Special Months

A “special” elective month in the PGY-2, PGY-3, and PGY-4 year is a unique opportunity at UNC that allows our residents to participate in an activity they choose in order to advance their career goals. Special months allow for career exploration, skills development, resume building, and networking, depending on the resident’s personal needs and aspirations. Residents can choose and design a variety of experiences, including:

• Specialized Clinical Rotations, at UNC or away
• Research or Quality Improvement projects
• Innovations in Medical Education
• Skills building and networking at a conference, training, or mini-course

Special months give residents mentored, protected time to pursue scholarly activities and other academic pursuits, which are then presented at Resident Research Day. Many residents are able to present their work at local, regional, and national conferences, or submit manuscripts for publication.

Special months allow time for interested residents to have a global health experience, participate in (or even develop) unique electives such as the Resident Teaching elective, or focus on non-clinical passions like advocacy, policy, and social justice work. These four months allow residents flexibility to explore and identify their career interests, hone skills, and build the foundation for the next phase of their individual careers following residency training.