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Integrating Scholarly Concentration Work Into The Clinical Years

As you learn about the clerkships and core requirements you may be wondering when you will have time to complete “extra” work such as the final scholarly product for your concentration area.  The clinical years are a busy and exciting time.  However, there is actually ample time in the clinical schedule to complete the work, and it is very possible to integrate your scholarly concentration work into some of the existing clerkships that you will be completing anyway! 
Below are some suggestions as to how to approach your schedule with your concentration in mind.  As you plan, be sure to check your timeline with your concentration area Director- faculty will need ample time to review your scholarly product prior to graduation!

Opportunities to integrate your scholarly concentration into Years III and IV

  • Nights and Weekends- Several clerkships (such as Family Medicine and Psychiatry) may have little or no required time at night and on weekends.
  • Community Health Clerkship- It may be possible to integrate your scholarly concentration work into the field experience or project requirement of your Community Health Clerkship. Please be sure to pay close attention to clerkship policies and objectives (http://med.brown.edu/pubhealth/mph/chc/page.php).
  • Independent Studies- You have the opportunity to design an Independent Study related to your scholarly concentration project.  This may be the perfect opportunity to give yourself enough dedicated time to complete your scholarly product.  Please be sure to pay close attention to the requirements of Independent Study Projects (http://med.brown.edu/education/independent.html).
  • Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkship- Students have the option to design their own Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkship as an independent study.  If your scholarly concentration project has a clinical component, it may be possible to design a Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkship that also allows you to work towards your scholarly product.  However, please be sure to pay close attention to the requirements of the Clerkship (http://med.brown.edu/education/clerkships_planning.html),and allow yourself enough time to complete all requirements.
  • Unscheduled Weeks- In addition to using some of your time off for essential things such as sleeping, reconnecting with family, and interviewing for residencies, it may also be possible to use some of your unscheduled time between blocks to reconnect with your scholarly concentration mentor, complete that manuscript, or finish putting together your portfolio of concentration work.
  • Eighth Semester Program- The Eighth Semester Program allows fourth year medical students to enroll in graduate level courses at Brown (http://med.brown.edu/education/8thsemester.html).  Many of these courses are relevant to scholarly concentrations in Advocacy & Activism, Medical Ethics, Medical Humanities and others.  The Eighth Semester Program is an opportunity to once again explore your scholarly concentration area through rigorous coursework in a way that can enhance your final scholarly product.  Become reinvigorated about your concentration topic through this program!