ELECTIVES INTRODUCTION

Recognizing that medicine is a highly complex and diversified field and that needs and interests of medical students are quite varied, the University of Massachusetts Medical School emphasizes a strong elective program to complement the required areas of study. It is anticipated that each student, with the advice of his/her clinical advisor or specialty mentor will plan a program beneficial to his/her educational experience and postgraduate goals.

In addition to 4 weeks of an approved required Subinternship, and a 4-week clerkship in Neurology, each student in the School of Medicine must satisfactorily completed 24 weeks of elective time to fulfill the requirements for graduation. A minimum of 16 weeks must be in blocks at least 4 weeks long. The elective may be Type A,B,C, but no more than 8 weeks of Type C can count toward the 24 week requirement.

There are two exceptions:

• Senior Scholars doing 12 weeks of research as part of their Senior Scholar program may receive graduation credit for up to 12 weeks of their Senior Scholar research. NB: This exception applies only when all 12 weeks are completed on the same Senior Scholars project. You may not combine 8 weeks of Senior Scholars research with any other type of "C" elective towards graduation; and
• Combined PhD/MD students may receive up to 12 weeks of elective credit for research work previously completed for the PhD program. They must do a minimum of 12 weeks clinical electives (TYPE A or B).

An elective is defined as a structured learning experience in a field of medicine or related fields approved by the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, which is not specifically required as part of the basic medical school curriculum.

Elective Types

Type A: Under appropriate supervision, students function as if they have PRIMARY responsibility for patient care in an acute hospital setting. This implies that the students are responsible for and direct the diagnostic and/or therapeutic plan under the direction of the attending physician and with the aid of the intern or resident. This role often is referred to as a "subinternship."

Criteria to be considered in the definition of a Type A elective are:

• Block of continuous time of at least four weeks.

• Work-up approximately three new patients per week.

• Perform initial history and physical exams.

• Write orders (co-signed by house officer).

• Coordinate work-up and follow hospital course.

• Perform or observe all procedures on assigned patients.

• Be responsible for "scut" work on patients.

• Scrub for surgical procedures on assigned patients.

• Take night call according to intern’s schedule.

• Participate in AM work rounds and attending rounds.

• Present assigned patients to attending physician.

• Participate in teaching sessions regularly.

Type B: Students must have direct contact with patients as a major feature of the elective. They are expected to obtain histories, perform physical examinations and offer diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives. Students need not have primary responsibility for patients. Such electives include the traditional consultative services in medical and surgical subspecialities as well as anesthesiology, preceptorships in primary care (medicine, pediatrics, family practice), certain experiences in community hospitals, etc.

Criteria to be considered in the definition of a Type B elective:

• Block of continuous time of at least four weeks

• Work-up approximately 15 patients per month

• Attends regular didactic teaching session (a minimum of one per week).

• Follows course of patients with appropriate follow-up notes if necessary

• Obtain history and perform physical examinations on assigned patients

• Formulate diagnostic and therapeutic plan

• Present patients to preceptor or attending physician

• Make regular rounds on assigned patients.

• Perform procedures related to a specialty as appropriate

• Review recent literature on diseases or problems encountered

Type C: This type of elective encompasses all those elective experiences in where there is limited contact with patients, as in diagnostic or therapeutic fields where major reliance is placed upon information gather or therapy administered via sophisticated techniques such as radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, etc. It can also include electives in the basic sciences. The only requirement is that there be some general relationship to the broad area of medicine and the medical sciences. In general, such electives will be in four week blocks but programs can be modified to achieve the equivalent of a 4 week experience. Electives applied towards graduation credit are normally advanced fourth-year courses taken after required third-year clerkships are completed. Electives taken for credit at other times during the student’s medical school career may be considered for graduation credit ONLY with the approval of the Clinical Science Academic Evaluation Board.

Individually Designed Electives/Research: In collaboration with a faculty member, students may design an individual elective tailored to a specific interest. The elective must be sponsored by a UMass faculty member (whether the elective is completed internally or externally from UMass, the sponsor must be a UMass faculty member). An individually designed elective can by Type A, B or C. The student and faculty member need to write a description of the elective, including the goals, methods of teaching, number of patients to be seen, supervision level, Type of elective (A, B or C), length of the elective and grading basis (O/ AEP/ EP/ BEP/ NCR or CR/ NCR). This description must be signed by the faculty member who will be sponsoring this elective. The student then fills out the appropriate elective form (internal or external) and attaches the approved description to the form. The grading form will be completed by the approving sponsor if the elective is internal or by the direct supervisor and co-signed by the sponsor if the elective is external.

* taken from the 2008/2009 Medical School Student Handbook

 Taken from the 2007/2008 School of Medicine Student Handbook