4th Year Electives
Students interested in scheduling an elective must contact the Clerkship Director.
The department welcomes M4s to consider an elective in Ob-Gyn. However, we advise the students to consider their goals in doing so.
For students who are planning to pursue a residency in Ob-Gyn, it is not necessary to do a ‘try-out’ month with us. We already know you well from your clerkship. And, we do not believe you need to practice deliveries for example; the purpose of a residency is to teach you how to perfect those skills. We would prefer for you to use your electives learning how to be a better doctor and would suggest a month of radiology, geriatrics, intensive care or dermatology. However, we do offer a senior clerkship (JI) in high-risk obstetrics and an elective in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. (See the catalogue if you are interested).
The exception may be, the student who rotated in Chattanooga or Knoxville for their Ob-Gyn clerkship and is interested in a residency at UT, Memphis. You may wish to do an elective or JI in our department to get to know us better or have us get to know you.
For students who are considering a career in Ob-Gyn and would like more exposure, we welcome you to discuss your goals with a member of the faculty, the chairman, the clerkship director or the residency director. We are happy to tailor a month that will help address your questions. For example, a month with private obstetrician-gynecologists in town for a ‘real-world’ experience or a month rotating with our subspecialists can be arranged.
Finally, for students who are not considering Ob-Gyn, but would like more education in the specialty, we offer an elective that is 2 weeks of obstetrics and 2 weeks of gynecology.