Standard Policies and Procedures for Phase 3
2006-2007

1. If a student is absent or late for any reason, s/he is required to contact the attending physician and/or resident for that rotation and the clerkship director’s office that day. This policy applies to all students regardless of whether the rotation is on or off-campus.

2. Students are required to be present for all clinical activities. The clerkship director must excuse all absences. If an emergency results in a student being absent three days during a four-week rotation or 5 days during a six-week rotation, withdrawal or an incomplete grade will result, unless both the clerkship director and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs feel that circumstances allow the student to complete the clerkship. Personal illness and family emergencies are examples of legitimate reasons for being absent. Weddings, visits to family and friends, pre-purchased airline tickets, interviews, etc. are not acceptable reasons to be absent from the rotation. All absences for unacceptable reasons will reflect in the student’s narrative comments.

3. Dress Code for Clinical Activities
Students are expected to dress professionally in appropriate attire and maintain a neat and clean appearance. Professional attire is a shirt and tie for males and slacks/skirt and blouse for females. As members of the medical community, all students engaged in patient care activities should wear a clean, short white coat (unless instructed otherwise by the attending physician) and have the required student identification visible. Students are to adhere to the professional standards of their assigned clinical sites. Appearances that have the potential to offend or distract patients must be avoided. Examples of these appearances include but are not limited to:
Easily visible tattoos or body piercing (e.g., lip, eyebrow, tongue)
Unusual hair coloring or style
Casual clothing (e.g., jeans and shirts without collars for men.)
Revealing or ill-fitting clothing
Scrubs and tennis shoes are to be worn only when on overnight call or when students are in the operating room or labor and delivery.
For safety reasons, no open-toed shoes or sandals
Unwashed or unkempt appearance
Limited use of cologne, perfume, or after shave

4. Vacation Schedule.  Vacations begin and end on the following dates:
Thanksgiving Holiday: November 23 - November 26, 2006
Christmas Holiday: December 18, 2006 - January 1, 2007
Spring Holidays: April 2 - 8, 2007

5. Holidays.
The following holidays are treated the same as a Saturday or Sunday.
Labor Day
Columbus Day (VA holiday only)
Veterans Day (VA holiday only)
Martin Luther King Day
President’s Day (VA holiday only)
Memorial Day
Independence Day

Policy for Medical Students’ Observance of Religious Holidays

Students should meet with the clerkship director (or designee if the clerkship director is not available) prior to the beginning of the rotation to make him/her aware of their religious obligations. The clerkship director will notify the attending physician that the student has permission to be away from their clinical responsibilities for the time the religious observance(s) take(s) place. In addition, students should meet with their attending physician and resident to make arrangements for the care of their patients. If possible, students should arrange for a colleague on the rotation to cover their patients. The time away from the rotation will not impact on students’ evaluations.

Students should meet with the Associate Dean for Curriculum prior to beginning Phase 3 if: (1) they need to be away from their clinical responsibilities on any required rotation for more than three days (or three 26-hour periods) or if (2) they are required to be away for more than seven days (or seven 26-hour periods) during an academic year. In such instances, the Associate Dean for Curriculum will work with the student to modify the curriculum to ensure the student meets the educational requirements for graduation. Modifications might require a delayed graduation date and should be approved by the student’s promotion committee.

6. Students do not take call on the Wednesday night prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday and may leave that afternoon after all their patient care responsibilities have been completed.

7. Students do take call on the Friday PM prior to the Spring Holiday and may leave Saturday AM after all their patient care responsibilities have been completed.

8. Students do not take call on the Thursday prior to the NBME Subject Examination and may leave that afternoon after all their patient care responsibilities have been completed.

Administrative Issues

1. Any student requiring special testing conditions must notify the clerkship director or coordinator before the start of the clerkship or on the first day of the clerkship.

2. NBME subject examinations are given on the final Friday of each clerkship. If a student, regardless of the reason, does not take the examination at that time, s/he will have to take the examination whenever it is offered again at the end of that clerkship.

3. Students must achieve a minimal passing score on each end-of-clerkship NBME Subject Examination to pass the clerkship. If a student does not receive a passing score, s/he will receive a “D” for the clerkship regardless of their clinical grade. At a minimum, students will be required to remediate the deficiency by taking a four-week period to prepare for retaking the examination. Longer periods of remediation may be required depending on the deficiencies of the student. During this time, students cannot be on a core clerkship, selective, or elective. Scheduled vacations are not considered part of the remediation. Students must take the month of July in the senior year as vacation to remediate deficiencies if s/he failed the end-of-clerkship exam prior to the June rotation. A student failing an end-of-clerkship exam in June will be required to remediate the deficiency during the August rotation. If the student successfully remediates the clerkship, the grade will appear as a “D”/remediated grade on the transcript and count as a 2.0 in the calculation of the GPA. A student who fails the end-of-clerkship exam as part of remediation will receive a grade of “F” for the remediation.

4. If a student has a concern regarding a clinical grade, s/he must discuss it with the clerkship director first and not the attending physician or residents. A violation of this policy will result in a student forfeiting the right to officially appeal the grade.

5. If a student formally appeals a clerkship grade, the student’s narrative will reflect the fact the student appealed her/his grade with the result of the appeal.

6. Clerkship grades are based on the following scale.
A:  90 - 100
B:  80 - 89.99
C:  70 - 79.99
D:  60 - 69.99
F:  Below 59.99
Final grades for the clerkships are not rounded up.

7. For each of the clerkships, students must complete the Student Patient Encounter Log (SPEL) using one45 to fulfill the requirements for the clerkship. On the Family Medicine Clerkship, you are to complete the department’s log.

8. For each of the clerkships, students must submit an evaluation on the faculty, residents, and clerkship to fulfill the clerkship requirements. A student’s grade will not be posted until the evaluations have been submitted to Evaluation Services.

9. All electronic communication will be through GroupWise. Students are responsible for all information sent via GroupWise. All students should routinely check their GroupWise e-mail regarding clerkship announcements and information.

10. If a student has had a recent name change, s/he must notify the clerkship director or coordinator before the start of the clerkship or on the first day of the clerkship.

11. Students should not arrange for a core clerkship rotation at any of the participating sites. All assignments are made through the Clerkship Director’s office. A violation of this policy will be reflected in the student’s narrative comments.

12. If a student sustains a needle stick or blood/body fluid exposure, s/he must notify the attending physician and clerkship coordinator and/or director of the incident. The clerkship coordinator or director will notify the Associate Dean for Student Affairs of the occurrence.
 

July 03, 2007