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MD Program

Application Phase Overview

During the Application Phase, students spend 12 months completing core clinical clerkships in psychiatry, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, and family medicine. Students can complete the Application Phase in one of four campus programs: Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington and Central (Chapel Hill and surrounding areas). All Campuses have the same course objectives and assessments, but each site is characterized by a unique curricular structure incorporating varying amounts of integration, self-directed learning and longitudinal emphasis. Regardless of the campus assignment, all students will be prepared for Individualization Phase and future career endeavors.

Application Phase Requirements

Prior to beginning the Application Phase, all students must:

  • Successfully complete and pass all course work in the Foundation Phase
  • Complete STEP 1 Exam

All campus programs require students to have a car. Bus service at any campus may be limited or non-existent to clinic sites.

Students assigned to Asheville, Charlotte, and Wilmington are expected to secure their own housing for the year. Staff at each campus can direct students to housing options. Central Campus students must also secure their own housing, but may be assigned to AHEC clinical sites in Greensboro and Wilmington to complete clinical experiences. For these short-term assignments, students can apply for AHEC housing. Learn more about AHEC housing.

Application Phase Leadership

Dr. Kelly Bossenbroek-Fedoriw, Co-Director of Application Phase
Dr. Luigi Pascarella, Co-Director of Application Phase

For general Application Phase inquiries: applicationphasehelp@med.unc.edu

Campus Leadership

Asheville Campus Director: , Assistant Dean, UNC School of Medicine, Asheville Campus

Central Campus Directors: Drs. and

Charlotte Campus Director: Dr. Mark Higdon, Associate Dean for Novant Charlotte Campus

Wilmington Campus Director: , Assistant Dean, UNC School of Medicine, Wilmington Campus

Grading

All campuses adhere to the same assessment structure and grading standards. Each course has a Course Committee comprised of the course’s directors, site directors, and a representative for academic assistance. A Course Committee meets at a course’s midpoint to provide formative feedback and its conclusion to determine final grades. More detailed information on assessments and grade breakdowns.

Grading Standards
(Starting in March 2022)
All Application Phase courses, with the exception of SHS4, use the following grading standards that rely on a 100 point scale. Students who fail will be required to retake the full course.

Honors/High Pass/Pass will be awarded using the following guidelines:

  • Grade Cut-Off Scores
    • 90 or above = Honors
    • 85 – 89.9 = High Pass
    • 75 – 84.9 = Pass
  • Grades will be rounded to the nearest tenth.
    • 89.95 = 90.0 = Honors
    • 89.94 = 89.9 = High Pass
    • 84.29 = 84.3 = Pass
    • 74.19 = 74.2 = Fail
  • To receive a grade of Pass, a student must achieve the following:
    • an overall score of at least 75
    • a passing score on the shelf exam (if a student fails the shelf, they will have an Incomplete until they retake it and pass)
  • A score of less than 3 (or 75%) for any competency on the Common Assessment Form puts the student at risk of failure or remediation

Common Assessment Form Score Percentages

1 = 20%2 = 40% 3 = 75% 4 = 90% 5 = 100%
  • Students must complete all assignments and assessments or risk failure or remediation
  • During the course, students must bring any concerns about grading on quizzes, assignments, or assessments to the attention of the course directors within 15 business days of receiving their score. After this time period, scores on individual assignments cannot be changed.

Application Phase Committee

The Application Phase Committee develops, evaluates, and manages the Application Phase. The committee is led by Drs. Kelly Bossenbroek-Fedoriw and Luigi Pascarella. Course directors, Campus directors and faculty, student representatives, and key administration attend the monthly meetings. Minutes of the meetings are maintained in an internal learning management system and are available upon request. Contact applicationphasehelp@med.unc.edu, with requests or questions. Learn more about the structure and purpose of this and all educational committees.