Scheduling & Registration

Scheduling is the process whereby the student attempts to arrange the time and locations for their M4 experiences with the College of Medicine’s Office of Student Affairs. The Scheduling process allows students to experience a wide variety of experiences in their M4 year, but does require that they meet our standards for experiences that will enable them to receive a Doctorate in Medicine.

Students must schedule all clinical experiences, including externships, through the College of Medicine’s Office of Student Affairs. This allows the College of Medicine to send out evaluations, and ensures grades are recorded in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) and on your transcript.

Registration is the process by which students are officially enrolled at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Click here to access the UIC Web for Student. Specific registration information can be found on the UIC COM Office of the Registrar web page.

NOTE: M4 students are allowed to do elective rotations during the two-week holiday period in December provided the following requirements have been met.  Experiences must: 1) be willing to take students over this two week period and can guarantee a clinical experience that merits the credit earned; b) provide confirmation that the faculty member(s) involved in the elective will be present for all two weeks of the rotation.  Research elective time during this period must also meets these requirements.

Approval is required by the Associate Dean for Curriculum.

OBTAINING GRADUATION CREDIT FOR M4 YEAR EXPERIENCES

Scheduling forms or email request must be submitted, to OSA or the scheduling listserv, 4 weeks prior to the start of the clinical experience.  Student Evaluation forms must be on file in order for the student to receive credit for any M4 experience. The evaluation form travels directly from the COM Registrar’s Office to the Program Director and/or evaluator and then to the COM Registrar’s Office. The student may not hand carry this paperwork. Clinical departments submit completed evaluation forms to the COM Registrar’s office, which in records the grade in the College database. These evaluations become part of the student’s academic record. No credit is awarded for an experience until an evaluation is received by the College Registrar. A PDF copy of the evaluation form is emailed to the student via a University secured email service.

SCHEDULING RESPONSIBILITY

Students entering their M4 year are expected to be timely in scheduling their year. Students should be aware that scheduling rotations means making a commitment to the physicians who are the Course Coordinators. Failure to honor their commitment is reported to the College of Medicine’s Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

If a change is made in your elective schedule, contact the Program Director as soon as possible. Rotation slots are limited and Program Directors need to ensure that clinical experiences are available to as many students as possible. There are often waiting lists to fill openings. Students who want to cancel or change the dates of an experience must use the M4 Scheduling Form or an email from the Program Director to secure a release in advance of the start date of the experience. This will officially release the student from his/her part of the agreement.

Students who want to drop or change the dates of a scheduled elective must obtain approval from the department. The approval from the Elective Coordinator/Director must be secured before the start date of the elective. Once approved, students submit a Scheduling Request  to have their schedule updated. This will officially release the student from the elective. (The approval must be included as an attachment to the request.)

REQUIRED EXPERIENCES

Scheduling for required experiences and the Sub-Internship (Medicine or Pediatric), is done by the Office of Student Affairs. Scheduling required courses will be done in the Spring of your M3 year. To make a change to your schedule, you must submit a Student Scheduling Request.

Reporting instructions for required experiences are available at the Office of Student Affairs web site by clicking on M3 Year or M4 Year. Reporting instructions for electives must be obtained from the Program Directors or Coordinators.

ELECTIVE EXPERIENCES

Elective experiences at the UIC College of Medicine include the following five categories: (1). Approved Electives; (2) Electives at LCME Accredited medical schools (Externships); (3) Electives at non-LCME accredited medical schools, including International Externships or foreign electives; (4) Self-designed Electives; and (5) Research Electives. M4 students may receive credit for elective experiences at medical schools outside the UIC COM system, if they both schedule and register for them. Students are directly responsible for contacting the Program Directors of their elective experiences to receive the prior approval necessary for all experiences.

Procedures for Scheduling Elective Experiences

Scheduling electives requires the prior approval of the Program Director or Coordinator of the Elective. Students should complete the appropriate section of the M4 Scheduling Form and have it signed by the Program Director or receive approval via email. Students should also use the M4 Scheduling Form to schedule Electives outside the UIC COM system. These externships require additional authorizing signatures, attachments, and time for processing. Information from the M4 Scheduling Form will be entered into the COM database. This allows a Student Evaluation Form to be sent to the Program Director. The evaluation form is used by the Program Director to report your performance and grade to the College of Medicine.