Restricted Electives

Certain clinical electives in the Medical School are restricted to students who agree not to drop the elective after enrolling in it. This restriction has been deemed necessary by the course leaders for two reasons. First, some electives, such as subinternships, are planned to involve the student as an important component of the health care team. Residents' schedules are determined with the presence of the student in mind. If a student drops this elective, it leaves the team short-staffed.

Second, some electives, such as the clinical nephrology elective, are in great demand both by Brown students and students from other medical schools. When a slot is selected by a Brown student, it is not available to others. If a student drops this elective, it is often impossible to fill the slot and thus unnecessarily denies the opportunity to other students.

Restricted electives are so noted in the clinical elective catalogue. Students selecting restricted electives must have a firm commitment to take the elective as scheduled. Likewise, course leaders for restricted electives must be willing to offer students a firm commitment that the slot for the elective will be available during the time selected by the student. Some restricted electives (e.g. subinternships) make slots contingent upon the results of the third-year clerkship lottery. In those circumstances, the student may assume the slot in the restricted elective is guaranteed two weeks after the third-year lottery, unless notified otherwise within that two-week period.

Students who are enrolled in restricted electives are expected not to drop that elective within nine months of the scheduled starting date of that elective, except in extreme circumstances which must be approved in advance by the Associate Dean for Medical Education. (See below for a delineation of circumstances that would permit students to be excused.)

A student who is not excused but who fails to honor his or her commitment will be denied permission to enroll in any courses during the time allocated originally for the restricted elective, whether or not the courses are taken at Brown or at another institution. Furthermore, a letter will be entered into the student's permanent file, noting the student's failure to fulfill his or her obligation.

Students who believe that their absence from the restricted elective should have been excused or permitted but was not may appeal the decision of the Associate Dean to the Appeals and Grievance Committee under the usual rules governing appeals. The Appeals and Grievance Committee will make its decision based upon evidence that excusable circumstances did or did not exist (see below).

Excusable Circumstances Permitting Dropping of Restricted Electives

1. A student may drop a restricted elective without penalty anytime prior to nine months of the starting date of the course by notifying the Clerkship Coordinator in the Office of Medical Student Affairs.
2. A student may drop a restricted elective without penalty even if the restricted elective is scheduled to begin within nine months if the course was selected during the fourth-year lottery and notice is given to the Clerkship Coordinator within two weeks after the third-year lottery of that year. (Usually the fourth-year lottery is held on the second weekend in March. Therefore, the student has until the last weekend in March to drop restricted electives without penalty even if the course is scheduled to begin within nine months.)
3. A student may drop a restricted elective without penalty if approved by the Associate Dean for Medical Education. Approval may be given for the following circumstances:
   1. Injury or illness that precludes or might preclude full participation in the course;
   2. Compelling family crises such as illness in a close family member or transfer of a spouse's job to another state;
   3. Mental illness or emotional/behavioral problems that would impair the student's ability to perform adequately in the course or would not be in the best interest of the student's mental health or would have an adverse effect on the clinical service;
   4. Other circumstances of an extreme, unanticipated, and compelling nature.
4. A student may drop a restricted elective without penalty if approved by the course leader. In this case a written drop slip must be signed by the course leader and submitted to the Clerkship Coordinator in the Office of Medical Student Affairs.