Location assignments are managed by the course/clerkship coordinator or their designee. Switching sites with another student is strictly prohibited.
If preference is taken into consideration, students will be contacted by the course/clerkship coordinator prior to the start of the assigned module.
If an alternative assignment is necessary before the start of the course/clerkship, the student must submit their request to the course/clerkship coordinator 12 weeks before the start of the next clerkship. The course/clerkship director will approve or deny the request at their discretion on a case-by-case basis.
Throughout the duration of the clerkship or elective, if an alternative site placement is necessitated due to a learning environment violation, the student should follow formal protocol and report the incident, as stated in the Learning Environment Policies. The recipients of the report will attempt to resolve the matter, and the Offices of Medical Education will review the incident and reassign the student’s site.
Student assignments to required clerkships in the clinical phase of the curriculum are managed by the registrar in accordance with the Offices of Medical Education procedures.
Elective course options are listed in the coursebook, accessible to students via the University registration system, HUB. The availability of elective courses is subject to departmental discretion. Any changes to a student's scheduled electives must be communicated to the registrar by the student.
The Offices of Medical Education will distribute a survey to students, requesting them to list their top three preferences within their assigned elective module. The final elective assignment will be determined through a randomized selection process, with consideration given to the students' stated preferences. Elective assignments will be determined based on specialty availability and the student's fulfillment of prerequisite requirements.
Fourth-year students are required to complete Advanced Medicine, Neurology, and five additional electives, totaling a minimum of seven 4-week courses. Students who have completed Neurology during their third year must take Advanced Medicine and the appropriate number of electives to satisfy the seven-course requirement.
For the assignment of fourth-year electives, the Offices of Medical Education will distribute a survey to students, requesting them to list their top three preferences for each elective module. The final elective assignment will be determined through a randomized selection process, taking into account the students' stated preferences. Elective assignments will be based on specialty availability and the student's fulfillment of prerequisite requirements.
Students may not repeat any course or elective, apart from research electives. Students in their fourth year (Classic Curriculum) or Phase 3 (Well Beyond Curriculum) may complete up to two modules of research, excluding MD/PhD candidates.
Students may take no more than three electives within any single departmental division at the local institution.
A maximum of four away electives is permitted, with no more than two at the same institution. To participate in a fourth away elective, please see the procedure listed below. Students may take an international elective, which counts toward their four away elective limit.
Any failed elective must be successfully remediated within two modules.
Eligibility: Only fourth-year students (Classic Curriculum) or Phase 3 students (Well Beyond Curriculum) in good standing are eligible to take away electives. A current affiliation agreement must exist between the University at Buffalo (UB) and the training institution.
Process: Students wishing to participate in an away elective must comply with the procedures outlined in the Offices of Medical Education’s Away Electives (VSLO) process. Students are permitted to take a maximum of four away electives. To enroll in a fourth away elective, students must request and obtain formal approval from a dean in the Office of Student and Academic Affairs. Approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
The faculty of a medical school ensure that the medical curriculum includes elective opportunities that supplement required learning experiences and that permit medical students to gain exposure to and deepen their understanding of medical specialties reflecting their career interests and to pursue their individual academic interests.
A medical school assumes ultimate responsibility for the selection and assignment of medical students to each location and/or parallel curriculum (i.e., track) and identifies the administrative office that fulfills this responsibility. A process exists whereby a medical student with an appropriate rationale can request an alternative assignment when circumstances allow for it.
If a medical student at a medical school is permitted to take an elective under the auspices of another medical school, institution, or organization, a centralized system exists in the dean’s office at the home school to review the proposed extramural elective prior to approval and to ensure the return of a performance assessment of the student and an evaluation of the elective by the student. Information about such issues as the following are available, as appropriate, to the student and the medical school in order to inform the student’s and the school’s review of the experience prior to its approval:
Reviewed by Curriculum Committee: 11/30/18
Passed by Curriculum Committee: 12/14/18
Policy Implementation: Phase 2
Policy Contact: Curriculum Committee