Saturday, July 05, 2008 :: 06:15

Office of Student Services

Phase III Credit Request

Students are not restricted to the courses listed in the Clerkship Catalog and are encouraged to initiate educational experiences here or at other institutions. However, in order to ensure that such programs have educational merit, all non-catalog experiences must have the approval of the Committee on Student Promotions and Evaluation.

Elective Credit Requirements

An Elective is defined by the Committee on Student Promotions and Evaluation as an educational activity related to medical science. To receive Elective credit, the experience must meet the following criteria:

Elective Credit for Direct Patient Care Credit

Requesting Direct Patient Care Credit from CSPE

  1. Students must complete the Direct Patient Care Credit Request Form. Hard copies are available in the Office of Student Services.
  2. Student must have the faculty evaluator from the intended institution sign the DPC Credit Form prior to submitting it, along with Phase III Credit Request Form, to CSPE.
  3. Retroactive requests for Direct Patient Care credit will not be considered by CSPE.

Requesting Elective Credit from CSPE

Requests must be submitted to the Office of Student Services 45 days in advance of the start of the rotation.

To request approval of a non-catalog experience, the student must:

  1. Complete the Phase III Credit Request. Hard copies are available in the Office of Student Services.
  2. Provide a written description of the course, either from a course catalog or affiliated website.
  3. Present the Phase III Credit Request with DPC Credit Request (if applicable) and course description to the appropriate UNM School of Medicine department chair for review and signature approval.
  4. Submit the request form with department chair’s signature, the DPC Credit Request (if applicable), and the course description to the Office of Student Services at least 45 days in advance of the beginning date of the course. The request is reviewed in that office and in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education before it is forwarded to CSPE for consideration.

A student who takes a non-catalog course without the required prior approval of the Committee of Student Promotions and Evaluation will not receive credit for the course, regardless of the grade given by the course instructor.

Following Phase III Credit approval by CSPE

The student will be notified of CSPE’s decision regarding the request. If students receive approval to participate in a non-catalog clerkship, students are responsible for providing the faculty evaluator with the appropriate evaluation form to receive a grade or credit. 

  1. A course change form will be processed by the Office of Student Services to add the approved rotation to your schedule. However, it is the student's responsibility to drop any any conflicting course before the approved course can be added.
  2. Before leaving for your externship, request the appropriate evaluation form [Grade Evaluation OR Credit Evaluation] from the Office of Student Services to take with you to your rotation.

Credit for a course will not be given until a completed UNM SOM evaluation form with a passing grade is received in the Office of Student Services.

Canceling a Non-Catalog Clerkship

In the event of canceled rotation, the students are responsible for:

  1. Meeting any policies set forth by the intended institution, including but not limited to: cancellation deadlines, fees, notifications, etc.
  2. Processing a Course Change form with the Office of Student Services to remove the clerkship from their schedule.