Year Four of the MD Program

This portion of the clinical program has five main goals:

  1. To broaden and deepen clinical education after the core rotations
  2. To continue clinical experience at a higher level involving more responsibility
  3. To develop clinical competence within the training standards of an approved residency program in order to facilitate acceptance into a postgraduate training program
  4. To choose a group of electives that best serves the academic needs of the student and is suitable for the student’s career choice
  5. To correct any deficiencies or unsatisfactory performances identified by the APRC in order to meet graduation requirements (see below).

Sub-internships and electives at clinical centers or other affiliated hospitals with appropriately related postgraduate programs can be arranged by the Office of Clinical Education Operations or by the DME at any hospital.

Many electives are offered by clinical centers and affiliated hospitals; these can be found on the SGU Clinical Portal.  As a general rule, all electives should be at least four weeks long.  Elective rotations must be taken only on services that are part of a postgraduate training program.

University policy allows students to enroll in up to 12 weeks of elective rotations in out of network hospitals.  In every instance in which a student seeks to take an elective outside the SGU network, students must follow the process of submitting a “Single Elective Affiliation Agreement: located on the SGU Clinical Portal. The Office of Clinical Education Operations reviews all requests. No credit will be granted retroactively if approval is not obtained beforehand.

Licensure requirements in the US vary from state to state and from year to year.  A few states currently do not accept clinical training in hospitals that are not part of the SGU network. Students who know their destination should verify the licensure laws and regulations in this regard with the specific national or state licensing agency. Those who wish to practice medicine outside the US should verify the licensure requirements of the relevant country.

SGU’s medical malpractice insurance policy covers its students in healthcare facilities throughout the US, UK, Canada and the Caribbean. Other jurisdictions are available on an individual basis by application.

SGU students need to be part of the community of scholars and professionals who have gone before and will come after.  In order to best serve the school’s student body and aid students in career placements, SGU needs information on students’ successes and achievements after graduation. SGU expects students to respond to these queries for information before and after Graduation.