Patient Care Swap/Trade
Once the EVOS scheduling process is complete, students can swap rotations with other students in a student-led Swap/Trade process. You can contact your MSA for more information about this process.
Swap/Trade is the process of changing your Patient Care schedule by exchanging a clerkship location and/or time frame on your schedule with a clerkship location and/or time frame on another student’s schedule.
Per the scheduling policy, once the Swap/Trade window has ended, students may not add/drop/change required clerkships for the remainder of the year. Approval of any schedule changes due to extenuating circumstances, such as illness or personal/family emergency, must be approved by a School of Medicine Student Affairs Dean.
Swap/Trade Timeline 2026-2027:
| Status | Date |
|---|---|
| Opens | Early January 2026 |
| Closes | Mid January 2026 |
How do I make a Swap/Trade with another student?
Complete BOTH steps:
STEP 1: Review your schedule, decide what you have some interest in changing, and locate another student willing to Swap/Trade. The Medical Student Association (MSA) coordinates the Swap/Trade document. NOTE THAT COMPLETING THIS STEP DOES NOT OFFICIALLY CHANGE YOUR SCHEDULE.
STEP 2: You and the other student requesting the Swap/Trade must EACH submit through the Swap/Trade Request Form 2026-2027. Only then have you officially requested a Swap/Trade.
I forgot to submit the Swap/Trade Request Form. Can’t you just use the student-created process in Step 1 above to make a change?
No. The MSA Swap/Trade document is not linked to the Microsoft form.
I submitted the Swap/Trade Request Form, but my Swap/Trade partner forgot. Can’t you just use my submission through the form?
No. Both of you must request the change by submitting your own form. After all, it’s possible that the other student changed their mind about swapping.
Can I register/add/drop Patient Care courses through MyUW?
No. Only SOM Registration can make Patient Care course changes because they must be done in eValue.
My Swap/Trade partner and I both submitted the Swap/Trade Request Form. How will we know if the change was made?
SOM Registration will make the change, if possible (see below for more information), and we will send an email indicating what adjustments were made. If the change is not possible, the email notification will provide an explanation.
Swap/Trades are final once processed by SOM Registration, so both you and your Swap/Trade partner should verify that the change is correct on your eValue schedule.
Will SOM Registration honor the changes my Swap/Trade partner and I requested in eValue?
Typically, yes. If we cannot honor a request, it is likely because:
- Your Swap/Trade request doesn’t result in a complete Patient Care schedule for at least one of you. One of the goals of EVOS is to create complete Patient Care schedules that result in your unimpeded progress toward the MD degree. That remains true during Swap/Trade.
- Your Swap/Trade colleague did not submit their Add/Drop requests in eValue even though you did.
- You and/or your Swap/Trade partner are a Track student(s), and the requested change results in less than 24 weeks in Track sites.
- The department offering the clerkship has changed/decreased site availability.
- The clerkship site has restrictions on who can rotate there.
- Your Swap/Trade request results in you or your colleague having two courses scheduled for the same time frame.
- Your Swap/Trade request results in you or your colleague having more than one 6-week Elective/Time Off period.
What if I miss the deadline to submit my Swap/Trade Request Form? Can I still change my schedule if I find someone else willing to swap/trade?
No. Patient Care changes after Swap/Trade ends are only made with the approval of a Student Affairs dean for an extenuating circumstance out of your control (e.g., illness or personal/family emergency). Note that approved schedule changes are subject to availability and may result in rotation drops and/or a delay in graduation. You must meet with a Student Affairs Dean to obtain approval. Contact adminsa@uw.edu to request a meeting.