4th Year Medical Student Rotations Update

UC Irvine Medical Student 685A Neurosurgery Sub-Internship 2021-2022 Academic Year

Department of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine will follow the policies of the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and UC Irvine Graduate Medical Education on medical student rotation to ensure a safe and equitable experience for all students and all programs during this pandemic. UCI Medical Students who are interested in 685A rotation should apply through the Office of Medical Education. Visiting Medical Students should apply through VSLO Application Service (sometimes referred to as VSAS) https://students-residents.aamc.org/visiting-student-learning-opportunities/visiting-student-learning-opportunities-1.  

Office of Curricular Affairs
UC Irvine School of Medicine | Office of Medical Education
comsched@hs.uci.edu

Additional Information and guidelines

From SNS:

1. Each neurosurgery applicant will be limited to one (1) external neurosurgery rotation.

2. Given the importance of the applicant experience in neurological surgery prior to committing to a career path, each student should do 1-2 rotations of neurological surgery at their home institution (minimum of 4 weeks).

• Students without a home program should perform 2 rotations of neurological surgery at the closest ACGME accredited program (adopted home program), or 1 rotation a the "adopted home program" and 1 external rotation.
• Virtual rotations are not a substitution for in-person neurosurgical rotations
• The SNS encourages students to gain a diversity of experience and education through a broad spectrum of subspecialty medical and surgical rotations in preparation for residency.

3. Direction regarding interviewed and letters of recommendation will be forthcoming.

From AAMC: 

Recommendation 2 (New): The improved vaccination status of medical students led to the updated recommendation that for the 2021-22 academic year, away rotations resume during the first block concluding in July 2021, with additional guidance:

• Beginning on April 15, learners may apply for and schedule in-person away rotations with a date concluding in July or later. This recognizes that not all rotations are aligned with the calendar month. Rotations may have a start date in June if the end date is in July (the rotation block must conclude in July).
• Given the compressed timeline paired with an inadequate quantity of electives available for completion, medical schools are encouraged to limit approved away rotations in any specialty to one per learner, per specialty (as previously recommended) except in cases where additional rotations are needed to complete graduation or accreditation requirements. Residency programs are encouraged to take into consideration if a learner exceeded the one away rotation limit during the residency selection process.
• Programs may continue to offer virtual electives to provide opportunities for learners to explore the specialty and program.
• Learners for whom away rotations are required for graduation or accreditation are exempted from this guidance.
• These are general guidelines. Every student should, as always, consider all risks and benefits of any away rotation in consultation with their medical school advisor.   
• If conditions deteriorate substantially, the work group may update this guidance.

AAMC policies: https://www.aamc.org/services/vslo-institutions/vslo-2021-22-application-season-covid-19-resources

SNS policies: https://www.societyns.org/external-medical-student-rotations

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Curriculum: 685A Neurosurgery Sub-Internship Curriculum (the standard 4-weeks rotation)

Student Observership: 

For Academic Year 2020-2021, due to the fluid situation of COVID-19 pandemic, UC Irvine will not allow observers (including but not limited to SRIP Program, High School students, College students, Medical students) to observe in labs, hospital and clinics until further notice. 

Updated on: Apriil 15, 2021