Electives

[Guest Its interview time]

i know its a supid question, but what are "electives" ?

are they the same as clerkships?

[Guest therealcrackers]

Electives are time you spend in an area of your choosing. You will have core rotations in medicine, psychiatry, surgery, paeds, OB/gyn, and family medicine because that's required. The electives are a chance to try out a different area (like plastics, or GI, or community OB) or spend more time in a particular area (like general surgery or general internal medicine).

 

Most schools will let you do them either at your home school (some of that may be required) or somewhere else in the world. I did electives during 3rd year at Western in ICU, thoracic surgery and cardiac surgery (these were during my clerkship). I did electives in 4th year at Western in Rheumatology, Radiology and General Internal Medicine, and electives in Nephrology at Mac, and Cardiology in Calgary.