Flexible M.D.

The Flexible M.D. gives our medical students the opportunity to construct educational experiences under the close guidance of a faculty mentor to meet their individual needs and allow them to better serve communities and patients. Students may take up to one year to complete their projects, experiences, or opportunities within the Flexible M.D. program.

Eligibility criteria:

All students who participate must be currently enrolled in the Medical School and be in good academic standing. Students must demonstrate academic progress towards M.D. degree or demonstrate high probability that the alternative learning experience will help them to achieve that progress.

To qualify for the Flexible M.D. program, a student or team of students must propose an academic project or experience that will significantly enhance the standard curriculum and is designed to achieve personal educational goals; and provides an alternative to achieve specified competencies as part of progress towards the M.D. degree.

Taking part in the Flexible M.D. will extend a student's curriculum by at least 3 months and may take up to 1 year. If coursework is part of the design, it must include more than 1 course outside of the standard curriculum. These experiences include, but are not limited to:

  • Research
  • Community-based service learning
  • Global health via the IMER program
  • Advanced courses, certificate programs or degrees
  • All joint-degree programs, excluding M.D./Ph.D.

If the student applies as part of a team, they must have a team charter that specifies goals and all team members must be held equally accountable for outcomes.

The student(s) must have a faculty project mentor who is prepared and qualified to guide student(s), as needed, during the experience.

The project or learning experience must state explicit goals, linked to specified competencies.

The project or learning experience must include measurable outcomes to be approved by the Flexible M.D. Oversight Committee and reported to the Educational Program Evaluation Committee. Examples of measurable outcomes include, but are not limited to:

  • Research paper
  • Journal article
  • Reflective writing
  • Presentation at a meeting
  • New curriculum
  • Video or audio project
  • Art project

The Flexible M.D. increases options for Katie Pastorius.