Please refer to individual Pathways for specific requirements.

OVERVIEW OF THE FOURTH YEAR

During the fourth year, each student must meet the posted graduation requirements in the Drexel University College of Medicine Student Handbook: http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/Handbook/pdf/DrexelMed-MedStudentHandbook.pdf

For 2018-2019, students are required to complete 38 weeks of graduation credit (36 weeks of elective time). Students have 11.5 blocks (46 weeks) available prior to graduation. This does not include Winter Break weeks. Scheduling requirements will be detailed in the 2018-2019 Medical Student Handbook.

Section 1. Academic Policies and Academic Progress
Guidelines for Promotion: From Year 4 to Graduation

Further Explanation:

• Required and Pathway-required courses must be completed, in most instances, at the Philadelphia Tenet Hospitals or at our affiliated educational sites (all considered "Home").  In some instances the site is limited to a specific hospital.  In special cases a Pathway-required course may be completed at an “Away” site.  Please refer to the requirements of the Pathway while you and your Pathway Director/Advisor develop your proposed schedule. Your Pathway Director/Advisor’s signature that you have been advised/counseled is required when you begin the lottery process even though you enter your choices on-line.
• “Home” sites include the Philadelphia-area Tenet Hospitals and our clinical educational affiliates (all rotations offered in the DUCOM Senior Electives Guide). “Away” sites include other medical schools or clinical settings other than our established educational sites.
• No more than three rotations (maximum of 12 weeks) may be taken at “away” sites.  
• No more than four rotations (maximum of 16 weeks) may be taken in any one discipline or specialty, with two exceptions:  Medicine, in which a student may take six (6) rotations (maximum of 24 weeks [this INCLUDES the required Medicine Subinternship]), and Neurology, in which a student may take five (5) rotations (maximum of 18 weeks [this INCLUDES the required Neurology Course]).
• Approved research time in a discipline counts towards total weeks of course time permitted in a discipline.
• Please keep in mind that Pathway requirements supersede the exceptions noted above and all rotations must be approved by your Pathway Director.
• Students may not take the same roation for more than 4 weeks without the approval of the Special Electives Committee (i.e., if all of the characters of the course codes are the same it is the identical course EX: MEDI8232S300 and MEDI8234S300 are the same course). The "2" and "4" represent the weeks.
• Family Medicine Guidelines: All Family Medicine rotations must be arranged through the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine, regardless of the student’s Pathway. 

General Information About the Pathways:

• The Pathways were developed to provide students with an advising system. You will be meeting with your Pathway Director or their designee to begin to plan your fourth year. All rotations will have to be approved and documents will have to be signed by your Pathway Director or their designee at the time of the lottery and you will continue to consult with them as you move through your fourth year.
• Pathway selection does NOT increase your chances of obtaining Pathway specific required courses.
• You may change your Pathway at any time prior to November 1 of your graduation year, with the approval of your current Pathway Director and the Pathway Director of the new Pathway you wish to select. You must be able to complete the requirements of the Pathway that you are in at the time of graduation.

Course titles and numbers for all courses approved and registered by the various departments at Drexel University College of Medicine (including all clinical campuses) can be found on-line in the Senior Elective Guide (http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/clinicaleducation/SeniorElectives/).  The Guide will be updated throughout the year.

Senior students should have their schedules completed by February 1st of their graduation year in order for their schedules to be verified for graduation. 

revised 7/11/2018