I.  Introduction

This document outlines the various elective and research options available to UCI Internal Medicine House Officers. Each house officer will have 2 elective blocks in their first year, 4 blocks in their second year, and 3 blocks in their third year for a minimum total of 9 elective blocks. The curriculum for each rotation is available in our curriculum document and on the Program’s Web site. This document can also be found on our website under Curriculum/Electives Catalogue. Please refer to these references for curriculum details.

A.  Research Blocks

If you wish to do a research elective of any duration, you must complete a research elective application that specifies the rationale and plan for your proposed research rotation. This proposal must be reviewed and approved by the Program Director before it can be implemented. Therefore, it is crucial that you plan ahead and ensure that your time will be used in a meaningful and productive manner.

Applications can be obtained from the Chief Residents or Program Coordinator and are also posted on the Residency Program Website (www.medicine.uci.edu/residency) in the “Forms” section. In order to be scheduled for a research elective, you must submit the name of your faculty mentor and the general area of your research at the time you submit your schedule request. You must submit the formal research application at least 30 days prior to the start of your research elective block. If you do not, you will be scheduled for an alternative elective experience.

In order to receive credit for research, you must submit a final abstract and must present the abstract at the resident research grand rounds and poster session.

B.  Externships and International Rotations

Electives at other programs, at practice sites not generally offered by the Program, or in international locations can be arranged if the educational rationale is appropriate. The University will pay salary and malpractice for these types of rotations when approved by the Program Director. Application materials and processes can be obtained from the Chief Residents or Program Coordinator. They are also available under Forms on the website. Some educational stipend may be available for these rotations. Please review the policy on externships and financial support on the website.

Categorical house officers who have successfully completed their PGY1 year are eligible for  externships or international rotations. Preliminary PGY1 residents must apply through the Preliminary Program Director for permission to do externships.

Do not schedule any flights or make other travel arrangements that are not refundable until you have received approval for the elective.

International rotations or externships are generally 3 weeks but can be as long as 4 weeks under special circumstances. These away rotations cannot be 6 weeks.

II.  Available Program-based Electives

Elective opportunities follow, by site. Those which may be more unique experiences or about which you may be less aware are highlighted in bold.

Please note: If a rotation is identified as “by special arrangement only”, you must contact the department which sponsors the rotation to find a faculty sponsor and dates for your rotation. The rotation will need to be arranged at least 90 days in advance. If you have questions about this process, please feel free to contact a chief resident for assistance.

A.  UCIMC Non-Core (Elective) Rotations

1. Adolescent Medicine: By special arrangement only. Contact Adriana Hernandez (ahernandez@choc.org, 714-509-3219), administrative assistant in the Pediatrics Department and Dr. Harvey Triebwasser (714-997-3000), the chair of adolescent medicine for information about the availability of this elective.
2. CAM, Integrative/Alternative Medicine Elective: By special arrangement only. Contact Dr. Shaista Malik (smalik@uci.edu) to arrange the rotation. Plan for this elective well ahead of time. The slots are only available in specific time frames and they fill early. 
3. Cardiology Consults
4. Non-Invasive Cardiology (limited availability)
5. CCU. The total of MICU and CCU cannot exceed 10 blocks.
6. Endocrine Consults is a shared elective between the VA and UCI. You will have clinical responsibilities at both sites.
7. Gastroenterology Consults
8. General Internal Medicine Clinic. By special arrangement only. House Officers can elect to do extra blocks of time in the UCIMC Internal Medicine General Internal Medicine Clinic working with Primary Care Faculty. Please contact Dr. Bavani Nadeswaran at bnadeswa@uci.edu.
   
9. Genetics: By special arrangement only. A clinical elective sponsored by the Pediatrics Genetics division. Appropriate for individuals interested in primary care, oncology, and adolescent medicine. Contact Drs. Maureen Bocian or Virginia Kimonis, Department of Pediatrics. Contact email: mebocian@uci.edu, vkimonis@uci.edu.
10. Geriatrics at UCIMC. This rotation can be tailored to your own interests and needs. Residents do not have to repeat what they did on GEM unless they want to (Forensic Center, Braille, Adult Day Health Care, workshops). This can include the HAPS clinic, the Senior Center, long term care sites, and specific didactics.
11. Hematology: Work in clinics with benign hematology, sickle cell clinics in Orange County. Contact Dr. Susan Claster clasters@uci.edu for more details.
12. Hematopathology: By special arrangement only. Contact Dr. Minh-Ha Tran in Pathology  minhhat1@uci.edu in advance.
13. Hospitalist/Consult (Extra block)
14. Infectious Disease Consults
15. Latino Health Access Elective. By special arrangement only. Work with the Orange County Latino Health Access providing education to promotores and working with the local Latino population. Must speak Spanish. Part of the time will be spent creating educational programs for patients and promotores. Contact LHA via Alejandro Espinoza, 714-542-7792, extension 3136.
16. Neurosciences ICU. By special arrangement only. Work in the neurosciences ICU at UCIMC with the neurointensivist faculty. Manage strokes, bleeds, and neurosurgical patients. Contact Dr. Cyrus Dastur cdastur@uci.edu for details.
17. Team O: Chemotherapy, Leukemia and Bone Marrow Inpatient Team.
18. Medical Director Administrative Skills and Experience Elective: By special arrangement only. Requires considerable advance notice. Contact Drs. Alpesh Amin or Lloyd Rucker to make arrangements.
19. Nephrology Consults
20. Occupational Medicine Rotation with the Occupational Medicine Division: Only for PGY2 and above residents with California medical license (for Worker’s Compensation cases). Spend 4 days per week  working in the Consultation and Occupational Health Clinics run by the Division of Occupational  and Environmental Health. Other experiences will be integrated in to this rotation.   Require prior approval.  For details and to check availability, contact Dr. Wayne Chang: wwchang@uci.edu. (714) 456-8300.
21. Palliative Care Consults and Clinic. Beyond the core requirement, three weeks working with the Palliative Care Faculty doing inpatient consults and Palliative Care Clinic. Contact Dr. Solomon Liao ssliao@uci.edu for details.
22. Pathology: By special arrangement only. Contact the pathology office to make sure that the rotation is available and to find an attending to sponsor you. Requires submission of electives request form.
23. Pre-operative Evaluation Clinic: 3 weeks working in the pre-operative evaluation clinic. Contact Dr. Amish Dangodara aadangod@uci.edu for the most appropriate blocks.
24. Pulmonary Consults
25. Psychiatry Liaison: Spend a block on the psychiatry liaison service, working with the psychiatry consult service. Contact the psychiatry residency program office to find out which attending is currently in charge of the psychiatry liaison service.
26. Radiation Oncology: By special arrangement only. Contact the Radiation Oncology Department to assure dates and availability. Requires submission of electives request form.
27. Rheumatology Consults is a shared elective between the VA and UCI. You will have clinical responsibilities at both sites.

B.  Long Beach VA Medical Center Non-Core (Elective) Rotations

1. Acupuncture Elective: By special arrangement only. Contact Dr. An-Fu Hsiao anfu.hsiao@va.gov.
2. Addiction Medicine: By special arrangement only. The objective is that the residents increase their motivation and during the elective will help them better understand and treat people who suffer from addiction. To provide the fundamentals tools for working with patients suffering from substance abuse in the hospital, the clinic and the community. Contact Dr. Ricardo Restrepo for more information, Ricardo.Restrepo-Guzman@va.gov.
3. Cardiology Consults
4. CCU (See UCIMC above for restrictions)
5. Emergency Department Rotation: Contact Dr. Jeffrey Miller drjeffmiller46@aol.com.
6. Endocrinology Consults is a shared elective between the VA and UCI. You will have clinical responsibilities at both sites.
7. ENT. By special arrangement only. Contact the Chief Residents for contact information.
8. Gastroenterology Consults
9. Hematology-Oncology Consults
10. Infectious Disease Consults
11. MICU (See UCIMC electives list above for restrictions)
12. Nephrology Consults
13. Neurology Consults
14. Ophthalmology. By special arrangement only. Contact the Chief Residents for contact information.
15. Pathology. By special arrangement only. Requires submission of electives request form.
16. Psychiatry Liaison
17. PM&R: By special arrangement only. Contact Dr. Patricia Nance patricia.nance@va.gov.
18. Radiation Oncology: By special arrangement only. Contact the VA Radiation Oncology Department to assure dates and availability
19. Radiology. By special arrangement only. Requires submission of electives request form.
20. Pulmonary Consults
21. Rheumatology Consults is a shared elective between the VA and UCI. You will have clinical responsibilities at both sites.
22. Sleep Medicine: Rotate through sleep clinic, observe sleep studies being performed
23. Subspecialty Ambulatory Clinic Rotation Block: Rotate within a variety of internal medicine subspecialty clinics primarily at the LBVA.
24. Women’s Health Clinic: 3 Weeks with the Women’s Health Clinic Faculty at the VA. This is a combined rotation with the Long Beach VA and Long Beach Memorial clinics. Contact Dr. Angie Nguyen angelicn@uci.edu.

C.  Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Electives

These electives need to be arranged by Dr. Angie Nguyen, Associate Program Director angelicn@uci.edu.

1. MICU Rotation (See UCIMC for restrictions.)
2. Allergy/ENT - combination of Allergy, Pulmonary and Otolaryngology office experiences & hospital PFT lab reading
3. Dermatology- exposure to outpatient general and cosmetic dermatology with exposure to Moh’s surgery and other office-based dermatologic procedures
4. Hospitalist Elective Rotation – Work with a private practice hospitalist one-on-one managing patients in a busy inpatient environment at Long Beach Memorial. Available only for senior residents. Contact Dr. Nguyen for details. (This does not substitute for your UCIMC hospitalist rotation.)
5. Gastroenterology
6. Oncology- inpatient, outpatient, or combined experience in general Hematology/Oncology
7. Women's Health Rotation - combination of outpatient gynecology, breast diagnostics, & endocrinology. Combined rotation with the VA.
8. ID
9. Nephrology - private practice nephrology with inpatient, outpatient and dialysis center experiences
10. Pulmonary: Can tailor your experience either primarily inpatient consultations or outpatient clinic.