Fourth year is understandably a busy time, as students choose a specialty, submit residency applications, and study for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. Updates and advising on scheduling courses will be given at mandatory Year IV Scheduling meetings during Year III. Please remember to check for emails from the Office of Student Affairs.
Some important points to consider when planning your fourth year:
- Make a plan to finalize your specialty choice. This may mean ensuring that all of the courses you need to try out are scheduled, talking with Departmental Specialty Advisors in various specialties, or setting up a meeting with someone in Student Affairs to talk through your decision-making process.
- Work with your LEAD advisor to determine when would be the best time to take your Step 2 exam. Decide how much time you want to set aside to study. Three to four weeks is typical. Step 2 must be taken by June 30
- Work with your Departmental Specialty Advisor to determine if an away rotation would benefit your application, and if so, how many and where. Begin researching the application process for the specific institutions you have identified.
- Schedule a selective in your chosen specialty. Many specialties will have a required home rotation.
- Talk with your Departmental Specialty advisor about what kinds of rotations (including sub-internships) would be preferred for getting letters of recommendation.
- Schedule time off for prospective residency interviews
- Schedule enough selective and elective courses to meet graduation requirements.
**NOTE** All petitions and forms mentioned below can be found on the Selectives/Electives/Away Rotations webpage.
Home Rotations
During the second half of Year III, students will be able to hold blocks of time in their MedOASIS schedule for planned Step 2 study time, expected away rotations, and discretionary time. Assignments for Medicine Sub-Internship, Neurology, Surgery Subspecialty, and other select, required rotations will be made through the Office of Student Affairs before schedules of selective and elective courses are released to the class. Remember that you do not need to plan your entire schedule at one time.
Students may receive credit for electives not available in the course catalog that are clinical in nature and supervised by an on-site physician. No credit will be given for language study, non-clinical service projects, or work for which students are paid. Students may not be supervised by parents or other family members. Students must submit an Elective Petition to Cynthia Galvez (cynthia.galvez@med.usc.edu) for approval of their elective at least six weeks prior to beginning the rotation, and credit for electives is subject to approval by the Office of Student Affairs.
Away Rotations
Students will be able to hold blocks of time in their MedOASIS schedule for expected away rotations. Students choose to do away rotations for many reasons: to closely observe programs they are interested in, see a specialty practiced in a different environment than LA General, obtain letters of recommendation, or to leave a positive impression with programs that might not otherwise offer them interviews.
Away rotations are not a universally positive addition to your application, however. Spending an extended period of time at your chosen program allows many opportunities for you to have a personality conflict with a resident or attending at that program, and students who schedule too many away rotations can begin to suffer from burnout from trying to perform at their very best for weeks or months without a break. Students also sometimes choose to do away rotations at programs that will decide not to interview them because they don’t meet a minimum USMLE score or grade average, essentially wasting the time spent at that institution. If you plan to do away rotations, choose the programs carefully in conjunction with your departmental specialty advisor and/or the Student Affairs Deans.
Each institution determines its own requirements, methods, and deadlines for students wishing to visit. Most programs accept applications for senior electives through the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunity (VSLO). Students experiencing issues accessing VSLO should contact Cynthia Galvez, cynthia.galvez@med.usc.edu.
For applications submitted via VSLO, transcripts will be automatically uploaded and the office will verify your good academic standing, HIPAA and OSHA training, and malpractice and health insurance. We cannot provide immunization verification or your USMLE scores. For those, you must contact the Student Health Center and the NBME. If you have any questions about VSLO, please consult the VSLO FAQs.
For supporting documentation for non-VSLO applications, please complete the Away Elective Document Request Form and submit it to Cynthia Galvez, cynthia.galvez@med.usc.edu.
*Note: Please remember to request that your course director complete and submit a Student Performance Evaluation for you at course completion.
Research Electives
Research Electives are available for students interested in completing 4 – 8 weeks of research during their third or fourth year of medical school. Under the direction of an approved preceptor, students may earn elective credit for their work. To learn more about Research Electives, please refer to the online course catalog.
International Electives
International rotations must be clinical or research-based. Language immersion programs do not count for course credit. Students wishing to receive credit for international rotations should apply per the host institution’s instructions and then submit an International-Elective-Petition. For more information, please visit International Studies.
Adding Courses to Your Schedule for Year IV
Waitlists for selective and elective rotations will open in the spring. The Office of Student Affairs will notify students when course schedules are available on MedOASIS to add via the waitlist. This must be done at least three weeks in advance of the rotation start date, unless otherwise specified. Credit will only be given for courses that are on a student’s schedule in MedOASIS by the rotation start date.
Away rotations will not be automatically added to a student’s schedule upon acceptance through VSAS. Students need to complete the Away Elective Information form on MedOASIS and upload confirmation of acceptance from the host program. Credit will only be given for courses that are on a student’s schedule in MedOASIS prior to the rotation start date. For assistance with domestic away rotations, contact Cynthia Galvez, cynthia.galvez@med.usc.edu.
More Resources
Selectives/Electives/Away Rotations
International Studies
Do Audition Electives Impact Match Success?
AMA Wire Article: What You Need to Know About Away Electives and the Match
Visiting Student Learning Opportunity (VSLO) FAQs