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FAQ for Students Anticipating a Return to Clinicals

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FAQ for Students Anticipating a Return to Clinicals

When do I need to notify the MD program of my intent to return to Year 3?
Please fill out the following form https://mountsinai.formstack.com/forms/intent_to_return by February 15 of the anticipated return year.

To whom do I ask questions about clerkship order, how to prioritize?
Meet with your faculty advisor, Dr. Kara Bagot, to discuss lottery options that may work best for you. Additionally, it is highly recommended you attend the sessions on planning for the third year (end of February, dates vary year to year) to learn in more detail about the lottery process. Immediately after, we will have a panel of peers who can discuss their strategies for planning the third year and experiences so far.

How flexible is switching my schedule after the lottery?
The lottery determines the order in which you take clerkships. Students with a planned life event (i.e. wedding or family planning – please review the excused absence policy in the Student Handbook for everything else) that will occur during year 3 clerkships may submit a request to Student Affairs or to your Faculty Advisor prior to the lottery (due March 1 at 9AM) with the date of the event and time needed. Approvals for these events happen prior to the lottery. The order of clerkships outside of your requested time frame is determined through the lottery. After the lottery results are posted, students have ten days to request 1-1 switches with peers. After the 1-1 switch period, students will still be able to request changes to their schedules. Students requesting changes at this point will need to complete the clerkship change form, and submit the completed form to the respective clerkship coordinator for approval. Changes will be granted based on availability.

How many weeks of elective can I cluster together, and can any be used for research?
Over the course of years 3 and 4, you are required to take 28 weeks of elective. Of this, 16 weeks can be used towards research. In year 3, you have ten (10) weeks of elective, split into: 4 weeks (during your Neuro/Psych block), 4 weeks during the Surgery/Anesthesiology Block, and 2 weeks (during your Peds/Ob block). The lottery determines the order of which you will receive these blocks.

Please note, if you return late and register for research elective at the beginning of the year, those weeks count towards your 16 weeks allotment. Students who are returning late should register for elective credit prior to the start of the MD phase. A maximum of 16 weeks of research elective credit will be granted. Students should fill out the Elective Registration: Tailor-Made Research for MD/PhD form, found here: http://icahn.mssm.edu/education/students/registrar/medical-forms.

I’m not sure if I will finish by PhD in time for the start of InFocus5, what should I do?
Meet with Dr. Talia Swartz to determine what may be the challenge to coming back by InFocus 5. If you think there is a chance you will be able to, it is better to notify the medical school of your intent to return and go through the lottery. This will ensure your preferences for lottery are taken into account. There will be opportunity to modify your intent to return in April, with approval from MD and MD/PhD program leadership.

What’s the latest I can come back?
All students returning to year 3 of the MD phase must participate in InFocus 5 (last week in June). Students who need additional time to finish any lab duties, but would like to come back in the upcoming academic year, must still participate in InFocus 5, but may be able to begin year 3 as late as 1C (late August-early September) to be able to graduate on time. Students should discuss timeline and must receive approval from program leadership (in coordination with the registrar); they will help you with your scheduling and guide you through this process.

I had planned to return but I have changed my mind and will return next academic year. What do I do?
Please fill out the MD/PhD Modification of Intent to Return form by May 15: https://mountsinai.formstack.com/workflows/md_phd_modification_of_intent_to_return

Questions? Email: talia.swartz@mssm.edu; jillian.palmer@mssm.edu; nelson.pe@mssm.edu

Advice for students anticipating transition back to MD3: