Requirements for Promotion and Graduation

A.  Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Medicine must exhibit the requisite attitudes, skills, knowledge, and professional behavior to complete the prescribed course of study, and they must meet "Technical Standards" cited in the catalog of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In addition, a candidate must possess personal qualifications and attributes deemed necessary to perform the duties of a medical professional. Specifically, all candidates are expected to exhibit unimpaired judgment and behavior consistent with the responsibilities of a medical professional. Thus, in addition to the usual academic evaluations for each course, the student evaluation will take into consideration the following:

• Professional demeanor
• Professional conduct
• Concern for the welfare and dignity of patients
• Responsibility to duty
• Trustworthiness
• Honesty
• Ethical conduct
• Aberrant behavior
• General or specific conduct meriting concern

B.  Progression through the curriculum:

1. Progression through the pre-clerkship years is dependent upon successfully completing the standard or modified (when required or appropriate) pre-clerkship curriculum.
2. Entrance into the second year of the pre-clerkship curriculum requires successful completion of the first year of the pre-clerkship curriculum.
3. Entrance into the clerkship curriculum requires successful completion of the pre-clerkship curriculum.
4. Students must have taken the USMLE Step 1 Exam within 12 months of completing the pre-clerkship curriculum and prior to starting any clerkship, rotation, or elective for credit.
5. Students may enroll in a Sub-internship or Critical Care selective in the first 12 months of their clerkship curriculum as long as they have met the pre-requisites for the course. Students who fail to satisfy these requirements may not be permitted to proceed to the next curricular phase.

C.  Students for whom greater than 2 years have elapsed since the completion of the pre-clerkship Patient Centered Medicine Health Equity course must satisfy the following requirements prior to entry into the clerkship curriculum:

1. Students must take a three week (minimum) “practice clerkship” in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Pediatrics, at least 50% of which shall be in an inpatient setting, within six months prior to entry into the clerkship curriculum. The activities of the “practice clerkship” will conform to a standard clerkship except that no written exam will be given, no credit will be given, and no grade will be entered on the transcript. The student will, however, be given evaluative feedback. This requirement may be waived for students by a dean of student affairs in consultation with the M.D./Ph.D. Program in cases where the M.D./Ph.D. student has had regular clinical experiences during the Ph.D. phase.
2. Students must take the Bridge to Clinical Practice I course prior to taking the first clerkship or elective for credit, unless otherwise approved by a dean of student affairs (for elective credit or clerkship audits only).
3. For M.D./Ph.D. students, all work for the Ph.D. (including thesis defense and revisions) must be completed prior to starting the first clerkship or elective for credit, unless otherwise approved by a dean of student affairs and the M.D./Ph.D. Program.

D.  All students must pass the Summative Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE).

E.  Successful completion of 20 weeks of electives are required for graduation. Students in dual degree programs and Student Scholar programs may be awarded elective credits for work done in their other degree programs or Student Scholar programs, as noted below; however, in most circumstances, students will still need to complete 20 weeks of electives beyond those awarded for a dual degree program or a Student Scholar program.

1. Students who are in the M.D./Ph.D. program, or who pursue a Ph.D. at an outside institution while enrolled at RWJMS, and who have completed all course and research requirements for the Ph.D. (as certified by a transcript that shows conferral of the Ph.D.) will be awarded 16 weeks of elective credit for work done in the Ph.D. program. These students will be required to complete 16 additional weeks of elective credit for graduation; they will be allowed to substitute the Ph.D. training for up to four weeks of elective credit toward the relevant graduation requirement. In order to receive credit for work done at an outside institution, students must submit an approved Individually Designed Elective form to the Office of the Registrar prior to beginning the activity.
2. Students who are in the M.D./M.P.H., M.D./M.S.C.T.S., or M.D./M.B.A. program, or who pursue a master’s degree at an outside institution while enrolled at RWJMS, and who have completed all requirements for the master’s degree (as certified by a transcript that shows conferral of the relevant degree) will be awarded 12 weeks of elective credit for work done in the master’s degree program. In order to receive credit, students must submit an approved Individually Designed Elective form to the Office of the Registrar prior to beginning the activity. These students will be required to complete 20 additional weeks of elective credit for graduation.
3. Students engaged in Student Scholar activity (approved by a dean of student affairs) after completion of the pre-clerkship curriculum may receive up to 9 weeks of elective credit for work done in the Student Scholar Program. In order to receive credit, students must submit an approved Individually Designed Elective form to the Office of the Registrar prior to beginning the activity. These students will be required to complete 20 additional weeks of elective credit for graduation.

F.  All students must successfully complete the full curriculum (pre-clerkship, clerkship, and advanced clinical experiences), as well as pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge prior to being awarded the M.D. degree.