Use of free time in the third and fourth years of a flexible curriculum

In 1988, the author surveyed senior students on their use of the six months of free time in the junior-senior biennial at the University of Minnesota Medical School-Minneapolis. The students were asked both to provide detailed reports on their free-time activities and to rank the three activities they considered to be most helpful to their professional development. Of 274 seniors, 191 (70%) responded. The students had used a majority of their free time for pursuits related to education and advancement of their careers. Approximately one-third of the time had been used for vacations. The activities the students viewed as most helpful included research, interviewing for residency positions, vacation, study elsewhere, and preparation for the National Board of Medical Examiners Part II examination. The author suggests that when free time is made available in a flexible curriculum, students use it to advantage in an educationally responsible manner.