Third year students begin to intensify career planning, by consulting faculty, deans, residents, and other physicians. Each specialty department at Georgetown holds meetings or seminars for students who wish to investigate residencies and careers in that field and has identified faculty to work with students in their planning. These years begin about July 1 and continue until graduation for fourth year students, until mid-June for third year. During the late winter and spring of the prior year, second and third year students choose, by a rank order preference list, the sequential order of clerkships for their individual schedule for the following year. The clinical years bring new stresses as well as new opportunities.
Many students encounter severe or chronic illness, trauma and death for the first time.
The emotional toll can be heavy, and students are once again strongly urged to make use of the many helping resources available. According to policy, Georgetown third year students are an integral part of the patient hospital care team, share in the team's responsibility for the patient, and are expected to be on duty as scheduled. Schedule adjustments for religious or other grave reasons may be requested, but if granted, are given as a matter of grace, not of right, and only when alternate arrangements can be made that do not compromise patient care or educational quality, and are not unduly burdensome to staff or other students. The decision lies with the clerkship director. Students should notify the Office of the Associate Deans if they are going to miss their clerkship for illness or emergency.