Policy Statement
The Keck School of Medicine is committed to offering a wide array of selective and elective opportunities to its medical students to enable their development of rich and relevant individualized learning plans and to provide experiences that facilitate their determination of postgraduate career goals (see definitions below). KSOM medical students must complete sufficient numbers of weeks of approved elective credit as defined by the Graduation Requirements Policy. KSOM medical students may participate in elective opportunities at institutions or venues outside of KSOM, if approved. KSOM-based electives may be made available to visiting students.
Policy Requirement
- KSOM selective and elective proposals may be submitted for consideration to the Selective/Elective Review Committee by any KSOM faculty. The Selective/Elective Review Committee (SERC) is chaired by the Associate Dean for Curriculum or designee and includes the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Chairs of the Years I-II and Years III-IV Curriculum Committees, faculty representative(s) from the Department of Medical Education. Proposals must identify an appropriate faculty course director and must include, but are not limited to, the following information: learning objectives, course description, length of course, prerequisites, supervision, schedule of activities (~ 40 hours per week required), methods of assessment.
- The SERC approves or rejects KSOM selective or elective proposals and may work with the course director to ensure proposals meet minimum standards.
- KSOM selective and elective proposals that have been approved by the SERC, regardless of location of learning, are submitted to the Medical Education Curriculum Committee (MECC) for consideration and must be approved by both the SERC and MECC prior to offering the elective to KSOM medical students.
- Extramural elective proposals may be considered options for KSOM medical students without approval by the SERC and MECC if offered by an LCME accredited school or ACGME recognized residency and listed in the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS).
- Extramural elective proposals must be reviewed and approved by the SERC if at an LCME accredited school and/or ACGME recognized residency program that does not participate in VSAS.
- Electives offered at outside institutions or venues that represent opportunities for a single or very few students over time must be approved by the Associate Dean for Curriculum on a case-by-case basis.
- KSOM medical students may only enroll and participate in approved or otherwise sanctioned electives, regardless of site, after counsel from the associate director of academic and career advising and the student’s faculty advisor.
DEFINITIONS
KSOM Selectives
KSOM selectives are clinical rotations delivered through KSOM-affiliated sites with supervision by KSOM faculty and may be offered for a minimum of 4 weeks. KSOM Selectives are approved by the SERC and the MECC to serve as options for KSOM students to meet specific clinical graduation requirements.
KSOM Electives
KSOM electives are delivered through KSOM-affiliated sites with supervision by KSOM faculty and may be offered for a minimum of 2 weeks. KSOM electives may be designated as clinical or non-clinical and may be delivered synchronously, asynchronously, live or through online or remote methods as approved by the SERC and the MECC.
Virtual (online or remote) Electives
Virtual electives may be delivered through KSOM or its affiliates or offered by an outside institution or venue. All virtual electives must meet the requirements of KSOM and go through the appropriate approval process to be offered. Approved virtual electives must have an appropriate faculty course director, learning objectives, identified prerequisites, appropriate supervision, a defined schedule of activities (~ 40 hours per week required), appropriate methods of assessment. Virtual electives will be considered nonclinical unless there is a significant telemedicine component which can include the interpretation of radiographic or other imaging modalities that aid in patient care. Students will be granted graduation credit for nonclinical electives as stated in the graduation requirements policy. KSOM medical students may receive credit for a maximum of one away virtual elective in any academic year with the approval of the associate director of academic and career advising and the student’s faculty advisor.
Away Rotations for KSOM Medical Students
Away rotations for KSOM medical students are defined as rotations delivered at a site for which there is no existing affiliation agreement or at a site where an affiliation agreement is in place, but the rotation is not explicitly covered by the existing agreement.
In compliance with the Coalition guidelines, KSOM will not permit medical students to complete away rotations at other programs and institutions for the 2020-2021 application cycle. KSOM students do not meet criteria for the exceptions of: 1) Learners who have a specialty interest and do not have access to a clinical experience with a residency program in that specialty in their school’s system, and 2) Learners for whom an away rotation is required for graduation or accreditation requirements. Note: KSOM medical students in the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) are exempt from this prohibition.
Visiting Students
In compliance with the Coalition guidelines for the 2020-2021 application cycle, KSOM will only consider accepting visiting medical students for elective opportunities if they meet the following criteria: 1) Learners who are at a medical school within the Western region and who have a specialty interest and do not have access to a clinical experience with a residency program in that specialty in their school’s system, and 2) Learners who are regional for whom an away rotation is required for graduation or accreditation requirements.
Reviewed and approved: July 15, 2020
Medical Education Curriculum Committee (MECC)