"Nuts & Bolts 2" - A Guide to the Clinical Years Section 5: Third-Year Clerkship Information & Objectives Table of Contents Add/Drop Policy • Adding a clerkship: You may add a clerkship at any time, based on availability. • Dropping a clerkship: A drop is allowed up to eight weeks before the beginning of the clerkship. After that, a drop will be allowed only if you find a student to replace you.   Full-time Student Status: The School of Medicine Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requires that all students are registered for a minimum of 12 units per quarter. The exceptions are quarters where it is only possible to fit in one 9-unit core clerkship/vacation, and also spring quarter of the fourth year when students finish in mid-May.   Vacation Policy Students have eight weeks of free "block time" that can be used as vacation in the third and fourth years. These eight weeks are in addition to the regularly scheduled academic vacation between fall and winter quarters. In addition to two blocks of vacation time, students who take electives during their first and second years may substitute up to six units of credit from these electives for one four-week clinical block, resulting in a maximum of 12 weeks of vacation during the clinical years (JMP students automatically receive this extra 4 weeks of vacation). You should meet with your career advisor to discuss how to schedule your vacation time in order to best meet your personal and academic needs. Vacation time may not be taken during Intersessions or the scheduled time for the Clinical Performance Exam in spring quarter. Click for more information about the CPX. The only holiday time that is automatically granted during clinical blocks is for Thanksgiving. You are released from your clerkship at 8pm the day before Thanksgiving and must return by 8am the day after. No other holiday leave is guaranteed, and the site director must approve all such vacation requests in advance. When planning your schedule to meet graduation and California licensing requirements, remember that you will need to successfully complete all required third- and fourth-year courses. You must allow at least two weeks of vacation in your fourth year for interviews. Early match specialties (neurosurgery, ophthalmology and urology) usually interview in November/December; all others interview in December/January. Additional vacation or flexible time is recommended. Attendance Policy It is extremely important that you have excellent attendance in all of your clerkships. If you are unable to attend a clerkship, whether it be for a residency interview, illness, or another reason, it is essential that you contact your clerkship/site director. The maximum amount of time you may miss is one day per month, with permission of the clerkship/site director. If you exceed the one-day maximum and fail to make up the work, the instructor may issue you a failing grade. If you are ill, you should be seen by a doctor, and then call your clerkship supervisor to report your illness.