Guide to 4th Year Planning

Clinical Phase Planning Worksheet

Use this worksheet to map out your Explore & Focus Phase schedule and informally keep track of your graduation requirements.

Disclaimer: This form does not substitute as an official graduation audit or replace official requirements or course designations. If there is a conflict between this document and an official curriculum source, the official curriculum source will govern.

Understand Official Graduation Requirements

Students will participate in these required clerkships during Explore & Focus Phase:

1. Emergency Medicine (4 weeks/8 credits)​
2. Neurology or Neurological Surgery (4 weeks/8 credits)​
3. Sub-Internship (Sub-I) (4 weeks/8 credits)​
4. Advanced Patient Care (APC) (4 weeks/8 credits)​
5. Clinical Electives (40 credits)

Note #1: If you are considering pursuing Emergency Medicine as a specialty complete the Harborview/UWMC EM rotation in either the Spring or Summer Quarter. 

Note #2: Students must have successfully taken Step 1 to enter E&F. Students who have not passed Step 1 by the end of Patient Care will be required to drop E&F rotations. ​

• Questions? Contact Dr. Maya Sardesai, Assistant Dean for Student Development, adminsa@uw.edu

Understand Your Progress Toward Graduation Requirements

Use the Student Graduation Audit (GAR) tool to determine your progress toward graduation requirements.

• Note: when accessing the GAR, only enter your last name. Do not complete other sections.

Visit the Explore & Focus Clerkships website to:

• Understand the credit requirements of E&F phase
• Learn more about clinical electives, APCs,  and APC-Sub-Is
• Learn about permission-only clerkships
• List of currently offered courses in the Explore & Focus Clerkship Catalog
• Bookmark for future use for information on Special Assignment Electives, Clinical Encounters in E&F, and more!

Visit the Advanced Patient Care website for:

• Additional information about Sub-Is (APC-Ss) and APCs
• List of currently offered courses
• Watch the Advanced Patient Care Clerkship webinar, which answers common questions about E&F Phase requirements & APCs

Use eValue User Guides (linked under “Where can I go for help”) to:

• Effectively navigate the eValue system
• Understand how to find rotation availability in eValue

Some clerkships require departmental permission to register, called Permission-Only clerkships. Permission-Only clerkships require you to obtain permission from the appropriate Department Clerkship Administrator before you can register for the clerkship.

You can review which clerkships are permission-only in the Explore & Focus Catalog.

Availability for some permission-only clerkships can be found in eValue. Departments do not always know in advance availability for permission-only clerkships. This means that often there is no availability listed in eValue. Contact the Department Clerkship Administrator to ask about availability for timeframes of interest if you do not see availability listed in eValue.

Steps

1. Determine if a clerkship is Permission-Only by reviewing rotation details in the E&F Clerkship Catalog
2. If permission is required, request permission by contacting the departmental Clerkship Administrator, as noted in the E&F Clerkship Catalog
   • This process may take time – do not delay in requesting permissions
3. The Clerkship Administrator will respond to you with an email that contains your permission
   • Permissions are often granted on a first-come, first-served basis
4. Attach your permission email to your Add request in the eValue Manage Schedule Request Tool. Questions about the tool? Please feel free to email Registration & Records at somreg@uw.edu

Guidelines

Only ask permission for courses you plan to take. ​

If you plan to drop your clerkship, let the Clerkship Administrator know so they can give permission to someone else. 

Best Practices

To increase your chances of getting into a permission-only clerkship during your scheduling appointment(s):

• Know prior to your registration appointments which clerkships you want to take during Explore & Focus
• Getting permission from a department can take some time so make sure you are requesting permission as soon as you have decided you want to take that particular clerkship
  • You should be working on getting permission for your clerkships at least two weeks in advance of your scheduling appointment(s) to ensure you have enough time to get that permission
• Department criteria for granting permission varies, they are the best resource for that information if there’s not detailed information in the clerkship catalog.  Once you have determined your interest in a clerkship, reach out to the department to make sure you have all of the information needed prior to requesting permission and registering for the clerkship at your appointment(s)
• Some permission-only clerkships are first-come, first-serve so it is in your best interest to reach out as early as possible to secure permission for a clerkship
• Once you are granted permission, attach your permission email to your Add request in the eValue Manage Schedule Request Tool.

MSPE

All clerkships taken from the spring quarter of your third year through the spring quarter heading into your final year will be included in your MSPE, regardless of the grade. Clerkships will appear in chronological order. No summer quarter clerkships will be included. To review more information about the MSPE, visit this page.

UW Transcript

Typically the transcript submitted at the time of residency application will include all coursework and clinical rotations taken up through the summer A term heading into your final year, though for specialties with early application deadlines (i.e. ophthomology and military matches), spring B or C may be the last rotation on the transcript.

Students may view their unofficial UW transcript to see what rotation grades have been posted before they order an official copy for residency applications.

For students who apply in a residency application system with a late-September deadline (i.e. ERAS, ResidencyCAS), we are often asked why summer B rotations are not on the transcript. Typically, students must order their UW transcript 10 or more days before the residency application system deadline. Often there is not enough time from the end of summer B for grades to post on the transcript before this 10-day transcript ordering deadline. This is because clinical rotation grades are submitted to eValue 4-6 weeks after the last day of the clerkship. It takes approximately 1 week for the grade to then appear in the university system/on the transcript.

To review more details about ordering UW transcripts, visit this page.

As you prepare for your Step 2 CK exam, contact Academic Support, for additional assistance via their scheduling website.

• Dr. Brice supports students in Spokane, Wyoming & Montana
• Dr. Freed supports students in Alaska & Seattle (Cascade, Mt. Baker & Mt. St. Helens)
• Dr. Tyler supports students in Idaho & Seattle (Olympic, Mt. Adams & Mt. Rainier)

Step 2 CK deadline:

• After completion of the Patient Care Phase and no later than June 30 of the third year
• For students who complete their Patient Care Phase later: within 12 weeks of completing their Patient Care clerkships

• Visit SOM Career Advising to understand the process of 4th-year career planning and how to prepare for your 4th Year Career Planning appointment with Linh, Sarah, or Tonja.

Understand how the registration process works for the Explore and Focus Phase by visiting Registration & Record’s website.

Review the GO WWAMI website for information on housing and travel during E&F.

SOM Financial Aid Office is available to answer questions related to aid disbursements and budgets.

Financial Aid Credit Requirements and Tuition

• 0-5 credits – not eligible for financial aid *
• 6-11 credits – half standard living expenses
• If you have 6-11 credits, but 2 of them are evening clinic or another elective that covers the entire quarter, you are eligible for full living expenses
• 12-13+ credits – considered fulltime. Eligible for full living expenses, 12 credits minimum required for WA grant, and some military scholarships.

*For graduating students only enrolled in Transition To Residency – TTR (4 credits) during Spring quarter:

• 4 credits is not enough to be eligible for financial aid. However, if you have a SOM scholarship award, those funds can be used in Spring quarter to cover TTR tuition. Otherwise, you are responsible for the cost of tuition.

To see tuition cost per credit: UW Quarterly Tuition and Fees – pdf files. Medical tuition (MD) is found on pages 85-86.

Residency Application & Interview Costs

Residency application costs can be added to your budget after you submit your program list to the application system and pay associated fees.

If in-person residency interviews resume, you will be able to add hotel and airfare to your budget (but no car rental).

Questions?

Please email somfao@uw.edu.