ELECTIVE GUIDELINES

The fourth-year program includes eleven periods, plus a one-week Dean’s Colloquium which follows Period 11.  All fourth-year students must take six four-week electives and two four-week Acting Internships (Internal Medicine and Surgery) plus the Dean's Colloquium.  Sixteen weeks must be taken on the assigned clinical campus in the fourth year.  The required Acting Internships in Internal Medicine and Surgery must be taken in state.

Fourth year requirements will include the following: 

4-week Surgery Acting Internship (AI)
4-week Medicine Acting Internship (AI)
6 electives (4 weeks each)
12 weeks for vacation/interviewing/extra electives
1 week for Dean’s Colloquium before commencement

Some electives are unique to a specific campus.  Students may choose to take one of these unique electives, which will count as a home-campus elective.  The list of unique electives available are listed below:

Military Medicine (FMED 9504) 
Medical Genetics (PED 9502) 
Research Project Practicum Presentation (PED 9503) 
Children with Special Health Care Needs (PED 9505)
Pediatric Allergy/Immunology/Pulmonology  (PED 9506)
Pediatric Subspecialty (PED 9507)
Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism (PED 9510)
Medical Education (MED 9508)
Basic, Clinical, and Applied Senior Research Elective (MED 9510)

International rotations arranged through individual departments are not considered on-campus rotations. 

Only two electives in a specific specialty area will be approved.  If you want to take a third elective in the same specialty area, it will only be approved if it is the seventh elective (e.g., only two electives in Emergency Medicine, Neurology, etc.)

TIMETABLE (AY 2009-2010)

Period 1 – July 6 through July 31, 2009
Period 2 – August 3 through August 28, 2009
Period 3 -- August 31 through September 25, 2009
Period 4 -- September 28 through October 23, 2009
Period 5 -- October 26 through November 20, 2009
Period 6 -- November 23 through December 18, 2009
Period 7 -- December 21, 2009 through January 15, 2010
Period 8 -- January 18 through February 12, 2010
Period 9 – February15 through March 12, 2010
Period 10 -- March 15 through April 9, 2010
Period 11 -- April 12 through May 7, 2010
Senior Colloquium -- May 10 through May 14, 2010
Commencement -- May 16, 2010
 

Registration is completed through the Office of Student Affairs and Admissions at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Tuition and fees will be charged according to a published schedule.

Instructions for Scheduling Electives

  1. By February 14, students meet with advisor (Campus Dean and/or Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions) to select a tentative schedule. The tentative schedule must be coordinated, reviewed, and approved by Campus Dean.
  2. By March 4, the Campus Dean will meet with the student to review the schedule.
  3. Between March 7 – April 1, preceptors will review and approve requested rotations.
  4. The approved schedule will be mailed to the student by May 2.
  5. Schedule changes requested by students and preceptors should be completed by May16.  If changes are requested after that date, the instructions outlined below for filing a Senior Elective Change Form must be followed.
  6. The Campus Dean confirms the rotations with the preceptors between May 16 and June 3.
  7. A finalized schedule is submitted to the student, advisors and preceptors by June 3.

Instructions for Filing Senior Elective Changes

When a senior elective change is requested after May 16, it will require written approval from the following persons and/or office, using the Senior Elective Change Form and requesting the signatures in the sequence listed below:

  1. Administrative office of assigned campus
  2. Preceptor and department chairperson of new elective
  3. Preceptor and department chairperson of original elective
  4. Campus Dean
  5. Associate Dean of Student Affairs

Electives cannot be changed any later than one period prior to the start of the next elective period. Dropping an elective after the thirty-day period requires that vacation time be used to offset the cancellation of the elective. (The thirty-day period commences when the form is submitted to the student's Campus Dean.)

 
Instructions for Filing Off-Campus Senior Electives

To register for a senior elective that is offered on another UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences Campus, the student should contact his/her Campus Dean's administrative office for assistance.  The Campus Dean's administrative office will request the off-campus elective and coordinate arrangements with the student, the off-campus Dean's Office, and the Office of Student Affairs and Admissions to finalize the student's schedule and to assure he/she is registered appropriately for the off-campus elective.

Instructions for Filing a Senior Elective at an Out-of-State Institution:

To obtain instructions for filing for a senior elective to be taken at an out-of-state institution, students must contact their home Campus Dean's office.  Students are responsible for scheduling and making all necessary arrangements for senior electives under the direction of the other institutions. The students also are responsible for any additional required fees incurred for out-of-state electives.  Application forms, letters of recommendation, etc. must be sent to the student's fourth-year campus administrative office.  The campus office will review the application materials and forwarded necessary forms to the appropriate administrative offices.  Upon notification, the Office of Student Affairs and Admissions will register the student for this elective.

The following UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences offices will help students solve any problems that may arise or direct them to the appropriate person(s).

Telephone numbers:

Bismarck (SW) Campus --

(701) 328-9579
Box 1975
515-1/2 E. Broadway, Suite 106
Bismarck, ND; 58502-1975

  • Fargo (SE) Campus --


(701) 293-4108
UND Medical Education Center
1919 N. Elm Street
Fargo, ND  58102

  • Grand Forks (NE) Campus --


(701) 777-3406
UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences
PO Box 9037
501 N. Columbia Road
Grand Forks, ND  58202-9037

  • Minot (NW) Campus --


(701) 858-6774
1201 11th Avenue SW
Minot, ND  58701

  • Office of Student Affairs & Admissions --


(701) 777-4221
UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Box 9037
Grand Forks, ND  58202-9037

Course acronyms and numbers for fourth-year electives are identified as follows:

BASIC SCIENCES:

CLINICAL SCIENCES:

The numbers are established using the following format:

First #:  9 = Senior Elective

Second #:

  • 0 = Off-Campus
  • 1 = Bismarck
  • 2 = Fargo
  • 3 = Grand Forks
  • 4 = Minot
  • 5 = ND elective offered on all campuses

Last 2 #s:  Course Identification