The Elective Curriculum
Preclinical Electives:
The elective program provides students the opportunity to broaden their intellectual experiences during the pre-clinical years and is a major element of the curriculum at UCSD School of Medicine. Students are expected to complete a minimum of 21 weekly hours or approximately 227 total hours of elective work during the first two years of medical school. The elective hour requirement may be satisfied through participation in pre-clinical elective courses, directed readings, independent study, preceptorships, and laboratory experiences. Students may choose to enroll in UCSD courses outside of the SOM and earn SOM elective credit. For further information regarding preclinical electives, please contact Denise LeStrange at dlestrange@ucsd.edu.
Clinical Electives:
During the fourth year of the curriculum, students are allowed to select elective clerkships. Although students are allowed to choose their fourth year schedule, they must fulfill the following requirements:
Direct Patient Care (DPC) Clerkships:
A minimum of 3 months of the fourth-year curriculum shall be devoted to DPC Clerkships at UCSD or a UCSD affiliated hospital. During these months, students must enroll in:
- Ambulatory Care Clerkship – A minimum of one month of ambulatory care.
- Inpatient Care Clerkship – A minimum of one month of inpatient care (including intensive care units).
- Primary Care Clerkship – A minimum of one month of primary care. Most sub-specialty consultative rotations will not satisfy this requirement.
Other Elective Clerkships:
A minimum of 3 months of elective clerkships. For further information regarding clinical electives, please contact Adrianne Edwards at a1edwards@ucsd.edu.
Departments within the School which offer elective courses include:
| Anesthesiology | Cellular and Molecular Medicine | Family and Preventive Medicine |
| Medicine | Neurosciences | Ophthalmology |
| Orthopedics | Pathology | Pediatrics |
| Pharmacology | Psychiatry | Radiology |
| Reproductive Medicine | Surgery | Interdisciplinary Electives |
