FAQs: All Things Patient Care, EVOS, & Preferencing

Is it true that I might have to change sites for Internal Medicine (IM) and OBGyn regardless of what I preference?

That’s a possibility. EVOS will schedule you for a time frame for IM and OBGyn, but it does not guarantee the site for those clerkships. Actual IM and OBGyn site assignments may vary from what you see as site options. These departments reserve the right to adjust schedules as needed due to drops and changes in site availability. Students assigned to the Greater Puget Sound area may be moved to a WWAMI site, or vice versa. Sites are not finalized until you get your specific hospital/clinic assignments from these departments. Please read Internal Medicine Clerkship Scheduling for important details about this. At the time this website was developed our understanding is that OBGyn may also change site assignments based on site constraints and availability.


Since Internal Medicine (IM) rotations are 12 weeks in duration, does EVOS automatically schedule both 6 week halves or do I have to double rank IM in order to preference both halves of the rotation? 

EVOS will schedule you for 12 consecutive weeks of IM, so you do not have to rank 6 week halves. Please see above, though, for important details about IM site assignment.


When can I sign up for electives?

You’ll be able to sign up for electives – or an Advanced Patient Care (APC) or APC Sub-Internship (Sub-I) clerkship- after the Patient Care swap/trade deadline has passed and students’ schedules are finalized. Check your inbox for more information about the elective process in January.


Speaking of electives, what’s offered for that?

The Explore & Focus (E&F) Catalog includes all potentially available elective, APC ,and Sub-I clerkships students can take. Read the information on that page carefully.

Very (very) important: Current MS 3s are scheduling their electives until mid-January and then have a period of time to drop/add. You will not be able to schedule electives until they have first shot (after all, they graduate before you do). DO NOT contact clerkship administrators for permission-only courses right now. If you are accidentally scheduled for a permission-only course we will drop it from your schedule, so just don’t.


What should I do during that 6-week elective/time off period? An elective? Take time off? Study for Step 2 CK?

The answer depends on a lot of things, including when that time is scheduled. Our best advice is to meet with your Career Advisor and/or your Learning Specialist to discuss the best options given your circumstances.


I’m a Track student. How should I enter preferences so that my schedule has 24 weeks at my Track location?

Great question. You’ll want to make sure that most of your preferences – if not all – are sites at your Track location.

Your first preference should be what is most important to you in Track, so select clerkship, time frame, and Track site. Your second preference should be what’s next important to you in Track, and so on. As you get close to the bottom of your preference list it should be ok to choose non-Track sites if you’d like.


I’m a WRITE student. What about preferencing for me?

WRITE students do not enter preferences – your schedule has already been built by the Office of Rural Programs with an assist by Registration & Records for your Surgery site. Want a different Surgery site? You can participate in Swap/Trade with your classmates for your Surgery site (not time frame) in January (exact dates TBD so watch your email).

You’ll be able to view your schedule at the same time we release all Patient Care schedules, also in January (another reason to watch your inbox!).


I’m a WRITE student. Where am I doing Surgery?

We assigned all WRITE students to a Surgery clerkship in the Seattle area. Doing that makes things equitable, it works toward your Time in Seattle requirement, and you’ll be in the area with other WRITE students.


I’m an Olympia LIC student. Do I enter my preferences?

LIC students do not enter preferences – your schedule has already been built by the LIC program.