Fourth year electives at CUMC

During the fourth year students are required to complete sixteen weeks of electives, four of which must be a sub-internship in medicine, pediatrics or surgery. Students may apply to take these clinical elective courses at Columbia University Medical Center and its affiliates or at other institutions.

During the second semester students may participate in a two-month, supervised Global Health clinical clerkship in a lesser-developed area of the world, or in cross-cultural settings in the United States and Israel. The semester concludes in Israel with four, two-week electives in surgical and medical subspecialties.

Fourth-Year electives at Columbia University

As approved by the New York State Department of Education, students in the Medical School for International Health may engage in up to four months of clinical elective clerkships at Columbia University Medical Center. By agreement with Columbia University, students may take electives at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital's Milstein and Allen Pavilions, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, and Harlem Hospital. Before enrolling in electives at Columbia University or any other New York State teaching hospital, all students must register their elective plans with New York State Department of Education by submitting an application and small fee, along with verification that the host institution has met LCME standards for graduate medical education.

Students begin to plan their fourth-year electives at Columbia University in the winter of their third year in consultation with faculty at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. All applications for Columbia University clinical electives must be approved by BGU staff before requests are submitted to the Columbia University Office. For a current list of fourth-year elective clerkships available to visiting Medical School for International Health students at Columbia University, see the elective catalogue at  http://ps.columbia.edu/education/electives.

By virtue of the BGU-Columbia affiliation agreement, fourth-year students at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons may take fourth-year clinical clerkships at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Fourth-year Columbia University medical students may also apply in May of their third year to participate in the Medical School for International Health global health clinical clerkships in sites such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Israel, Uganda, Peru, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.  P&S students can contact Alice Mahoney at 212-305-9587 or am837@columbia.edu to receive an application for the 2013 clerkships.

Medical School for International Health students may also apply to spend up to three months doing clinical electives at other institutions. These may be done at other medical schools in the United States, in students' home countries, or elsewhere.