Phase 3 Standard Policies and Procedures 2007-2008
1. 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.
Attendance
2. 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.
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 22 - November 25,
2007
Christmas Holiday: December
17, 2007 - January 1, 2008
Spring Holidays: April
7 - 13, 2008
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
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Grade Appeal
Students may challenge their final grade in a course or clerkship if they think their evaluation is unjust by:
Step 1: Discuss a Concern The student must discuss the concern with the module or clerkship director first and not with any other faculty member (e.g., the student's attending physician) who taught in module or clerkship. A violation of this step will result in a student forfeiting the right to officially appeal the grade.
Step 2: Appeal a Grade To appeal a grade, a student must submit to the module or clerkship director in writing the reasons for the appeal and provide objective documentation to support a change in a grade. The module or clerkship director reviews the students' appeal either independently ir through a committee. The module or clerkship director notifies the student in writing (may be electronic) of the decision.
The student may appeal the decision of the module or clerkship director to the department chair. If several departments comprise the module, the student may appeal the decision to the associate dean for curriculum. If a student does not agree with the decision of the department chair or associate dean for curriculum the student may appeal the decision to the dean.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. Students should not arrange for a core clerkship rotation, senior
elective or selective at any of the participating clerkship 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.
20. 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.
|