The fourth year of medical education marks a significant shift from the structured curriculum of the first three years. For the first time, students have the flexibility to select their own electives and customize their schedule, allowing them to focus on areas of interest and prepare for their future specialties. Below, you will find general information on the requirements, key dates, and structure of the fourth year. Additional class-specific details are provided further down the page.<\/p>\n
Promotion to 4th Year<\/strong>: You must pass all third-year clerkships and exams. If you’ve delayed any M3 clerkships, they must be completed before moving forward.<\/p>\n Fourth Year Elective Catalog<\/a><\/p>\n Add\/Drop Tool Instructions<\/a><\/p>\n Class of 2027 Fourth Year Scheduling Information<\/a><\/p>\n Class of 2026 Fourth Year Scheduling Information<\/a><\/p>\n Scheduling Information for Canadian Electives and Applying for Canadian Residencies<\/a><\/p>\n VSLO (Visiting Student Learning Opportunities)<\/a><\/p>\n Non-VSLO Outside Electives Policy<\/a><\/p>\n Structure of the 4th Year<\/strong><\/p>\n 4th Year Requirements<\/strong><\/p>\n Lottery<\/strong><\/p>\n Electives<\/strong><\/p>\n Outside Electives \u2013 VSLO, Non-VSLO<\/strong><\/p>\n Alternate Paths<\/strong><\/p>\n Research<\/strong><\/p>\n Time Away<\/strong><\/p>\n Modified Curriculum<\/strong><\/p>\n The fourth year of medical education marks a significant shift from the structured curriculum of the first three years. For the first time, students have the flexibility to select their own electives and customize their schedule, allowing them to focus on areas of interest and prepare for their future specialties. Below, you will find general […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18735,"featured_media":0,"parent":124582,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"bu-publication":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124644"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18735"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124644"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140947,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124644\/revisions\/140947"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=124644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Overview<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nThe fourth year consists of 13 blocks, each 4 weeks in duration. The Fall term consists of Blocks 9-15, the Spring term consists of Blocks 16-21.<\/li>\n
\nEach week consists of 40 contact hours \u2013 the equivalent of 1 credit. Students must earn a minimum of 36 credits (1440 contact hours) to graduate.<\/li>\n\n
\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThis is a mandatory 4-week rotation that is assigned via the lottery optimization process. It must be completed at BMC as part of the core 36-week requirement.<\/li>\n
\nThis is a mandatory 4-week rotation that is also assigned via the lottery optimization process. It must be completed at BMC as part of the core 36-week requirement.<\/li>\n
\nStudents must complete 20 or more hours in approved longitudinal activities, such as teaching, quality improvement electives, research, or self-directed learning.<\/li>\n
\nStudents must complete additional elective rotations to fulfill the 36-week requirement. A minimum of 8 weeks must be from the CAMED Fourth Year Elective Catalog<\/a>, with no more than 20 weeks outside the BU system, no more than 12 weeks in non-clinical electives, and no more than 16 weeks within a given sub-specialty.<\/li>\n
\nStudents are required to take USMLE Step 2 CK<\/a> by November 1 <\/strong>of their fourth year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nBuilding your Schedule<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nStudents input their preferences for required courses, like the Geriatrics and Sub-Internship rotations.<\/li>\n
\nLottery results for Sub-Internship and Geriatrics rotations will be available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThe add\/drop system opens for students to begin scheduling elective rotations.<\/li>\n
\nElective courses are assigned through an ongoing add\/drop process, allowing flexibility in building the schedule.<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Certain departments use internal processes, such as elective lotteries or waitlists, to manage enrollment in early blocks. This ensures equal access to key rotations for students applying to those fields, particularly those seeking letters of recommendation.<\/li>\n
\nStudents may take up to 12 weeks of research for credit, either within BU or through outside electives.<\/li>\n
\nStudents can continue to make changes to their schedule through the add\/drop system after submission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nStudents can arrange electives at LCME-accredited U.S. medical schools through the VSLO program. Acceptance must be added to the student’s BU schedule through the add\/drop system.<\/li>\n
\nStudents can also arrange electives outside of the VSLO program. Approval from BU faculty is required before arranging these electives, and the approval form must be submitted prior to starting the elective.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAdditional Information<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nStudents pursuing dual degrees can adjust their fourth-year schedule to accommodate coursework for degrees like MBA<\/a>, MPH<\/a>, MS<\/a>, JD<\/a>, PhD<\/a>, or OMFS<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nStudents in good academic standing may take up to 12 weeks of research at BU for fourth-year credit.<\/li>\n
\nResearch done outside BU counts toward the 20-week limit on outside electives. Research approval is required before starting.<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Medical students at BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine may choose to take an additional year (outside of the medical school curriculum) to undertake full-time research under the guidance of a mentor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/strong>Students should familiarize themselves with the Attendance, Time Off, and Personal Days Policy.<\/a><\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Students may request an excused absence<\/a> for a variety of reasons, including illness, religious observances, residency interviews, or personal emergencies.<\/li>\n
\nStudents may apply for a leave of absence<\/a> for reasons including research, fellowships, outside degrees, or personal circumstances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nSome students may choose to split the fourth year over four part-time semesters. Approval for this option is required from the Student Evaluations and Promotions Committee (SEPC).
\nFor more information: Modified Curriculum Overview and FAQ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"