Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs

1. Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of MedicineOffice of Student Affairs CLASS OF 2015 INTRODUCTION TO FOURTH YEAR SCHEDULING & PLANNING

2. Agenda • Fourth Year & Clerkship Track System • Lottery Process • Required clerkships • Elective requirements, registration & VSAS • USMLE Step 2 requirements & timing • Residency Planning: Future Meetings • Online Resources

3. Table of Contents • Slides 4 – 12: Handout, Calendar & 4th Year Overview • 13 – 17: Required Clerkships (Sub-Is and EM) • 18 – 22: Electives • 23 – 27: 4th Year Goal by Season • 28 – 29: Intramural Electives • 30 – 37: Extramural Electives • 38 – 39: Discretionary Time • 40 – 42: Step 2 Exams • 43 – 50: Residency Planning

4. Handout • Clerkship Track System and its Policies • Lottery Timeline • Lottery Numbers • Fourth Year Calendar • Timeline for Elective Registration Calendar • 4th Yr Planning Sheet

5. Calendar • Yr 4 start date: First clerkship block starts Monday, July 7, 2014 (July = Period “9A”) • Qtrly break weeks in December (winter break), and at end of March (spring break), but none in the fall • Match Day and Graduation dates tentatively posted. Graduation will take place Saturday, May 16th

6. Fourth Year Overview of Requirements • 12 weeks of core clerkships • Emergency Medicine, Sub-I Wards, Sub-I ICU • 34 weeks of elective time available • Bioethics Requirements • Completion of Ethics Case Paper (should be completed during third year) • Completion of Ethics Grand Rounds (min. of 4 sessions total by end of fourth year) • USMLE Step 2 CK and CS

7. Core Clerkships • One 4-week Wards Subinternship Offered eachperiod 9A (July) through 12A (April)* • One 4-week Critical Care Subinternship Offered each period 9A (July) through 12A (April)* • One 4-week Emergency Medicine Clerkship Offered eachperiod 9A (July) through 12A (April)* *No rotations scheduled for December

8. Bioethics Requirement • Ethics case paper due in Yr 3: April 18, 2014 • Four Ethics Grand Rounds must be completed cumulatively over 2nd, 3rd and 4th years

9. Fourth Yr Track Features Flexibility Opportunity for student choice One required core clerkship and two electives in each of first three quarters Availability of at least half of the elective time in first half of the year

10. Fourth Yr Track System Assigned to track by lottery Computer generated lottery number Rank order all tracks Deadline to submit rank form is Wednesday, February 12, 2014

11. Picking a track… Consider what your elective and residency choice needs may be in each quarter Consider when you might take USMLE Step 2 CK and CS Consider which core clerkships could prep you best for the key electives you will take

12. Attendance Limited time off for excused absences in both subinternships and emergency medicine (3 days including weekend days) Final exam schedule is NOT changeable Plan holiday or interview travel only after determining the date andtime of day of exams Labor Day is a holiday but not a 3 day weekend if service team is not off Thanksgiving is a four day holiday weekend

13. Clerkship Requirements Purpose and Assignment Process

14. Subinternships 4-weeks: in-pt medicine (“Sub-I Wards”) Examples of services: Gen med, OB, Cardiology, Hem/Onc, Surgery, Peds Loyola, Gottlieb, Hines, West Sub 4-weeks: intensive care unit (“Sub-I ICU”) Examples of services: MICU, SICU, BICU, CCU, NICU, PICU Loyola, Central Dupage, Hines, Resurrection, West Sub

15. Purpose of subinternships Focus on skills and attitudes necessary to care for hospitalized and critically ill patients SubI is about taking care of patients- minimize time away Emphasis is on patient care in the context of wards or ICU; emphasis is not on the specialty Thus, subinternships are posted on SSOM transcript without specialty noted (transcript reads only “Subintern-Wards” and “Subintern-ICU”)

16. Subinternship assignments Opportunity will be provided to submit preference rank lists for site/service Assignments by lottery to services and sites by late winter through Dr. Leischner’s office (separate lottery process, using track rank list in reverse order)

17. Rescheduling Sub-I Changes may be possible according to track system traffic rules May trade entire track or individual clerkship After Subinternship site/service assignments are created, changes must be approved by Debi Kurcab in the Med Dept. and reported to Registration and Records

18. ELECTIVES Policies & registration process Purpose of elective curriculum How to design your program

19. Electives Course Descriptions online in SSOM Elective Catalog Most electives are 4 weeks in length There are several 2-week electives available 26 weeks of elective time in years 3 and 4 = minimum graduation requirement Of the 22 weeks in your M4 year, your elective program must include 5 full-time electives that are at least 4-weeks in length, i.e., 20 weeks of 4-week electives.

20. Electives (continued) 12 weeks of elective time permitted away (“extramurals”) 12 weeks permitted in any specialty (in M4 year) Excludes time in core clerkships in the specialty Excludes M3-year elective Includes electives at Loyola and away Includes clinical but excludes research courses Other elective policies in catalog preface

21. Purpose of Electives Broadens & strengthens clinical experience Tests interest in an area of specialization Provides research or special opportunities Permits self determination and responsibility for content of program

22. Building Your Elective Program Content Use “Specialty Elective Guide” at online Loyola Elective Catalog site Talk to faculty and specialty advisor(s) Attend specialty department sessions and ask questions Talk to faculty in your field(s) of interest See Dean Mendez and Dean Sonntag for input Attend Students Advising Students (SAS) programs

23. 4th Year Goals by Season Focus of each quarter Summer Fall Winter Spring

24. Summer Goals (July/Aug/Sept) Solidify specialty interest May/may not need to take specialty elective at Loyola to earn a recommendation letter (depends on prior exposure) Summer work may bump up performance level Courses provides prep for important externships May need to study weeks/month for USMLE Step 2 prep Preparation of residency application starts Externships start Complete Step 2 study and take CK and CS (more on this later)

25. Fall Goals (Oct/Nov/Dec) Externships continue Residency interview season kicks in; will you need time off? Should you take DT? Should you plan an away elective that geographically places you in proximity to residency interview locales? Sept/Oct courses could still produce residency recommendation letters Complete Step 2 study and take CK and CS (more on this later)

26. Winter Goals (Jan/Feb/Mar) Finish interviewing Take courses to round out your education Prepare for starting a residency (what do you still need to learn?) Rank residencies for match (mid Jan - late Feb) International elective?

27. Spring Goals (Apr/May) Take enrichment courses International elective? (more details will be given at April information session) Take residency prep electives offered at SSOM Get tuition’s worth by staying enrolled Take DT for personal/transitional use Complete graduation requirements Graduate!!!

28. Elective Registration Process How & When to Register

29. Elective RegistrationIntramurals (Loyola) Review course descriptions & policies in elective catalog online Online elective registration through myLUMEN Sign up starts about 4 months in advance of each elective month’s start date More info from ORR closer to first opening registration date (1st week of March)

30. Externships (extramural electives) Up to 12 weeks permitted usually through another US med school Loyola sign up Timetable does NOT apply Reference AAMC Extramural Elective Compendium for timeline, websites, contact person at site (link available in Loyola Elective Catalog website) Beware that their calendar could be very different from ours. Students are responsible for keeping track of beginning and start dates of rotations. Sign up 1 – 5 months in advance of start date; typically April – mid-May for summer courses. CHECK YOUR EXTRAMURAL SITE’S SIGN UP DATE!

31. Purpose of externships To get an excellent learning experience To help narrow specialty interests To see a program of interest first hand To work with an outstanding faculty To show your stuff and perhaps get a recommendation letter To assess a program’s compatibility with your needs To do unique non-hospital based experiences

32. Do you need to do 3 externships (12 weeks)? It depends… On your interests, profile, specialty field and geographical considerations Most students should do one or two Some specialties discourage more than one elective in the field; others promote student enrollment in several. SEEK ADVICE!

33. Extramural Registration Review policies in SSOM catalog Review visiting student policies on other school’s website Application online: Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) OR paper: application packet submitted through SSOM Reg & Rec Please don’t do both unless you have verified with school that they require this (yes, a small handful are crazy and want both online and paper applications)

34. Visiting Student Application Service Developed by AAMC Greater than 3/4th of US medical schools use VSAS to process visiting student applications; the others use their own paper applications. See http://www.aamc.org/programs/vsas/students/start.htm for a list of schools using VSAS (will be updated for ’14-15 year in late January). More info about VSAS forthcoming from Registration & Records Registration & Records will upload transcripts and certify applications Registration & Records will “Release” applications on VSAS

35. Extramural Registrationfor schools not using VSAS Complete Loyola’s extramural application AND Complete other institution’s Visiting Student Application Often possible to list more than one date or several elective preferences Compile supporting documents; submit to Rose Colcagno in Registration & Records Dean Sonntag will review and approve application; application packet will then be mailed to extramural school

36. Extramural Registrationadditional documentation (submitted via VSAS or by paper) Proof of liability coverage Current immunization record Proof of UP/OSHA/HIPAA training Proof of hospitalization insurance Possibly SSOM transcript Possibly faculty/dean’s letter of recommendation Possibly criminal background check record Possibly affiliation agreement? Memo of Understanding? Typical Supporting documents

37. Elective Add/Drop Policy Add: register for electives at least one month prior to start date Drop (Loyola courses): at least one month prior Drop (Extramurals): according to other institution’s policy, typically 4 – 6 weeks prior.

38. Discretionary Time Use Time for Additional Elective Opportunities OR For USMLE Step 2 study time Residency Interview time off For extramural calendar adjustment (other school’s calendar doesn’t match Stritch’s) For remediation needs For personal needs

39. Applying for Discretionary Time Off May be taken in one week or longer increments Request must be submitted in advance Submit Discretionary Time requests through myLUMEN Elective Registration page

40. USMLE STEP 2 CK & CS • First attempt CK & CS exams be taken by the end of semester 1 of fourth year (by December 31, 2014) • Residencies programs increasingly want proof of successful completion of Step 2 during interview process; majority want proof of passing before ranking candidates (i.e., score needed by end of January 2015) • USMLE Step 2 CK & CS must be PASSED to graduate. If a 2nd attempt is needed, scores must be received at least two months prior to graduation (mid-March 2015).

41. USMLE Step 2 CK planning: Residency considerations • If exam is taken before August 15, scores are out before interviews are offered • If exam is taken after August 15 and before end of November, scores are out during interview season and before residencies make rank decisions • Exams taken in January do not meet school graduation requirements and will not be available to residencies prior to their ranking (not recommended)

42. USMLE Step 2 CK & CS timing • CK: • Scores reported approximately 4 weeks after test date • CS: • Scores are reported according to a block schedule: http://www.usmle.org/step-2-cs/#reporting May 18 – July 12 Reported Aug 13 – Sept 10, 2014 July 13 – Sept 6 Reported Oct 8 – Nov 5, 2014 Sept 7 - Nov 1 Reported Dec 3 – Dec 31, 2014 Nov 2 - Dec 31 Reported Feb 4 - Feb 25, 2015

43. Residency Planning • You may want to know now…

44. Residency Letters of Recommendation • Up to 4 letters for ERAS/NRMP programs; often only 3 are requested. • Up to three for early match programs • Request letters when opportunities present themselves • Submitted by writer to Student Affairs with 2014 ERAS cover letter in June – mid-Sept (cover letter available in June)

45. CVs, etc. • Feedback on CV’s • Submit updated copy for Dean’s Letter use (exact due date this spring TBA) • Personal paragraph needed for dean’s letter – (exact due date this spring TBA; instructions will be provided)

46. Online Resources • Loyola Elective Catalog: http://stritch.luc.edu/depts/regrec/catalog • AAMC Extramural Elective Compendium: http://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/electives/start.htm • AMA-FREIDA (Residency program info): http://www.ama-assn.org/go/freida • Match info: http://www.nrmp.org/ • Residency Web Application process: https://www.aamc.org/services/eras/ • USMLE STEP 2 info: http://www.usmle.org/step-2-ck/ and http://www.usmle.org/step-2-cs/ • Visiting Student Application Service: https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/vsas/ • Careers in Medicine: http://www.aamc.org/cim

47. Future Workshops • Dean’s Letter Process • March 12th in the evening • The Match & ERAS (E-residency application service) • April 16th following PCM3 sessions

48. Ask Questions! • It is acceptable, expected, smart • Where: • Registration & Records (changing your schedule, how to sign up for electives, policies) • Student Affairs (what to take, when) • Faculty Advisor (what, where, when) • Specialty Advisor (where, when, how many) • Elective dept. offices (how, which)

49. Submitting your Track Preferences • Go to myLUMEN>Clerkship Tracking Sys.> Fourth Year Track Ranking Form Ranking Form submission deadline is Wednesday, February 12, 2014 • If you encounter any problems, contact Julie Steinecker (jsteinecker@lumc.edu)

50. Questions?