Medical School Curriculum | Year 4

Electives and Capstone

The final stretch to being a physician leader and more.

MS4 Advanced Clinical Schematic

The final year of the medical school curriculum includes clinical elective blocks, residency interviews, and a capstone course. Match day and commencement are two milestones events held towards the end of the fourth year.

View the Full Heals Curriculum Schematic (PNG)

Elective Coursework

Students are encouraged to pursue their passion for research and scientific inquiry in addition to their clinical coursework requirements.

Requirements

Students are required to have 30 weeks of electives, and 24 weeks are required to be clinical. For the remaining 6 weeks, many of you will add a research activity, either as part of your Masters’ program or as research time.

Elective Designations

4th-year Elective Designations (PDF)

Elective Proposals

Please submit the 4th- Year Elective proposal form through Qualtrics. New elective proposals will be sent to the appropriate Director of 4th Year Medical Education for review and approval then reviewed and approved by the Medical Education Committee (MEC) semiannually. We recommend that all new elective submissions are submitted by the October 1 deadline to have the approved electives listed and scheduled for the following academic year’s Course Catalog. The courses approved in April will be announced to the students via email as this is a late add.

For example, if an elective proposal was submitted on October 1, 2022, and is approved, this course will be added to the 2023-2024 Course Catalog, where students will select the courses in December 2022 prior to the lottery.

If an elective proposal was submitted on April 1, 2023, and is approved, this course will be announced to the current MS4.

4th Year Elective Proposal Form

Submission Deadline

Review Month

Approved Course Added

October 1

October MEC Meeting

Following academic year

April 1

April MEC Meeting

Current academic year

Capstone

The capstone course for our graduating medical students is aimed at ensuring their preparedness for clinical practice as interns, providing closing educational statements on important topics that will be ubiquitous during early clinical practice, and permitting the development of deeper conversations about topics of interest.

Match Day

Match Day is when medical students all over the country rip open their envelopes to learn where they have been accepted for residency. During the DGSOM Match Day, our medical students take their next steps as future leaders in health and medicine.

Match Day

Commencement

On Commencement Day, DGSOM graduates became doctors, receiving their doctoral hoods and reciting the Hippocratic Oath.

Commencement