Block II Extended Programs

The Extended Program in Block II is created for students who recognize that they might benefit from spreading the Block II experience into two years. Following discussion of the issues with the PBL Director, an academic program can be developed to enroll the student into alternate domains throughout the year. This program provides additional time prior to most domains so that the student can begin the study of the basic science content several weeks in advance of the start of the domain.

A PBL student who is on probation can be required to extend his/her academic program by the PBL Director and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

In addition, if the PBL Director perceives that a non-probation student is having significant academic difficulty, the Director may suggest program extension.

The factors that the Director takes into consideration prior to making this suggestion may include:

the student has not passed multiple first exams;
the student is carrying multiple N credits from Block I;
the student has taken advantage of all other academic support tools;
the student has extenuating circumstances in personal life that impede academic progress.

Each student is considered individually, and thus, no firm guidelines can be applied to the process. However, students considering an extended program should be aware of the following negatives:

Extension may also affect preparation for the USMLE-Step 1 ("Boards"). Since extended students are an extra year or more away from their first year courses, they may be more "rusty" than typical second year students preparing for Boards. As a result, we usually recommend structured Board preparation and review activities such as commercial programs.
Students who receive financial support through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) should be aware that NHSC will not support a student on an extended program. Thus, students supported by NHSC funds should secure other forms of financial support prior to extending their programs.
Residency directors vary in their knowledge of and attitudes about extended preclinical programs. Some view an extended preclinical year as unimportant to the residency selection process. Others (particularly in some competitive residency programs) may view it negatively. Residencies do value performance on USMLE Step 1, and academic performance in the clinical years, as reflected in grades and the Dean's Letter.
Students who are extended in the PBL curriculum are not eligible to erase.
Students who are extended in the PBL curriculum are not eligible to receive PBL Honors Commendations.
N grades can only be remediated by repeating the domain in the following academic year. When domains are repeated, the student is expected to attend all PBL group meetings.

Timeline for Extending Academic Programs in PBL

All students who believe that an Extended Program would be helpful for them in PBL should act upon this option as early in the academic year as possible. The following policies govern extension and dropping courses:

For Fall Semester:

Prior to Mid-Semester date:

Upon initiating an extension, the student can drop any domain in which no more than one domain exam has been taken.

After Mid-Semester date:

Upon initiating an extension, the student can drop any domain in which no domain exams have been taken.

For Spring Semester: