School of Medicine Professional Medicine (M.D.) Course Catalog

Scheduling

The faculty is committed to a scheduling advisory system. A list of approved advisors from whom you may choose is provided. When you select or change your advisor, you will need to complete the agreement form, secure an approval signature, and return the form to the Office of Student Affairs. Please be respectful of your current advisor and notify of your intention to change advisors. You will then meet with your advisor as needed until your schedule is satisfactory to you both. Your advisor must approve and sign your plan before it is eligible for the scheduling lottery. All subsequent changes to your schedule will require you to have discussed them with your advisor. Updated copies of your schedule will be sent to you and your advisor by email attachment throughout the year. Your senior year advisor need not be your advisor for residency advice.

List of Approved Advisors

Third year advisor form

Fourth year advisor form

Computer Lottery: Both the third year and the fourth year scheduling are computer lotteries. The intent is to give all students a fair opportunity to schedule the most in-demand courses. It is a starting point only and changes may be made as needed after the initial lottery results. A timeline will be made available on the Zone.

The following is a list of hospital codes used in conjunction with elective course numbers.

Making Schedule Changes: Changes may be possible if space is available and you have discussed the possible change with your advisor. As a general rule, changes to four (4) week courses must be made four (4) weeks in advance; eight (8) week courses must be made eight (8) weeks in advance. Exception: acting internships require eight (8) week advance notice to add or drop. No changes will be permitted after a predetermined date in February (see the timeline). Changes may be self-processed electronically with the exception of clerkships, acting internships, and integrated life science courses. In addition, independent study, research and scholarly project electives require an approved prospectus and so are not eligible for self-processed electronic add/drop.

Extramural Electives: An extramural (away) elective is defined as one which is not under the direct supervision of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Faculty.

• A maximum of three (3) four-week blocks may be scheduled during the final two years.
• Unless special arrangements have been made with the sponsoring Pitt department or the Dean of Students, these electives should be arranged at a university affiliated institution.
• In order to receive credit, and to assure that your general liability (malpractice) insurance is active, all extramural electives must be approved by both the corresponding UPSOM department chairperson (or designee), and your senior scheduling advisor. There can be no exceptions. When presenting the form for approval, you should include a written description of the course at the non-Pitt institution.
• Return the signed approval form, proof of health insurance (copy of your health card), non Pitt application, and any required supplemental items to the Office of Student Affairs.
• A cover letter assuring your good academic standing, insurance coverages and HIPPA certification will be mailed along with your application materials to the non Pitt institution.
• You must assure that the school receives notification of your acceptance a minimum of two weeks prior to your starting the elective.
• A course grade/evaluation form is sent to the extramural institution and must be returned to the Office of Student Affairs upon completion and before credit is given. It is the student's responsibility to assure the receipt of this evaluation.
• During the fourth year, students are strongly encouraged to schedule extramural electives in months other than March (possibility of being unmatched for residency) and May (grade must be received before presentation of the diploma).

Application for Extramural Elective within the United States

International Electives - International Electives require the completion of an approval form and a Travel Abroad Contract as well as meeting the items on the Checklist. This paperwork is required for all international electives to be taken for credit, whether they are arranged with Pitt faculty or independently.

Application for International Elective

The Extramural Compendium contains information about scheduling elective opportunities at other US medical schools. It is available from the AAMC on the Web.

Research, Independent Study and Scholarly Project Electives: The curriculum provides an opportunity for a meaningful research or independent study experience. The period of time must be focused and carefully planned. Any experience that does not fit a course description published in the course catalog will require submission of a thoughtfully written prospectus, which includes a hypothesis, an experimental plan and a brief literature review. The prospectus must be signed by the scheduling advisor as well as your preceptor and submitted to the Dean of Students, Dr. Joan Harvey, not later than one month prior to initiation of the elective. Credit will not be given unless this prospectus is pre-approved. A maximum of two (2) months may be devoted to research, exclusive of the scholarly project, which also may be taken for two (2) months. Possible exceptions must be discussed with the Dean of Students and approved by the Executive Curriculum Committee.

Sample Prospectus Introduction