2003-2004 electives are as follows: fall semester, June 2-June 13, 2003; spring semester, October 20-October 31, 2003. The AHEC AI and Ambulatory Care Selective cannot be dropped or added but can be switched with another student. The NEUS and SURS Selectives can be dropped and added where there is space available. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain his/her career goal
advisor’s signature of approval, to secure any other documentation
necessary, and to submit these to the Clerkship & Elective Program
Manager by the published deadlines. For courses dropped and added, students
are enrolled in courses and course directors notified only after all
documentation has been filed with the Clerkship & Elective Program
Manager. Students cannot drop or add any course once it has started. Registration [top] Attendance [top] The school’s policy on “Delay of Examinations, Required Coursework, and/or Clinical Responsibilities” stipulates that students are expected to meet the attendance requirements of every course. Minor absences of a day or two from an elective must be approved in advance by the course director. Otherwise, dates of scheduled courses may not be altered. Fourth Year Electives Outside the UNC School of Medicine System [top]Students may arrange to take electives in the Student Exchange Program at other North Carolina Medical Schools; Duke, Wake Forest, or the Brody School of Medicine. Students may also take electives in other schools of this university, in other universities, and in appropriate non-university environments. At least five of the required seven courses must be taken within the University of North Carolina School of Medicine's program; four of these are the AHEC Acting Internship, Ambulatory Care Selective, Critical Care/Surgery Selective and the Clinical Neurosciences Selective. UNC elective periods may not be altered to facilitate scheduling electives at other institutions. It is the student’s responsibility to assure that the outside program receives all appropriate documentation and evaluations. See “Away Rotations”. If students are receiving financial aid, they are also responsible for notifying the Financial Aid Officer of any approved electives taken outside the UNC system. Students enroll at the UNC School of Medicine and pay tuition and fees for such courses here. Most medical schools have a reciprocal arrangement so that students are charged tuition and fees only at their home institution. Students taking electives away will be covered by UNC liability insurance if the course is taken for credit, and if the insurance carrier is notified one month prior to the starting date of the away elective. Most schools require visiting students to show proof of liability insurance coverage. Students are responsible for making their own housing arrangements while
participating in an elective outside the UNC system. Tuition in the fourth year is charged for the required seven courses. The
unit rate for each course is determined by that portion of annual tuition
represented by the course. In addition to tuition, full semester fees are
charged during the fall and spring, and are prorated in the summer. First
and second-year students taking electives concurrent with their curriculum
for medical school credit only will not be charged additional tuition. If a student’s registration is canceled, he/she will not be allowed
to continue in any courses for that semester, and will be placed on an
administrative leave of absence. An administrative leave of absence is a
mandatory leave
for one semester, or until such time as the student completes the proper
registration procedures. Once the student meets all the requirements to
be registered for the next semester, he/she must appear before the Student
Promotions
Committee before being allowed to return to the School of Medicine. If
the registration is canceled, students will lose their priority for courses.
The University Cashier sends Tuition and Fee bills to the home address
provided
to the Office of Student Affairs in the medical school. Being scheduled
out of town on a rotation does not excuse students from paying Tuition and
Fees
on time. Students should therefore keep the School of Medicine informed
of any change of address or phone number. Address changes may be made in
room
121 MacNider Building. During a semester, students taking a full academic load as defined by The Educational Policies of the School of Medicine are considered full-time students, and are thus eligible to be awarded financial aid. Students enrolled for at least half-time are awarded financial aid based upon actual enrollment. Students registered for MEDI 399 for research purposes are not eligible for financial aid. Please be aware that students’ interest subsidy on Stafford Loans depends on their continued enrollment of at least half-time. Important
Contact People [top]
Instructions for
Scheduling [top]
Preliminary Fourth Year Scheduling [top]
Arranging
Electives Outside the UNC School of Medicine Program ("Away" Rotations
) [top]
1. To arrange electives at Duke, Wake Forest, or Brody Schools of Medicine, please do the following:
2. To arrange electives at any other facility, please do the following:
Arranging an Independent Study Elective
at UNC [top]
1. Pick up a One-Time Elective form in room 231 MacNider Building. Procedure
for Dropping and Addding Courses
[top]
4. First and second-year students
5. If you receive financial aid, consult with the Financial Aid Officer
about changes in eligibility or amount of awards. AHEC Housing [top] Fourth year students are required to complete an Acting Internship at an AHEC Site. In most cases, housing is available to UNC medical students free of charge with the possible exception of a security deposit. Students must contact AHEC staff listed below to arrange housing.
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