Academic Status Appeal Process

Responsible Department: Dean's Office
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018
Academic Status Appeal Process (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

1. Process to Seek Appeal of a Recommendation for Dismissal or of the Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC) adding language to the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)

The decision of a PAC to dismiss a student, or add language concerning professionalism to the MSPE, may be appealed by that student in accordance with this Academic Status Appeal Process. It should be noted that the role of the Academic Appeal Board is to determine if the procedures outlined in the Student Handbook and the College’s Performance Standards and the Procedures for Performance and Advancement Committee were substantially followed by the committee and that the decision is reasonable. The decision of a PAC concerning the issuing of Letters of Concern, Professional Warnings, or delaying a student’s return from a Leave of Absence are decisions that cannot be appealed. Procedures for the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 examinations and the UCCOM Clinical Skills Examination are covered in the Advancement and Retention Policy and are not subject to this Academic Status Appeal Process.

The student must submit a written request for an appeal of a decision for dismissal to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs within five (5) business days of receipt of the written decision of dismissal or forfeit any right of appeal. If no appeal is sought, the student’s dismissal stands and a record of the dismissal will appear on the student’s official transcript.

Should the student choose to appeal, he or she must consider the following items and submit information regarding each item that is appropriate to the circumstances. The information must be submitted in writing at the time the written request for an appeal is made to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs (i.e., within five business days of receipt of the written decision of dismissal).

1. The student may submit new information not previously considered by the PAC. The student should state the nature of the new information and provide reasons for why it had not been made available to the PAC. The new information must be relevant to the student’s performance and represent extreme and extenuating circumstances.
2. The student may ask witnesses to appear on his or her behalf. The names of all witnesses and their identities must be submitted in writing preferably at the time the appeal request is made but no later than 5 business days before the date of the appeal hearing. All witnesses must be approved by the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for his or her witnesses to appear at the hearing at the time and place designated by the appeal panel.
3. The student is to be present during the hearing. If a student fails to attend the hearing the dismissal will be upheld and the student forfeits any right to further appeal.
4. The student may identify and be accompanied by an advisor (either legal counsel or a faculty advisor). If an advisor is to be present, the identity of the advisor should be provided in writing at the time the appeal request is made and must be submitted no later than 5 business days prior to the appeal hearing. The advisor may consult with the student, but does not speak on the student’s behalf or otherwise formally represent the student before the Academic Appeal Panel. The advisor may not be a COM Dean’s Office staff member.
5. When an appeal is requested by the student while the academic year is still in progress, the student will be removed from current coursework unless the student petitions the PAC to allow the student to continue coursework. If the PAC allows the student to stay in coursework, the student may stay in coursework during the appeal process up and until the time that the Dean renders a final decision regarding the status of the student. The student must recognize that during this time his or her first priority is to the activities of the appeal process. Students may remain in coursework if the appeal is concerning changes to the student's MSPE concerning professionalism.
6. It is understood that a recommendation for dismissal may delay a student’s graduation. This recognizes that the student has been recommended for dismissal and unless this recommendation is overturned the student will be dismissed from the College of Medicine.
7. In the event that the student is removed from coursework the student will be assigned a Withdrawal, Withdrawal Passing or Withdrawal Failing based upon the status of the student in the course(s) at the time that coursework was stopped and consistent with COM procedures for withdrawal from courses.
8. If the student is reinstated by the Dean, the student will be required to retake those courses from which the student was removed while working on his or her appeal. Further stipulations for re-entry into the curriculum, and conditions which must be met to maintain enrollment, may be instituted by the Dean and/or the PAC.

2. Academic Appeal Board Members and Ad Hoc Academic Appeal Panel Members

The appeal of a decision by a PAC to dismiss a student will be directed to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. The Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs will constitute an ad hoc appeal panel as described below whose members will come from the Academic Appeal Board.

1. The Academic Appeal Board is a standing committee that consists of 10 COM faculty members. PAC members cannot serve on the Academic Appeal Board. All appointments to the Academic. Appeal Board will be made by the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. The faculty members on the Board are appointed for three-year terms. Members of the Academic Appeals Board can be reappointed.
2. Each appeal will be heard by a panel of three members of the Academic Appeal Board selected by the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. One of the three members will be appointed to serve as chair. A member of the Academic Appeal Board may disqualify himself or herself from serving on a particular panel if he or she believes that prior interaction or contact with the student bringing the appeal could be perceived as improperly influencing their decision.
3. In the rare case in which there is an insufficient number of Academic Appeal Board members who have not been on prior appeal hearings for an individual student or there is an insufficient number of Appeal Board members available in a timely manner, the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs will identify other faculty members as necessary to sit on the appeal panel.

3. Role of the Ad Hoc Academic Appeal Panel

The role of each Ad Hoc Academic Appeal panel of the Academic Appeal Board is to determine if the procedures outlined in the Student Handbook and the PAC Performance Standards and Procedures were substantially followed by the PAC and that the decision was reasonable.

The Ad Hoc Academic Appeal Panel shall review the student’s file and the PAC actions. The panel will consider any new information submitted by the student only when such new factual evidence is significantly different from that previously presented to the PAC and when the student has provided adequate justification as to why that information was not presented to the PAC. In general, the Academic Appeal Panel will not consider factual information that could have previously been presented to the PAC but was not. If a student had been placed on a mandatory leave of absence by the PAC prior to events leading to a recommendation for dismissal, the student must explain the actions taken during the LOA to rectify the academic issues, and why such actions had failed.

4. Distribution of Appeal Materials

The Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs shall notify the student and panel members of the hearing date. In advance of the hearing, the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs shall provide the student and all panel members with all the hearing documents, including any new information submitted, the student’s complete file, and the names and identities of all who will appear on behalf of the student at the hearing. Should the panel members desire to have witnesses appear to provide information, the chair will notify the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs who will communicate in writing the witnesses’ names and identities to the student. All materials must be in the hands of the Academic Appeal Board panel members, the student, and the Chair of the PAC that recommended dismissal no later than two working days in advance of the hearing.

Ad Hoc Academic Appeal Panel will submit a report of its findings in writing to the Dean of the College of Medicine.

5. Operating Procedures for the Academic Appeal Panel

1. The Academic Appeal Panel hearing shall be convened by the chair of the panel. The entire hearing, with the exception of the panel’s final deliberation, will be recorded and the recording will be kept on file as part of the appeal record.
2. The student and his or her advisor (either legal counsel or a faculty advisor), if any, will be present during the hearing. The advisor does not speak before the panel on the student’s behalf or question witnesses.
3. The PAC chair, and his or her legal counsel, will be present during the entire hearing.
4. The student will speak first to present his or her case as to why the dismissal should be overturned. The student has 30 minutes to present his or her case. The 30-minute time period includes statements by any witnesses that the student wishes to have speak on his or her behalf and any time that the student spends in consultation with his or her advisor. Following this initial presentation by the student and his or her witnesses, the panel members may ask questions. Time spent responding to the panel’s questions does not count against the 30 minutes.
5. The chair of the PAC will speak next and present the rationale behind the PAC’s recommended dismissal of the student. The PAC chair has 30 minutes to present the position of the PAC. Following the initial presentation by the chair of the PAC, panel members may ask questions. Time spent responding to the panel’s questions does not count against the 30 minutes.
6. Individuals asked to appear by the Academic Appeal Panel will be heard next. Maximum time for this section is 30 minutes. The panel members may ask questions. The time spent responding to questions does not count against the 30 minutes. The student and the PAC chair may submit questions in writing to the Academic Appeal Panel. It is at the sole discretion of the panel as to whether the panel wishes to ask the questions of the witnesses.
7. The student is allowed an additional 5 minutes for a summary statement or response.
8. All individuals, with the exception of the student and his or her advisor and the PAC chair and his or her counsel, shall be in attendance only during the time of their presentations to the Academic Appeal Panel. That is, individual witnesses are only in attendance during their presentation.
9. Following the above presentations, and at its sole discretion, the Academic Appeal Board panel may seek any further information that it needs to render a decision. This may include but is not limited to additional dialogue with the student and/or the PAC chair and the contacting of additional witnesses.
10. At the conclusion of the hearing, all individuals, including the student, advisor, and PAC chair will be asked to leave so that the panel may deliberate and make a decision. The panel may delay a decision while additional information is sought.
11. The chair of the Academic Appeal Panel will communicate the panel’s decision, in writing, to the Dean of the COM as soon as possible and preferably within three (3) business days of their final deliberation. Should the committee need additional time to render a decision, the committee chair will notify the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs and will provide an estimate of the amount of additional time needed.
12. The Dean will render a final decision with respect to the status of the student as expeditiously as possible and preferably within 10 business days of receipt of the final report from the Academic Appeal Panel. The Dean will notify, in writing, the student, PAC chair, the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs, and the chair of the Academic Appeal Panel of his or her final decision. Should the Dean need additional time to render a decision, the Dean will notify the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs who notify the student of the delay and will provide an estimate of the amount of additional time needed.
13. The decision of the Dean of the COM will be final and not subject to further appeal. Should a decision result in the student being reinstated, the Dean may place stipulations on the student for his or her return to their medical studies. Such stipulations may include but are not limited to a statement that any further recommendations for dismissal are not subject to further appeal.

Advancement and Retention Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018
Revised: August 5, 2021, June 2, 2022, September 1, 2022, November 3, 2022
Advancement and Retention Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

A. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR M1

1. To maintain enrollment and progress to M2, students must pass all M1 courses. In M1, all courses will be weighted equally when considering repetition of a year or for dismissal. A Failure designates a grade below the standards established for passing. See Appendix for course names and credits awarded.
2. The Education Program Committee (EPC), in consultation with the course director, establishes the Minimum Pass Level (MPL) for each course.

3. One Grade of Failure: A student who receives a single grade of Failure in an M1 course may, at the discretion of the Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC), continue in the curriculum for the remainder of the academic year and remediate the failed course during the summer following the conclusion of Spring Semester examinations.

   The process and procedures for remediation are to be designed by the course director and approved by the EPC. Any remediation must be completed prior to the beginning of the next academic year. A Failure grade will remain on the student’s official transcript along with the grade achieved when completing the remediation for the course. The remediation grade will be either a Pass or Failure. Receipt of a passing grade results in promotion to M2 coursework. An initial Failure followed by a second Failure in a course is grounds for dismissal.

   Alternatively, if the PAC does not allow the student to continue in the curriculum, the PAC may mandate that the student repeat M1 or may recommend the student for dismissal. If the student is allowed to repeat M1, the student will repeat all courses in the first year. If the student fails the course previously failed during this year, it is grounds for dismissal. Failure of any one of the other courses in that repeat year may lead to a recommendation of dismissal, or allowing the student to remediate the failure during the summer remediation period. Failure of two courses during the repeat year is an automatic recommendation for dismissal.

   Even if the PAC approves the student to continue in the curriculum, a student with one Failure retains the option, with approval of the PAC, to discontinue with the M1 curriculum and repeat the course the following year along with all other M1 courses, as long as doing so will not exceed the requirement to complete all M1 and M2 courses in six academic semesters. If this option is chosen, then the requirements of the PAC-mandated repeat of M1 apply if the student has a Failure (or two) during the repeat of the first year.

4. Two Grades of Failure: A student who receives two or more grades of Failure in M1 courses has met the grounds for dismissal from the program. The student may be recommended for dismissal, may be required to repeat the M1 year, or may be allowed to remediate both failures during the summer only I on eof the failed courses has a remediation schedule that is 2 weeks or less in duration. The student will work with the Office of Student Affairs to arrange for repeating the M1 year if that option is chosen. Should the PAC determine that the student should repeat the year, the academic year in which the student returns is at the discretion of the PAC. Failure to pass any course (including any courses that had been previously completed and passed) in the repeated year by the end of Spring Semester will result in an automatic recommendation of dismissal from the program. The repetition grade will be either a Pass or Failure. Receipt of a passing grade in the repeated courses results in promotion to M2 coursework.

   When repeating M1, the student must participate in orientation (except the White Coat ceremony) and all courses following orientation.

5. Three or more grades of Failure in M1 will constitute an automatic recommendation for dismissal.
6. The College of Medicine (COM) recognizes that although academic performance is significant, passing courses is not the only measure of success. Students must demonstrate professionalism at all times and must complete administrative and other responsibilities in a timely manner. Students who are found deficient in either of these areas will be reviewed by the PAC and this review may result in a recommendation of dismissal from the COM.

B. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR M2

1. To maintain enrollment and progress to M3, students must pass all M2 courses. In M2, all courses will be weighted equally when considering repetition of a year or for dismissal. A Failure designates a grade below the standards established for passing. Course names and credits awarded for each course appear in MedOneStop.
2. The Education Program Committee (EPC) in consultation with the course director establishes the Minimum Pass Level (MPL) for each course.
3. One Grade of Failure: A student who receives a single grade of Failure in an M2 course, and has not previously had two other failures may, at the discretion of the PAC, continue in the curriculum for the remainder of the academic year and remediate the failed course during the summer following the conclusion of Spring Semester examinations. This also applies if the student has had either zero or one failure in the first year, which had been successfully remediated. The process and procedures for remediation are to be designed by the course director and approved by the EPC. Any remediation must be completed prior to the beginning of the next academic year. A Failure grade will remain on the student’s official transcript along with the grade achieved when completing the remediation for the course. The remediation grade will be either a Pass or Failure. An initial Failure followed by a second Failure in a course is grounds for dismissal. A student who remediates a course in the summer after the second year will be delayed in entering M3 coursework. This may result in a delayed graduation as the student may not be able to complete all requirements by the original graduation date. Alternatively, if the PAC does not allow the student to continue in the curriculum, the PAC may mandate that the student repeat M2 or may recommend the student for dismissal. The decision to repeat M2 may be allowed as long as doing so will not exceed the requirement to complete all M1 and M2 courses in six academic semesters. If this option is chosen, the student will repeat all courses in the second year. If the student fails the course previously failed during this year, it is grounds for dismissal. Failure of any other course during the repeat year (other than the course previously failed) may lead to a recommendation of dismissal, or allowing the student to remediate the failure during the summer remediation period. Failure of two courses during the repeat year is an automatic recommendation for dismissal. Even if the PAC approves the student to continue in the curriculum, a student with one Failure has the option, with approval of PAC, to discontinue with the M2 curriculum and repeat the course the following year along with all other M2 courses, as long as doing so will not exceed the requirement to complete all M1 and M2 courses in six academic semesters. If this option is chosen, the student will repeat all M2 courses. If the student fails the course previously failed during this year, it is grounds for dismissal. Failure of a different course during the repeat of the second year (outside of the course previously failed) is also grounds for dismissal, or the PAC may allow the student to remediate the course during the summer remediation period. Failure of the summer remediation is grounds for dismissal.
4. Two Grades of Failure: A student who receives two or more grades of Failure in M2 courses (and has had no failures in M1 courses) may be recommended for dismissal from the program, may be ask to repeat the M2 year from the beginning, or may be allowed to remediate both failed courses the summer after the second year, provide that one of the two remediation plans is less than 2 weeks in duration. The PAC will review the performance of the student and determine which of the above options will apply to the student. Should the PAC determine that the student can repeat the year, the academic year in which the student returns is at the discretion of the PAC. Failure to pass any course (including any courses that had been previously completed and passed) in the repeated year by the end of Spring Semester is grounds for dismissal. The repetition grade will be either a Pass or Failure. If the student is repeating the year the student will work with the office of student affairs to arrange for the repeat of M2.
5. Three or More Grades of Failure (in total between M1/2): Three failing grades distributed across M1/2 will constitute grounds for dismissal. This applies even if there was successful remediation or repetition of the failed courses. Withdrawal Failing does not count as a Failure towards dismissal. However, a Withdrawal Failing followed by a Failure is grounds for dismissal.
6. To begin M3 coursework, a student must have passed all M2 courses and have taken the USMLE Step 1 examination. To continue in M3 coursework, a passing score on USMLE Step 1 must be recorded in the Registrar’s Office. Since the date a student takes the USMLE Step 1 varies, some test scores may arrive after a student starts M3. Should a student who has already started M3 receive a failing score on USMLE Step 1, the student may be immediately removed from clinical rotations as described in Section E of this policy.
   1. A student who has passed all M2 courses by the end of Spring Semester must register for a Step 1 administration date and sit for the examination prior to the first day of M3 coursework. Students who are taking a LOA after the M2 year for further academic enrichment (i.e. a research opportunity) must sit for USMLE Step 1 before the LOA starts. Any exception to this policy must be approved by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee. Exceptions will only be granted for truly extenuating circumstances. If such an exception is granted, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee will determine a timeline by which the student must take the USMLE Step 1 examination. Failure of the student to take the examination as directed will result in a recommendation for dismissal from the COM.
   2. A student who completes M2 coursework in the Summer Semester must register for a Step 1 administration date after they have successfully completed their remediation. The COM will only sponsor a student to take USMLE Step 1 after a date upon which all M2 coursework, and if necessary, any remediation is completed. In this case, the student will be authorized to enter M3 only after sitting for the USMLE Step 1 exam.
   3. The scores from all repetitions of Step 1, including the passing score, must be received by the COM within one year of the first failing score. This time limit applies even if the student is on a Leave of Absence. Delay beyond one year requires PAC approval and would be granted only under exceptional and extenuating circumstances. Delay beyond one year without PAC approval is grounds for dismissal of the student from the COM.
7. The COM recognizes that although academic performance is significant, passing courses is not the only measure of success. Students must demonstrate professionalism at all times and must complete administrative and other responsibilities in a timely manner. Students who are found deficient in either of these areas will be reviewed by the PAC and this review may result in a recommendation of dismissal from the COM.

C. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR M3

1. Third year courses consists of those clerkships designated as required core clerkships by the Education Program Committee and two specialty clerkships of the student’s choosing.
2. If a student, during the M3 year, obtains a failing grade in a clerkship such that the student’s total number of failures during M1, M2 and M3 is three, then the accumulation of three failing grades is grounds for dismissal.
3. If a student, during the M3 year, obtains three conditional grades (C) the student has reached the threshold for grounds for dismissal. This is regardless of whether some conditional grades have been successfully remediated.
4. If the PAC determines that there is a concern for student or patient safety, the PAC can immediately remove the student from the curriculum. If the student is allowed to remain in the curriculum, the student should work with Student Affairs to evaluate why they are having difficulty with third-year material, develop a plan to address these difficulties and plan a timeline for remediation or repetition of the failed clerkship or clerkship component. The PAC will review the student’s adherence to the plan as they progress through the third year. Receipt of another non-passing grade during the repeat or completion of the year is grounds for dismissal. If a student in this situation appeals a final grade in a third-year clerkship they will be removed from the curriculum until the appeal is adjudicated. If the original grade of failure is upheld, the student will be automatically recommended for dismissal.
5. All M3 required core clerkships as defined by the EPC should be passed no later than January 1 of M4 unless otherwise agreed upon by the PAC chair and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
6. All M3 required core clerkships as defined by the EPC should be passed before the student can start an M4 Acting Internship unless otherwise agreed upon by the PAC chair and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
7. Two M3 specialty clerkships/electives are required for all students. Deferment of this requirement will be rare and granted only under exceptional circumstances such as the following: (1) to allow military (Health Professions Scholarship Program) students to do their required active duty or (2) extenuating personal/academic circumstances. The office of Student Affairs will review all requests and, if a deferment is granted, the student will be responsible for requesting the change online. Any credits from deferred M3 required specialty electives must be completed before graduation, unless otherwise approved by the appropriate PAC chair and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
8. Prior to enrollment in any clinical rotation for remediation purposes, the student must obtain approval of the course director(s) and PAC if the student wishes to have the course recorded for credit. The clinical site(s) to which the student is assigned for remediation is at the discretion of the clerkship director.
9. A student may only receive a grade of Pass or Fail for any clerkship that is remediated. Honors or High Pass grades are not allowed. The original grade of F as well as the remediated grade will be on the student’s transcript. An initial Failure followed by a second Failure in any clerkship is grounds for dismissal.
10. A student must observe/perform the required clinical procedures and patient encounters by the completion of each clerkship (see clinical procedures and patient encounters policy).
11. The COM recognizes that although academic performance is of significant importance, passing courses is not the only measure of success. Students must demonstrate professionalism at all times and must complete administrative and other responsibilities in a timely manner. Students who are found deficient in either of these areas will be reviewed by the PAC and this review may result in a recommendation of dismissal from the COM.

D. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR M4

The following requirements apply in M4:

1. If a student enters M4 with two Failures from M1, M2 and/or M3, receipt of a third Failure or two Conditional grades is grounds for dismissal. Withdrawal Failing does not count as one of the three course failures in four years that represents grounds for dismissal. However, a Withdrawal Failing followed by a Failure in a given course is grounds for dismissal.
2. If an M4 student who previously has had one Failure in M1, M2 and/or M3, receives three Conditionals, two Conditionals and one Failure or two Failures in any separate M4 courses, it is grounds for dismissal. If an M4 student, who has not previously had any other Failures in M1, M2 and/or M3, receives two failing grades (F) or three Conditional grades, the student will be placed on a mandatory leave of absence by the PAC, while the PAC decides if the student should remain in the curriculum. If allowed to continue in the curriculum the student should use the leave to evaluate, with the help of the Office of Student Affairs, why they are having difficulty with fourth-year material, and to develop a plan to overcome these difficulties. Once such a plan is in order the student may petition the PAC for approval of the plan and for re-entry into the fourth year of the curriculum. Upon re-entering the fourth year the student will either repeat the entire fourth year, or just the courses that were not passed. The decision will be made by the PAC in consultation with the Office of Student Affairs, and is not subject to appeal. The PAC will review the student’s adherence to the plan as they progress through the year. Failure to pass any further clinical rotations (with either a C or F grade) in the fourth year is an automatic recommendation for dismissal. If a student in this situation appeals a final grade in a fourth-year clerkship they may be placed on a mandatory leave of absence. If the original grade of failure is upheld, the student will be automatically recommended for dismissal.

3. Students must take and pass the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge examinations and record passing scores with the COM Registrar’s Office as a requirement for graduation. All students must sit for the USMLE Step 2 examinations by the date set by the COM. Any delay in sitting for the Step 2 examinations beyond the required date must be approved by the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, with notification of the appropriate PAC chair if such a delay is granted.

   Passing scores on the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge examinations must be recorded in the Registrar’s Office no later than three days prior to the anticipated graduation date from the COM. A student with an unexcused failure to sit for this exam by the set date will receive a professionalism warning from the PAC and could be delayed in their graduation date.

4. A student must pass the Clinical Competency Examination (CCX) administered by the COM as a requirement for graduation. A student should have passed all M3 core clerkships prior to sitting for the CCX. Exceptions to this policy will be determined by the Office of Student Affairs in consultation with the Director of the Simulation Center. The Office of Student Affairs will notify the appropriate PAC chair. The first administration of the exam occurs in late July-early August of the M4 year. The COM will offer an alternate first testing date for students who are unable, due to extenuating circumstances as approved by the Medical Director of the Simulation Center, to take the examination during the July-August administration. All M3 required core clerkships as defined by the EPC should be passed no later than January 1 of M4 and before starting an M4 Acting Internship, unless otherwise agreed upon by the appropriate PAC and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
5. Any credits from deferred M3 required specialty elective should be completed before graduation, unless otherwise approved by the appropriate PAC and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Failure to do so may result in delayed graduation.

6. Non-UC electives. All students who wish to obtain UC credit for a non-UC (away) elective must obtain approval in writing from the COM prior to the elective experience. Retroactive credit will typically not be given to students that do not follow this policy unless there are extraordinary circumstances. In such cases, the student’s PAC, in consultation with the Office of Student Affairs, will decide if the credit is allowed.

   The approval process requires that the outside institution accepts the student into their elective, that the corresponding UCCOM department approves the elective offering as meeting education standards acceptable to the COM, and that the Office of Student Affairs determines that the away elective meets the needs of the individual student’s education. Permission for a student to do an away elective is at the sole discretion of the COM. Either the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or the PAC may prevent a student from participating in away rotations. A student may be denied permission for an away elective for reasons including but not limited to: the academic performance of the student; concerns about the professionalism of the student; the perceived educational value or quality of the away elective; concerns about student safety.

7. A student must observe/perform the required clinical procedures and patient encounters by the completion of each clerkship/acting internship (see clinical procedures and patient encounters policy).
8. The COM recognizes that although academic performance is of significant importance, passing courses is not the only measure of success. Students must demonstrate professionalism at all times and must complete administrative and other responsibilities in a timely manner. Students who are found deficient in either of these areas will be reviewed by the PAC and this review may result in a recommendation of dismissal from the COM.

E. FAILURE TO PASS UNITED STATES MEDICAL LICENSING EXAMINATION (USMLE) STEP 1 AND STEP 2 CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE (CK) EXAMINATIONS

1. Repetition of USMLE Step 1
   1. A student who fails USMLE Step 1 may be given a Letter of Concern from the PAC.
   2. A student will be permitted a maximum of two attempts to pass the USMLE Step 1 examination. Failure to pass on the second attempt will require the student to petition the PAC for another chance to take the exam. After meeting with the student the PAC will determine if the student may take the exam for a third, and final time, or if they are recommended for dismissal to the Dean. This recommendation of dismissal cannot be appealed. Should the student be allowed a third attempt to pass USMLE Step 1 and the student fails to pass the examination on the third attempt the student will be recommended for dismissal from the College of Medicine with no further right of appeal.
   3. All repetitions of Step 1 and receipt of scores must occur within one year of the date of receipt by the COM of the first failing score. This time limit includes any and all time in which the student is on a Leave of Absence. Delay beyond one year requires PAC approval and will be granted only under exceptional and extenuating circumstances. Delay beyond one year without PAC approval is grounds for dismissal of the student from the COM.
   4. If failing results for USMLE Step 1 (first attempt) arrive after a student has begun M3 coursework, the timing of when the student will be removed from their current clerkship will be determined by the Associate Dean of Student Affairs (or their designee) and the clerkship director.
   5. After taking USMLE Step 1 a second time, the student may be permitted to return to coursework at the first logical juncture as determined at the sole discretion of the COM, while awaiting results. If the grade is a Failure, the student will be immediately removed from coursework irrespective of where the student is in the clerkship and placed in the Independent Study Course by the Registrar.
   6. If allowed to take the USMLE Step 1 a third time, the student will not be permitted to return to coursework while awaiting results. Only upon submitting a passing score on USMLE Step 1 can a student who has twice failed the examination resume coursework. Timing of re-entry into the curriculum is at the sole discretion of the PAC in consultation with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
   7. Students will be placed in the Independent Study Course by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs while preparing for a retake of the USMLE Step 1 examination.
2. Repetition of USMLE Step 2 CK Examinations
   1. A student who fails USMLE Step 2 CK may be given a Letter of Concern from the PAC.
   2. A student who fails USMLE Step 2 CK may retake the examination(s) and is permitted a maximum of three attempts to pass. Failure to pass on the third attempt will require the student to petition the PAC for another chance to take the exam. After meeting with the student the PAC will determine if the student may take the exam for a fourth, and final time, or if they are dismissed. This decision of the PAC cannot be appealed. Should the student be allowed a fourth attempt to pass USMLE Step 2 and the student fails to pass the examination on the fourth attempt the student will be dismissed from the College of Medicine with no further right of appeal.
   3. Two repetitions and receipt of scores by the COM of Step 2 CK must occur within one year of the date of receipt by the COM of the first failing score. If a student is granted the ability to take the exam a fourth time (see section b) the timing of this attempt must coincide with USMLE guidelines, which currently state: “You may take the same examination no more than three times within a 12-month period. Your fourth and subsequent attempts must be at least 12 months after your first attempt at that exam and at least six months after your most recent attempt at that exam.” (This is found here, page 7). The PAC will work with the student on the timing of the fourth, and final, attempt at Step 2 CK if such an attempt is granted to the student. The time limit includes any and all time in which a student is on a Leave of Absence. Delay beyond one year for taking the exam three times requires PAC approval and would be granted only under exceptional and extenuating circumstances. Delay beyond one year without PAC approval is grounds for dismissal of the student from the COM.
   4. When preparing for repetition of USMLE Step 2 CK, a student is permitted to continue clinical coursework unless otherwise determined by the PAC or the student may request to be placed in the Independent Study course. The decision as to whether the student should enter the Independent Study course must be approved by the PAC and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Should placement in the Independent Study course result in a delay in the student’s original graduation date, the student will need to seek approval from the Office of Student Affairs and the PAC chair to alter their schedule. The delay in graduation would be for the next earliest graduation date, unless the student requests a later graduation date. If a student has been approved for a delayed graduation date, and want to extend the graduation date a second time, PAC approval will be required.

F. FAILURE TO PASS THE CLINICAL COMPETENCY EXAM (CCX)

1. A student must pass the CCX to graduate. When a student fails all or part of the first administration of the CCX, no grade will appear on the student’s transcript. The student must meet with the Medical Director of the Simulation Center to develop a remediation plan and complete it successfully, as determined by the director, before being eligible to retake any failed section of the CCX.
2. The CCX or parts thereof may be repeated up to two times. Once all parts of the examination have been passed, a grade of Pass will be recorded in the Registrar’s office; this must occur no later than three days prior to the anticipated graduation date from the COM. Failure to pass on the third attempt will result in a grade of Failure on the transcript and is grounds for dismissal with no right of appeal

G. ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SITE OR CURRICULUM ASSIGNMENT REQUESTS

Students can request changes to their schedule by using MedOneStop drop/add process in years 3 and 4. The only exception being Acting Internship schedule changes must be submitted by email to the appropriate clinical department coordinator for approval/processing. For M3 specialty clerkships, students may change their specialty clerkships initially received in the specialty clerkship lottery. Requests must be submitted via MedOneStop greater than six (6) weeks before the start date of clerkship they are wanting to drop/add. Specific rotation site assignments within a clinical department are then determined by the clinical department coordinator based on student preferences as can be accommodated.

For M3 core clerkships, student may change their pathways during the designated trading period. Rotation sites are assigned by using a lottery assignment system based on student preference or preferences will be solicited from students by means of a “bio-sketch” 4-8 weeks prior to the start of the rotation. All rotation site assignments are final unless there are extenuating circumstances that arise after the initial site assignments are made. Changes to assignments can be made at the discretion of the clerkship director. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs or a designee (i.e. advisor) may also request a review of the assignment by the clerkship director due to extenuating circumstances discussed with the student.

Schedules changes in the M4 curriculum must be requested by the final date set for completion of M4 schedules and all changes must be requested at least four (4) weeks in advance of the specific course start date. After that date, changes may be made only under extenuating circumstances and with the approval of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or a designee (i.e. advisor) to determine a substitution to meet graduation requirements. Electives are generally site specific so students should sign-up accordingly.

H. WITHDRAWING FROM COURSES IN M4

Withdrawal from a course after it has begun must be approved by the director of the course and by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or a designee (i.e. advisor) to determine a substitution to meet graduation requirements. If the request to withdraw from a course is denied, the student will be required to complete the course. Should a student not complete a course in which he or she is enrolled, the student will receive a grade of Failure (F).

I. Third Party Requirements

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

Assessment of Student Performance by Faculty Healthcare Providers Policy
Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education/Office of Student Affairs
Applies To: All Students
Approval Date: October 3, 2019
Assessment of Student Performance (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Health professionals who provide medical or psychological treatment services (hereafter referred to as “healthcare services”) to a UCCOM student shall not be involved in academic assessment, evaluation, or grading of students for whom they provide or have provided healthcare services. These faculty members also shall not be involved in making

decisions about the promotion of the medical student receiving those services in any venue, including but not limited to, a course, clerkship, or Performance and Advancement Committee.

Procedures for faculty with an identified conflict of interest

All faculty members must recuse themselves from any role in assessment, evaluation, or grading of any medical student for whom they have provided healthcare services. If assigned to assess/evaluate/grade a student for whom a faculty has provided care, the faculty must notify the course or clerkship director as soon as is possible, of the need for reassignment and must indicate on any related evaluation forms that he/she must recuse themselves from evaluating that student.

Procedures for students with an identified conflict of interest

Students are given the opportunity to notify course/clerkship directors of any faculty to whom they should not be assigned due to a previous or current healthcare provider relationship. Students must indicate this potential conflict of interest using the “Biosketch” form that is sent to students in advance of starting the course/clerkship (see appendix). Students will not be assigned to any preceptor from whom they receive (d) healthcare and the identified individual (s) will play no role in the assessment, evaluation, grading, or promotion of that student. If the student was not aware of the conflict of interest prior to the start of the course, he/she may also request reassignment on the first day of the course by notifying the course director and coordinator.

Students will not be assigned to preceptors from whom they receive healthcare services even in cases where both student and preceptor feel comfortable to do so.

Exceptional Situations

In the case of a medical emergency whereby a UCCOM student needs emergency treatment, the necessary treatment should be delivered most expediently regardless of faculty/student relationships.

Monitoring

All faculty who are involved in the assessment of medical students will be asked to attest on preceptor evaluations of medical students to the following declaration “I have no personal or professional conflict of interest with this student”. This attestation will be included on all preceptor evaluations (e.g., elective preceptor evaluations, AI preceptor evaluations, LPCC preceptor evaluations, and Learning Community evaluations).

Assessment/Examination Policy for M3

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 Students
Approval Date: August 3, 2017
Revised Date: October 6, 2022
Assessment/Examination Policy for M3

POLICY STATEMENT

A. GENERAL POLICIES FOR ELECTRONIC EXAMINATIONS

All shelf examinations will take place in-person at UC COM in room designated by OME. Shelf examinations will be proctored either by a live proctor or electronically, including through the use of video cameras and procedures below. Clerkship directors may administer other, non-shelf examinations remotely.

1. Shelf examinations will take place in-person at site designated by the Office of Medical Education (OME). Shelf examinations will be proctored either by a live proctor or electronically, including through the use of video cameras.
   1. If video proctoring is used a live proctor must be within reasonable access to the student to assist the student in case assistance is needed for exam presentation.
2. Students are required to have their UC I.D. badge to enter the testing room.
3. The start time for each individual examination will be established and announced to the students prior to the examination date by the clerkship coordinator.
4. Students may enter the testing room up to 30 minutes before the start of the examination, but must be in their designated seat and ready for testing 10 minutes prior to the established examination start time. (e.g., 7:50:00 AM for an 8:00 AM exam). Once a student is seated they may not leave the room until after the exam starts.
5. Any decision to admit a late examinee rests solely with the Core Clerkship Coordinator. The Core Coordinator will report a late admittance to OME for tracking.
6. Students will receive a Formative Feedback Form for a second late offense and for each offense thereafter. The Formative Feedback Form will be issued by OME where lateness is tracked
7. Students may bring the following into the testing room:

8. NO personal belongings, other than those specifically addressed in #7, are permitted in the testing room at any time. This includes, but is not limited to:

   1. Reference materials (e.g., books, notes, papers)
   2. Backpacks, briefcases, purses
   3. Calculators (unless supplied by the COM), Electronic devices (e.g., phones, laptops, iPads, pagers, headphones, iPods, recording/filming devices, smart watches)
   4. Food and beverages

   NOTE: No proctor is routinely provided to monitor belongings left in the hallways outside the testing room. Students are encouraged to not bring personal belongings to the testing area. Students should assume no secure space is available.

   On the occasion that a badge protected space is available on a testing day for students to leave personal belongings, they will be notified twice, 2 weeks prior and two days prior to the exam day.

9. If a student is found with any prohibited materials on their person during the examination the student may receive a zero for the examination and may be referred to the Honor Council with no further right of appeal or grade grievance. If a student self-reports that they are in violation of this rule and it is clear to the proctor/course director this is the case of forgetfulness on the part of the student, they may, at the discretion of the proctor and/or course director, be excused from this rule.    For example, a student enters the exam facilities with his/her cell phone in his/her pocket and self- reports the presence of a cell phone. If the proctor and/or course director determine that there was no negligence or intentional misbehavior, then they may decide to not pursue ramifications. This allowance is at the sole discretion of the proctor and/or course director, and is not subject to appeal or consideration based on any other incident with that or another student.
10. If a student’s documented medical condition requires special exam administration conditions, the student must officially make arrangements before the start of the academic year with the UCCOM Disabilities Accommodations Committee. It is the student’s responsibility to clarify with the clerkship director and clerkship coordinator at the beginning of the clerkship that information about their accommodations.
11. For all purposes of examination timing including arrival and seating time the official time will be Network time or the clock the proctor designates.
12. Students will be provided with scratch paper for an examination
13. No content questions will be answered during the examination.
14. Students are required to log onto the examination when directed to do so.
15. If a student encounters technical problems during the examination, they must notify the proctor immediately. The student will be directed by HSL IT and the chief proctor as to how to proceed.
16. Typographical and other errors in the display of the test noted by the student can be brought to the attention of the exam proctor. These will be documented by the proctor in the NBME incident report completed by the proctor at the end of the exam.
17. Restroom breaks are permitted and must be taken at the location designated by the proctor. Any student found communicating with anyone other than a proctor during a restroom break will receive a zero for that examination with no further right of appeal or grade grievance and may be referred to Honor Council. Any student found accessing any materials related to the examination during any restroom break will be given a zero for that examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
18. No test material such as student ‘scrap paper’ is to leave the testing room. All test material is to be placed in a proctor designated area within the test room.
19. Upon completion of the examination, students must immediately leave the testing room and the area adjacent outside of the testing room.
20. A student with COVID or another excused absence (approved MSSF) will have the option to reschedule their examination on the clerkship’s make-up date or follow the official scheduled retake dates posted on the EPC approved M3 academic calendar (June or December, whichever comes first). Students can discuss optimal timing to make-up the examination with Student Affairs prior to picking a make-up time.
21. Once the student enters the testing room, students may not access the internet or any other material, other than the examination. Any student determined to have accessed unauthorized sites within the testing room before or during the taking of an examination will receive a zero for that examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
22. It is the responsibility of all students to be familiar with all aspects of the Honor Code and in particular with respect to cheating on examinations.

B. INTERRUPTIONS DURING AN ELECTRONIC EXAMINATION

1. All emergency calls for students while taking examinations should be directed to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar or their designee will take a message for the student and inform the proctor that the student has an emergency call. The student will be escorted to the Registrar’s Office to receive the call. After discussion with the student, the clerkship coordinator and the student will decide whether the student may return to the examination or will need to reschedule the examination. Documentation (police report, hospital report, etc.) confirming the emergency must be submitted to the Registrar within 72 hours of the emergency.  The student will have the option to reschedule their examination on the clerkship’s make-up date or follow the official scheduled retake dates posted on the EPC approved M3 academic calendar (June or December, whichever comes first). Students can discuss optimal timing to make-up the examination with Student Affairs prior to picking a make-up time.
2. If a student becomes ill while taking an examination, such that they are unable to complete the examination, the student must inform the proctor that they are unable to complete the examination so that the incident can be documented. The proctor has discretion to excuse the student in cases of obvious illness. Or the proctor can require written documentation of illness from a non‐family member physician the same day of the examination in order for the absence to be excused, in which case documentation of the illness must be submitted to the Registrar within 24 hours of return to coursework. The student will have the option to reschedule their examination on the clerkship’s make-up date or follow the official scheduled retake dates posted on the EPC approved M3 academic calendar (June or December, whichever comes first). Students can discuss optimal timing to make-up the examination with Student Affairs prior to picking a make-up time.
3. Should computer or network interruptions occur during a web based exam causing loss of or sporadic connectivity the student must notify the chief proctor. The proctor will advise the student to restart the exam. This involves closing the exam and logging back into the exam following proctor and exam site specific directions. DO NOT RESTART the computer.
4. If restarting the interrupted exam does not alleviate the connectivity issue, HSL IT support must be consulted and their instructions followed.
5. If a fire alarm or other emergency condition occurs during an examination, students will immediately cease taking the examination and, if necessary, evacuate the affected buildings. All materials should be left at the desk.
   1. Proctors will ensure that all students leave the examination rooms in a timely manner. Instruct students to close the browser - enter Ctrl+Shift+Q – to prevent losing time. Room proctor should log out of the exam session.
   2. Students may be directed to evacuate to a specific location.
      1. G‐Level of the Care/Crawley Building, students should evacuate to the outside plaza adjacent to the E-level entrance of the CARE/Crawley building unless otherwise directed by the proctor.
      2. For examinations given in the Simulation Center, students are to evacuate to the plaza outside Kresge Auditorium unless otherwise directed by staff of the Simulation Center.
   3. Students are to remain in the designated area until they receive permission from a proctor to leave the area. The student must remain in an area where they can hear the all clear announcement.
   4. The examinations timing mechanism will be suspended by notification to the NBME by the chief proctor or the IT supervisor.
   5. Students may not discuss the examination with any other person, or access any type of information related to the examination. Honor Council policies are in effect, and students should monitor themselves and others to ensure compliance. Any student who is found to have communicated inappropriately with classmates with respect to the content of the examination will receive a zero for that examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
   6. After the fire alarm or other cause of interruption has ended, students will return to their assigned room in a timely manner (within 15 minutes) and resume the examination when announced by the proctor to do so. Students returning later than 15 minutes following the all clear signal will not be admitted to the testing room. The student will receive credit for any answers they submitted prior to the interruption. The student will not be permitted to reschedule the examination.
   7. The IT examination coordinator will work with NBME or the exam site to resume the examination timing mechanism after adding additional time equal to that lost during the interruption (length of the alarm plus 15 minutes to return).
   8. In the event of a prolonged interruption such as a computer or power outage, the proctor may decide to suspend the examination and reschedule following the rules consistent with the INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY.
6. Irregular student behavior incidents may include evidence of copying answers from classmates, giving or receiving unauthorized information, being in possession of unauthorized materials, making unauthorized notes, recording examination content via any means (manual, digital imaging, etc.), continuing to answer questions after the examination has ended or engaging in other behavior disruptive to fellow examinees. These incidents will be handled according to Honor Council guidelines and will be reported to the Honor Council and the appropriate PAC.

C. ADDENDUM TO Assessment/Examinations Policy for M3:

REMOTE/VIRTUAL PROCTOR FOR NBME (e.g. EOB and CBSE) ELECTRONIC EXAMINATIONS

• In the event, electronic examinations are proctored remotely/virtually, the student must provide the following systems requirements:

1. Operating system (Windows 10; MacOSX 10.13 and higher)
2. Browser (Google Chrome version 79 and higher)
3. Internet Speed (1.5 Mbps download, 750 Kbps upload)

• At least 3 days prior to test day, students must:
  1. Verifying that front facing camera and mic are working
  2. confirming internet connection (if internet is not strong enough, student may reserve space at MSB to take the exam/assessment)
  3. Charge the battery of their computer/laptop and have access to their power adaptor.
  4. Certify their computer at NBME site according to their posted instructions.

• At least 3 days prior to test day, students using noise cancelling headphones must send a description and photo of the headphones to the proctor for approval. Ensure the headphones are not connected to a device.
• On test day, students must:
1. Quit all applications running in the background or restart computer as needed.
2. Confirm internet connection.
3. Log in to the proctor’s Webex room no later than 15 minutes before your posted start time.
4. Once in Webex, connect using your computer audio and turn on the camera.
5. Use of scratch paper is allowed and it must be torn up on camera prior to leaving the Webex
6. Wait to open the NBME secure browser until directed.
7. By student entering the Webex room, the student is consenting to being recorded.
8. Once Proctor has given the start code, start the assessment or contact IT for support as needed.

• On test day, students who lose connectivity to the Webex for any reason, the following procedure will be followed:
  1. Proctor will attempt to contact the student via email or phone.
  2. If no contact with the student can be made within 15 minutes, the Proctor will end the exam and student will have to retake the exam.

Assessment/Examinations Policy for M1/M2

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education and Department of Medical Education
Applies to: M1 and M2 Learners
Approval Date: June 17, 2018
Revised: April 1, 2021; July 1, 2021; May 5, 2022; December 1, 2022; December 7, 2023;

Assessment-Examinations Policy for M1/2 (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

A.GENERAL POLICIES FOR ASSESSMENTS/EXAMINATIONS

1. Assessments/examinations may be proctored either by a live proctor or electronically, including through the use of video cameras.
2. Students are required to have their UC I.D. badge to enter the testing room.
3. The start time for each individual assessment/examination will be established and announced to the students prior to the assessment/examination date.
4. For Assessments/examinations generated through Examsoft, assessments/examinations will be made available for students to download at 2:00 am the calendar day prior to the assessment/examination (e.g. 2:00 am Sunday morning prior to a Monday assessment/examination). Students are to download the assessment/examination at least one hour prior to the start time of the assessment/examination.  If a student does not attempt to download the assessment by the deadline, they are still to download the assessment prior to the assessment.  If a student attempts to download the assessment before the deadline but has technical issues preventing them from completing the download, they will not receive a Formative Feedback form, as long as they email the IT team at com-exam@listserv.uc.edu, copy the proctors at omeproctor@ucmail.uc.edu, and come in early to receive assistance. Any student with a technical issue should arrive at the testing room a minimum of 20 minutes prior to the normal expected arrival time (30 minutes prior to the actual assessment/examination start time) to allow the IT team to assist the student without delaying the start of the assessment. IT support personnel will be available 30 minutes before the actual assessment/examination start time to assist students.  If a student does not attempt to download the assessment before the deadline, and they encounter a problem, they will receive assistance from the IT support personnel, but only after all students who met the deadline and need assistance are helped. If a student who did not meet the deadline needs assistance from IT personnel in order to start the assessment/examination, and this causes the student to start the assessment/examination after the scheduled start of the assessment/examination, the student will receive a Formative Feedback Form.  No extra time will be given to complete the assessment/examination. When possible, IT assistance will occur outside the assessment/examination room to minimize distractions to students taking the assessment/examination.

   Summary:

   • Students are to download the assessment/examination by one hour prior to the start of the assessment/examination.
   • If the student has a problem doing so, they should arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of the assessment/examination to receive IT help.
   • If a student downloads the assessment/examination after the deadline, and the start of their assessment/examination is delayed by the need for technical assistance, the student will receive a Formative Feedback Form.
5. Students may enter the testing room up to 30 minutes before the start of the examination, but must be in their designated seat and ready for testing 10 minutes prior to the established examination start time. (e.g., 7:50 AM for an 8:00 AM exam). Students who are not in their seat 10 minutes prior to the exam start time are considered late. Late students must sign in and be escorted to begin. Students will receive a Formative Feedback Form for each late offense. The Formative Feedback Form will be issued by a designated individual in the Office of Medical Education (OME) and reported to the Performance and Advancement Committee. If the student submits an MSSF and the late arrival is excused, the Formative Feedback Form will be rescinded. 
6. Once a student is seated they may not leave the room until after the exam starts so that technical support can be provided.

7. Any decision to admit a late examinee rests solely with the Chief Proctor. If a student arrives late, the student must choose whether they wish to enter the examination room and complete the examination in the remaining allotted time or take the exam at a later time. If the student chooses to take the examination at a later time, the student will have the full amount of allotted time to take the examination. The time of the rescheduled examination will be scheduled by the Chief Proctor. If possible, the student will be given the option of taking the examination at that time in another location, but this is subject to the availability of a space and a proctor. The student must file an MSSF. 

   For an assessment/examination that must be rescheduled from the designated time due to an unexcused absence, the student will take the assessment/examination and it will be scored (raw score). The following adjustment will then be made to the raw score for the purposes of calculating a grade (adjusted score):

   The adjusted score will be the raw score minus 15% of the raw score. For example, if the raw score is 100%, the adjusted score will be 85%. If the raw score is 80%, the adjusted score will be 68% (80 x 15=12, 80-12=68). If the student has a second occurrence of taking an assessment/examination at a rescheduled time due to an unexcused absence, the adjusted score will be the raw score minus 30% of the raw score. If the student has a third occurrence of taking an assessment/examination at a rescheduled time due to an unexcused absence, the adjusted score will be 0%.
8. No extra time will be permitted for late arrivals (arrivals less than 30 minutes after the exam start) to complete the examination, i.e., late arrivals will be required to complete the examination by the time designated for the on-time arrivals.
9. Personal belongings are not permitted in the testing room at any time. This includes, but is not limited to:
   1. Heavy coats
   2. Reference materials (e.g., books, notes, papers)
   3. Backpacks, briefcases, purses; calculators (unless supplied by the COM), Electronic devices (e.g., phones, iPads, pagers, headphones, iPods, recording/filming devices, smart watches); food, water and other beverages
10. If a student is found with any of the prohibited materials during the assessment/examination or exam review, the student may receive a zero for the assessment/examination and may be referred to the Honor Council with no further right of appeal or grade grievance. If a student self-reports that he/she is in violation of this rule, they may, at the discretion of the proctor and/or course director, be excused from this rule. For example, a student enters the exam facilities with his/her cell phone in his/her pocket and self-reports the presence of a cell phone. If the proctor and/or course director determine that there was no negligence or intentional misbehavior, then they may decide to not pursue ramifications. This allowance is at the sole discretion of the proctor and/or course director, and is not subject to appeal or consideration based on any other incident with that or another student.
11. If a student’s documented medical condition requires food or drink during the assessment, the student must make arrangements prior to the assessment/examination with the UCCOM Disabilities Accommodations Committee. It is the student’s responsibility to clarify with the course director and/or proctor prior to the examination that information about their accommodations has been communicated.
12. For all purposes of assessment/examination timing including seating time, stop and start times, the official time will be Network time or the clock the proctor designates.
13. No content questions will be answered during the assessment/examination.
14. Typographical and other errors will be announced to all students at the same time.
15. Students will receive notice 5-10 minutes prior to the end of the assessment/examination.
16. Any student continuing to enter test answers after the assessment/examination has ended will receive a zero for the assessment/examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
17. Restroom breaks are permitted and must be taken at the location designated by the proctor. Only one student may use a restroom at a time. Any student found communicating with anyone other than a proctor during a restroom break will receive a zero for that assessment/examination with no further right of appeal or grade grievance and may be referred to Honor Council. Any student found accessing any materials related to the assessment/examination during any restroom break will be given a zero for that assessment/examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
18. All test material is to be placed in designated areas before the student leaves the assessment /examination room.
19. The assessment must be submitted and the exam software must be closed prior to leaving the room. Student personal laptops are subject to inspection by a proctor.
20. Upon completion of the assessment/examination, students must immediately leave the testing room and the area adjacent outside of the testing room.
21. Any decision to reschedule an assessment/examination for students with excused absences is at the sole discretion of the course director and chief proctor. Once the rescheduled assessment/examination date is set, it cannot be changed without the approval of the course director. Any student allowed to participate in a rescheduled assessment/examination must ensure that he or she neither discusses the assessment/examination with any classmates or other individuals nor receives, in any form, medium, or level of detail, information about the content of the assessment/examination. Any student who is found to have communicated inappropriately with classmates with respect to the content of the assessment/examination will receive a zero for that assessment/examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
22. In cases where staggered assessment/examination start times are scheduled (for example, instances where half of the student body is scheduled to take a practical assessment/ examination on Wednesday, and the other half of the student body is scheduled to take the same assessment/examination on Thursday), each student must take every step possible to ensure that he or she neither discusses the assessment/examination with any classmates or other individuals nor receives, in any form, medium, or level of detail, information about the content of the assessment/examination. Any student who is found to have communicated inappropriately with classmates with respect to the content of the assessment/examination will receive a zero for that assessment/examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
23. Students will be provided with scratch paper for the weekly/biweekly assessments and End of Block examinations. Scratch paper should not be marked upon before the exam begins and must be turned in to the proctor prior to exiting the exam room.
24. Students must record their name, identification number, and all answers on the Standard Answer Form.
25. If a student encounters technical problems during the assessment/examination, they must notify the proctor or IT staff immediately. If the computer problem is resolved quickly, the student may return to the computer‐based assessment/examination. A student may be provided a spare computer should their own computer fail during an exam and receive a new download for the exam. If problems persist, the student will be provided with a paper copy of the assessment/examination. Extended computer downtime may necessitate rescheduling the assessment/examination due to insufficient copies of tests and images.
26. After entering the testing room, students may not access the internet or any other material, other than the assessment/examination or other materials as directed by the proctor. Unauthorized information includes notes written before beginning (before seeing the first question). Any student determined to have accessed unauthorized information within the testing room before or during the taking of an assessment/examination will receive a zero for that assessment/examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
27. It is the responsibility of all students to be familiar with all aspects of the Honor Code and in particular with respect to cheating on examinations/assessments.

B. ASSESSMENT/EXAMINATION REVIEW SESSIONS

1. All assessment/examination guidelines apply to the review sessions, with the exception of the following:
1. Notetaking is not permitted
2. Students do not have to remain in their designated seats for the review.
3. Students may discuss the assessment/examination with classmates in the discussion review room. Students may not discuss the assessment/examination with classmates in the quiet review room.
4. The expectation is that exam items will not be discussed outside the exam review session.
5. Students will receive their assessment report at the review.
6. Assessment/examination review sessions will be scheduled by the course/block director as appropriate for exam content. Students are required to leave the review session when directed to do so by the proctor.
2. For purposes of exam information security, if a student leaves an assessment review in progress they are not allowed to return.
3. If any electronic device, including but not exclusive to cell phone, calculator, laptop, is found in a student’s possession during the assessment/examination review, that student will receive a zero for the assessment/examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
4. There will be no review session for End of Block examinations.
5. Levels of review are permitted for M1/2 weekly/biweekly multiple choice exams (i.e. Examsoft, Scantron) in content block courses:
   1. LEVEL 1: After an assessment there is a scheduled review. The Level 1 review is open to all students, regardless of how they performed on the assessment. During this session the student sits at their computer and can review the questions they missed. The student is not permitted to record assessment questions or make notes of any kind during the review. Students are encouraged to talk with one another to better understand why they were incorrect on the questions they missed in the discussion review room. During the actual assessment, students can make notes in Examplify concerning any issues they may have with questions. Prior to the assessment review the course director: (1) uses the comments that students write during the assessment about any of the questions; (2) reviews the question analytics provided by Examplify; (3) and, if necessary, rescores the assessment using the UCCOM Item Analysis Rubric (see addendum A). When the students attend the assessment review session they will know which questions have been rescored. Students have until 24 hours after the formal review of test items to request a re-evaluation of specific test items by the course director (see grade appeal process).
      
      
      
      
      
   2. LEVEL 2: Students who fail an assessment are eligible to participate in Level 2 review and are asked to sign up for a time to review the entire assessment in a secure environment for an unlimited amount of time. Students are allowed to bring their tutor for Level 2 review. During this review session, students have the option to complete the Self-Assessment of Test Preparation and Performance / Development of New Study Strategy form (see addendum B). Students can take this form to sessions with a learning specialist for further analysis and help. NOTE: If a student misses the scheduled assessment review session, submits a MSSF and is excused, the student can schedule a review with the Office of Medical Education.
   3. LEVEL 3: Students who fail two assessments are required to complete Level 3 of the exam review process. The learning specialist may meet with a student who fails 2 exams, access the student’s exam using ExamSoft, and review exam questions that the student got incorrect.

   6.   Once a course is completed (the end of block exam has been taken), a student may no longer review any exams given during the course. Students may also not review any given exam once they have completed/taken the next scheduled exam for the course. 

C. INTERRUPTIONS DURING AN ASSESSMENT/EXAMINATION

1. All emergency calls for students while taking assessment/examinations will be directed to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar or their designee will take a message for the student and inform the proctor that the student has an emergency call. The student will be escorted to the Registrar’s Office to receive the call. After discussion with the student, the course director will decide whether the student may return to the assessment/examination or will need to reschedule the assessment/examination. Documentation (police report, hospital report, etc.) confirming the emergency must be submitted to the Registrar. Should the course director not be immediately available, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Academic Support or the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs should be contacted for the decision as to whether or not the student should return to the assessment/examination.
2. Should a student become ill while taking an assessment/examination, such that they are unable to complete the assessment/examination, the student must inform the proctor that they are unable to complete the assessment/examination so that the incident can be documented. The grade for the assessment/examination and/or rescheduling of the assessment/examination will be determined by the course/block director.
3. If a fire alarm or other emergency condition occurs during an assessment/examination, students will immediately cease taking the assessment/examination and, if necessary, evacuate the affected buildings.
   1. Proctors will ensure that all students leave the assessment/examination rooms in a timely manner.
   2. Students may be directed to evacuate to a specific location.
   3. For assessment/examinations given in the labs on the G‐Level of the Care/Crawley Building, students should evacuate to the outside plaza adjacent to the E-level entrance of the CARE/Crawley building unless otherwise directed by the proctor.
   4. For assessment/examinations given in the Simulation Center, students are to evacuate to the plaza outside Kresge Auditorium unless otherwise directed by staff of the Simulation Center.
   5. Students are to remain in the designated area or receive permission from a proctor to leave the area. If no specific area is designated, the student must remain in an area where they can hear the all clear announcement.
   6. Students should power OFF laptops if safely able to do so.
   7. Students may not discuss the assessment/examination with any other person or access any type of information related to the assessment/examination. Honor Council policies are in effect, and students should monitor themselves and others to ensure compliance. Any student who is found to have communicated inappropriately with classmates with respect to the content of the assessment/examination will receive a zero for that assessment/examination and will be referred to the Honor Council with no other right of appeal or grade grievance.
   8. After the fire alarm or other cause of interruption has ended, students will return to their assigned room in a timely manner (within 15 minutes) and resume the assessment/examination when announced by the proctor to do so. Students returning later than 15 minutes following the all clear signal will not be admitted to the testing room to finish the exam. The student will receive credit for any answers they submitted prior to the interruption. Students can appeal to reschedule the exam to the M1/2 Curriculum Director.
   9. The IT assessment/examination coordinator will provide students a continuation code to resume the assessment/examination. 
   10. In the event of a prolonged interruption such as a computer or power outage, the proctor may decide to suspend the assessment/examination and reschedule following the rules consistent with the INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY.
4. Irregular incidents may include evidence of copying answers from classmates, giving or receiving unauthorized information, being in possession of unauthorized materials, making unauthorized notes, recording assessment/examination content via any means (manual, digital imaging, etc.), continuing to answer questions after the assessment/examination has ended or engaging in other behavior disruptive to fellow examinees. These incidents will be handled according to Honor Council guidelines and will be reported to the Honor Council and the appropriate PAC.

D. ADDENDUM TO Assessment/Examinations Policy for M1/2:

ADDENDUM A: UCCOM Item Analysis Rubric

*Options for ‘Review’ include: (1) Do nothing, (2) Accept multiple answers (only if the additional answer is actually correct) and rerun stats (3) Make it an enrichment question (decrease denominator of all students’ scores by one), if it is a good discriminator (> 0.3)

** Options for ‘Eliminate’: (1) All answers and will be accepted, if deemed poor question, (2) Accept multiple answers (only if the additional answer is actually correct) and rerun stats.

There is a lot of varying opinion about what the point biserial should be, but target values of >0.2 or >0.3 are commonly cited in the literature.

ADDENDUM B: Self-Assessment of Test Preparation and Performance / Development of New Study Strategy



ADDENDUM C: REMOTE/VIRTUAL PROCTOR FOR ELECTRONIC EXAMINATIONS DELIVERED USING Examplify and Honorlock

1. In the event, electronic examinations are proctored remotely/virtually, the student must provide the following systems requirements:
   1. Operating system (Windows 10; MacOSX 10.13 and higher)
   2. Browser (Google Chrome version 79 and higher)
   3. Internet Speed (1.5 Mbps download, 750 Kbps upload)
2. Prior to test day, students must charge the battery of their computer/laptop and have access to their power adaptor.
3. At least 3 days prior to test day, students using noise cancelling headphones must send a description and photo of the headphones to the proctor for approval. Ensure the headphones are not connected to a device.
4. At least 3 days prior to test day, students must perform a systems check including:
   1. Verifying that front facing camera and mic are working
   2. Confirming internet connection
   3. If internet is not strong enough, student may reserve space at MSB to take the exam/assessment through MedOneStop
5. On test day, students must
   1. Quit all applications running in the background or restart computer as needed.
   2. Confirm internet connection.
   3. Download the assessment.
   4. Be present, ready to start, at computer no later than 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to receive the password sent by the OME Proctor Team.
   5. Start the assessment or contact IT for support as needed no later than the scheduled start time.
   6. Students who experience the assessment stop due to technical or other problems, after restarting the software will prompt them to enter a resume/start code. Contact the proctor or com-exam@listserv.uc.edu to obtain resume/start code. A resume/start code will be sent from the proctor and then permission to restart the exam will be granted.
6. Students should avoid the following behaviors as they will be flagged by HonorLock as questionable:
   1. Shifting eye gaze away from looking at the assessment screen
   2. Entire face/eyes not visible in camera view (camera angle)
   3. Leaving the screen
   4. Incorrect camera in use
   5. Multiple people in the testing room
   6. Accessing any other webpages (except email)
   7. Talking, reading out loud or making loud noises
7. Students who encounter an IT issue or general question, should contact:
   1. Contact the proctor: omeproctor@ucmail.uc.edu
   2. Contact IT for IT issues:com-exam@listserv.uc.edu
8. One break per hour is permitted. Students should send the approximate time to the proctor email at omeproctor@ucmail.uc.edu after the assessment is complete in order to resolve any HonorLock flags.
9. Drinks are permitted during the exam/assessment.
10. Students are able to use their phone to communicate with support personnel when the computer is locked down.
11. Student work will be saved if their device crashes during the exam.
12. Students using scratch paper during the assessment/exam, must tear up used scratch paper on camera before submitting. A photo/video may be sent to the proctor if student forgets to tear up scratch paper on camera.
13. Students should monitor their assessment uploads after they submit. The student should remain connected to the internet with Examplify open in the background until all files (including assessment, and proctoring video files) are uploaded. The student should confirm with the email receipt and dashboard confirmation.

ADDENDUM D: REMOTE/VIRTUAL PROCTOR FOR NBME (e.g. EOB and CBSE) ELECTRONIC EXAMINATIONS

1. In the event, electronic examinations are proctored remotely/virtually, the student must provide the following systems requirements:
   1. Operating system (Windows 10; MacOSX 10.13 and higher)
   2. Browser (Google Chrome version 79 and higher)
   3. Internet Speed (1.5 Mbps download, 750 Kbps upload)
2. At least 3 days prior to test day, students must:
   1. Verifying that front facing camera and mic are working
   2. Confirming internet connection (if internet is not strong enough, student may reserve space at MSB to take the exam/assessment)
   3. Charge the battery of their computer/laptop and have access to their power adaptor.
   4. Certify their computer at NBME site according to their posted instructions.
3. At least 3 days prior to test day, students using noise cancelling headphones must send a description and photo of the headphones to the proctor for approval. Ensure the headphones are not connected to a device.
4. On test day, students must:
   1. Quit all applications running in the background or restart computer as needed.
   2. Confirm internet connection.
   3. Log in to the proctor’s Zoom room no later than 15 minutes before your posted start time. 
   4. Once in Zoom, connect using your computer audio and turn on the camera.
   5. Student performs a 360 view of their testing space as Proctor instructs.
   6. Use of scratch paper is allowed and it must be torn up on camera prior to leaving the Zoom
   7. Wait to open the NBME secure browser until directed.
   8. By student entering the Zoom room, the student is consenting to being recorded.
   9. Once Proctor has given the start code, start the assessment or contact IT for support as needed.
5. On test day, students who lose connectivity to the Zoom for any reason, the following procedure will be followed:
   1. Proctor will attempt to contact the student via email or phone.
   2. If no contact with the student can be made within 15 minutes, the Proctor will end the exam and student will have to retake the exam.

ADDENDUM E: REMOTE/VIRTUAL PROCTOR FOR ASSESSMENT/EXAMINATION REVIEW SESSIONS

1. Students are able to sign up for a remote assessment/examination review via MedOneStop.
   1. Students must sign up prior to the deadline of the review reservations. Late requests cannot be accommodated.
   2. Remote assessment/examination review sessions are not mandatory. However, once a reservation is made for a space at the review, the student is required to attend
   3. Students who are not able to attend, must cancel the reservation PRIOR to the review beginning time.
   4. Students who miss a review reservation and fail to communicate within 24 hours with the OME Procter Team (omeproctor@ucmail.uc.edu), will receive a formative feedback form.
2. Students will receive an email from OME Proctor Team giving their reservation time and proctor room address.
3. On the day of the Review, prior to joining the proctor’s Zoom room, the student must complete the Remote Assessment Review Student Acknowledgement/Attestation online form. The Proctor will not release the Review without this form signed.
4. Student starts proctoring session with computer camera/screen share via HonorLock quiz.
5. Student and proctor join Zoom meeting (students should join via phone/tablet). Zoom meeting will be recorded.
6. Proctor shares the Examsoft pdf report via Onedrive through Outlook email.
7. As student reviews the Examsoft pdf report:
   1. Notetaking is not permitted
   2. No other websites/resources open except two tabs (one for HonorLock and one for email to receive the review link from the Proctor)
   3. Students may not record question/answer content anywhere including in an email to the course director
8. At completion of review, the student will exit the Zoom. The student submits Canvas/Honorlock quiz.
9. The Proctor will delete the student review from OneDrive. The Proctor will end the Zoom after the last student is finished reviewing.

M1/M2 Attendance and Absences Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs and Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M1 and M2 Learners
Approval Date: August 6, 2020
Revised Date: October 6, 2022 

M1-2 attendance and absences policy

POLICY STATEMENT

I. PREAMBLE

This policy applies to all M1/2 medical students while they are enrolled at the College of Medicine.

All absences for required activities for any reason should be documented with the Medical Student Status Form (MSSF) submitted online in MedOneStop and appropriate approval should be sought.

Students must be granted permission to attend medical (diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic) health service appointments. Students do not have to disclose the type/reason of medical appointment.

Make up assignments may be required for absences.

II. ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE POLICY

Students are expected to document and request approval if they will not be present for any activities that require mandatory attendance. Planned absences should be requested with as much advance notice as possible (e.g. 4-6 weeks, see Scheduling Policy). If advance notice is possible prior to the publishing of the course schedule, the student should notify the course director directly of the planned absence. It is understood that advanced notice may not always be possible. Depending on the nature of the request, absences requested may not be granted.

Events marked as mandatory on Leo (formerly LCMS+) require submission of an MSSF if the student will not be in attendance. Examples of required learning events include:

• Team/small group based activities (including but not limited to team-based learning, small group case discussions, dissection laboratories, peer teaching, Learning Communities, class meetings)
• All sessions related to the Interprofessional Collaborative Practice courses, the Longitudinal Primary Care Clerkship
• Clinical Skills
• All Community Health and Service Learning modules of Physician & Society
• All assessments and examinations
• Any session that has a patient present or has a panel of presenters

Sessions identified on the schedule as involving the presence of a patient or a panel of patients as designated on the schedule of classes will not be recorded for live streaming or for later posting. Material covered in the sessions will be testable.

III. EXCUSED ABSENCES

The following will be considered excused absences:

• Diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic health services that cannot be conveniently scheduled at any other time (e.g. physician appointments, physical therapy, counselling, etc).
• Personal illness, accident or major catastrophic event
• Illness of a student’s child (see Parental Leave/Accommodation Policy)
• Death or serious illness of family members and close non-family members as identified by the student.
• Attendance at a meeting to present student’s research or to attend a conference as the COM’s official representative. (see special requirements below)
• Religious observances (see Religious Observation Policy)
• Jury duty (see special requirements below)
• Reasons requested other than those listed above will be considered on an individual basis.
• *Please note, lack of transportation is not considered an excused absence.

IV. PROCESS OF SEEKING APPROVAL FOR ABSENCES

An excused absence for any reason must provide (a) proper notification, (b) acceptable documentation of the reason, and (c) appropriate approval (see below).

Proper Notification

• Students should submit their request for a planned absence using the online MSSF on MedOneStop. All absences in which any portion of required events will be missed for any reason should be documented on the MSSF.
• Planned absences should be requested as much in advance as possible (e.g. 4-6 weeks) in which the absence will occur. Absences requested less than 1 week prior to the planned absence may not be considered for a possible excused absence unless extenuating circumstances prevented the student from providing timely notification per the policy.
• If a student experiences an unplanned absence from activities, he/she should attempt to complete the MSSF form as soon as possible.
• If the student is part of a team (team teaching, dissection, etc.) it is the student’s professional responsibility to also notify the team members.

Acceptable Documentation of the Reason

• The College of Medicine reserves the right to require additional specified documentation (conference acceptance, religious observance determination, copy of funeral program, etc).
• Failure to submit the MSSF and any additional documentation that is required will constitute unprofessional behavior and will be documented in the student file.

Appropriate Approval

• Once the MSSF form and any other accompanying documentation are submitted, the MSSF will be routed to the appropriate course director(s).
• The M1/2 course director(s) will review absences from required/mandatory events (both exams and non-exam activities) and make a determination about whether the absence is excused or not. All communications with the Course Director and student will occur electronically.
• An MSSF Committee will be created comprised of the M1/2 Curriculum Director, a representative from the Office of Student Affairs, a representative from the Office of Medical Education, a longitudinal course director, and an organ systems block course director. The MSSF Committee will:
• Review a monthly report on the number of absences, types of absences requested, and number of absences approved and denied by course.
• Serve as a resource for course directors to consult with questions regarding the approval process of MSSFs.
• Provide quarterly updates to the M1/2 Curriculum Committee regarding any patterns or concerns with MSSF submission and approval processes.

If an excused absence for any reason turns into a leave of absence, a student may not participate in any COM curriculum or extracurricular activities (assessments/examinations, mandatory sessions, organizational meetings, etc.), as referenced in the “Leave of Absence Policy”. Exceptions to this policy, however, may be made under special circumstances, as determined by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the course director.

Special Requirements for Attending a Conference

Students presenting at conferences or seminars or representing the COM at the conference who will miss a required activity must request permission from the course director to attend the conference. Notification of attendance at a conference or seminar must be received at least six weeks in advance of the start of the course in which the absence will occur.

Students presenting posters or who are invited to present at a meeting must provide a copy of the invitation and, if possible, the seminar/conference agenda listing their participation.

Absence from mandatory activities is limited to two academic days (including travel time).

Refer to the pre-approval process if attending a conference during the COVID pandemic (COVID-19 Medical Student Conference Attendance Approval Process (PDF)).

Special Requirements for Jury Duty

Students should notify the Registrar immediately upon receipt of a summons for jury duty. Students are encouraged to fulfill their obligation but should work with the COM to reschedule for a time that will allow for minimum negative impact on the educational experience. The COM will provide a statement documenting the student’s situation and requesting relief or rescheduling.

V. SCHEDULING MAKE-UP WORK FROM EXCUSED ABSENCES

Faculty and staff will work with students to develop a plan for make-up work in cases where the absence was excused.

Short Absences (1-2 days)

Within 48 hours of return to coursework the student must contact the Office of Medical Education (OME) to schedule make-up examinations. The student should contact the Program Director, Academic in OME for such make-up exams. The course director should be contacted to schedule when missed assignments should be completed.

Mid Length Absences (3 days to 2 weeks)

It is anticipated that students who are absent from medical school for 3 days to 2 weeks will communicate with the OME and the course director. As a result of this communication, an individualized plan will be developed, outlining the timetable for making up missed activities, optimally prior to the start of the next course, while maintaining on-going work. Any changes to the plan are at the sole discretion of the course director and program director, academic. Time allotted for make-up instruction is permitted at the discretion of the course director and according to available resources.

Extended Absences (greater than 2 weeks)

Students who are absent for more than two weeks for any reason will be placed on a Leave of Absence (see Leave of Absence Policy). The student’s re-entry date will be determined by the PAC. In special circumstances, however, exceptions to this policy can be made on an individual basis, as determined by the course director and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

VI. UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

An unexcused absence is one occurring for reasons other than those named above and/or one that lacks proper notification, documentation and/or approval of the reasons for absence. An unexcused absence in a required activity will result in a Formative Feedback Form submitted to the Office of Medical Education for distribution to the Office of Student Affairs and the appropriate PAC. An unexcused absence in a graded activity other than an assessment/examination will result in a score of “zero” for the activity. Make-up for an unexcused absence in a required activity is permitted only at the discretion of the course director, but will not change the “zero” score for the activity. For an assessment/examination that must be rescheduled from the designated time due to an unexcused absence, the student will take the assessment/examination and it will be scored (raw score).  The following adjustment will then be made to the raw score for the purposes of calculating a grade (adjusted score):

        The adjusted score will be the raw score minus 15% of the raw score.  For example, if the raw score is 100%, the adjusted score will be 85%.  If the raw score is 80% , the adjusted score will be 68% (80x 15=12, 80-12=68).  If the student has a second occurrence of taking an assessment/examination at a rescheduled time due to an unexcused absence, the adjusted score will be the raw score minus 30% of the raw score.  If the student has a third occurrence of taking an assessment/examination at a rescheduled time due to an unexcused absence, the adjusted score will be 0%,

Download: Visual MSSF Instructions M1/M2

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs and Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 and M4 Learners
Approval Date: June 3, 2021
Revised:  June 4, 2020; July 2, 2020; June 3, 2021; May 5, 2022

M3/4 Attendance and Absence Policy (PDF) 
MSSF Instructions (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

I. PREAMBLE

This policy applies to all M3/4 medical students while they are enrolled at the College of Medicine.

All M3 clerkship and M4 acting internship (AI)/elective activities are mandatory events and will comply with the Student Duty Hours Policy. Along with the privileges that go along with medicine, there are responsibilities for that care. Attendance is one of those responsibilities.

Absences are days that a student misses when they are scheduled to report for M3/4 learning activities/clinical duties in their designated course(s).

Students must be granted permission to attend medical (diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic) health service appointments. Students do not have to disclose the type/reason of medical appointment.

Make-up clinical dates may be required for absences.

II. DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this policy, two types of absences are defined, planned and unplanned:

Planned absence: Any planned time off that the student can notify the course director with as much advance notice as possible but not less than 2 weeks. Planned absences include personal days, residency interviews, medical appointments, conference travel, and jury duty.

Personal Day: A personal day is an absence planned in advance for which students do not need to disclose a reason.

Unplanned absence: An unforeseeable circumstance in which the student is unable to report to clinical duties (e.g. illness, accident, hospitalization, other catastrophic event)

Any planned absence in the clinical years requires prior submission of an MSSF with at least 2 weeks’ notice.  In the instance of an unplanned absence, the student will immediately notify the course director and coordinator, as well as the clinical team with whom they are working and then submit an MSSF as soon as they are able to do so.

Submission of an MSSF does not guarantee automatic approval for an absence. 

Students who miss any days may be required to make up the missed time and any assignments at the discretion of the course director. 

The following details the number of planned absences that may be requested by course type and length.  

Planned absences cannot be requested on blackout dates. M3 students should refer to the blackout calendar and M4 students should not request the first or last day of a rotation. M4 students should refer to their course regarding any additional blackout days (e.g. long admitting day and post long admitting days on an AI).  

Class Rank System

Responsible Department: Registrar & Office of Medical Education
Applies to: Class of 2020 and beyond
Approval Date: August 4, 2016

Class Rank System  (PDF)

The COM has developed a ranking system that allows a student's course grades to be compared to those of his or her colleagues. The ranking system is used to stratify the students into four categories (quartiles) as described below for use in the Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE). The individual numerical class rank of each student is not distributed to students or used for the MSPE.

The class rank for M1 and M2 is calculated by normalizing the numerical grade for each course using a T- Score conversion. T-Scores for each course will be weighted by course credit hours. The sum of all Weighed T-Scores is then divided by the sum of course credit hours to provide an overall T-Score Average.

For M1 and M2, the “ranking population” consists of students taking the course during the same offering (time period). For students who have taken a COM course previously, and passed it, but are repeating the course, the first of their two grades would be used for class rank calculations.

For M3, only courses designated as core courses by the EPC are considered in the class ranking process. The numerical grade for each course will be normalized using a T-Score conversion.

For M3, the mean and SD will be based on active students applying for residency in the same year. For students who have taken a COM course previously, and passed it, but are repeating the course, the first of their two grades would be used for class rank calculations.

For calculation of the class rank for purposes of the MSPE, a numerical score is obtained by creating a combined T-Score Average for M1, M2, and M3.  For rank years, 2022, 2023 and 2024; M1-M3 percentages varied due to COVID19 curriculum changes.  Starting with rank year 2025, the overall percentage per class year will be obtained by using 10% for M1, 20% for M2 and 70% for M3 designated courses.

MSTP Students will not displace MD students from the class rank categories.

Total students used to determine ranges are based on MD students. MSTP students are then placed within these ranges.

W, WP and WF grades will be maintained on the transcript but will not be used in the calculation of class rank.

Successful remediation of a failed course (Failure, F) will be recorded as a Pass on the transcript but the numerical score used to determine class rank will be the Minimum Passing Grade for that course (e.g. 70%). When a student is retaking a course that he/she has already failed (repeating a year or part of the year), and passes the course, the numerical score used to determine class rank will be the minimum passing grade for the course (e.g., 70%).

When a student receives a Conditional (C) in a course, and successfully remediates the grade, the MPL for the course will be used to calculate class rank (this applies primarily to M3 students).

As noted above, the COM groups its students into four categories for use in the MSPE.

Clinical Procedures/Patient Encounters Checklist Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 Learners
Approval Date: June 6, 2016

Clinical Procedures/ Patient Encounters Checklist Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

The COM, as specified by the EPC, requires medical students during the M3 year to track and record documentation for: 1) a defined set of clinical procedures that the student must perform or observe during the M3 clerkships, and 2) patient encounters in which the student must fully participate during the M3 clerkships (see APPENDIX III -- Required Clinical Procedures and APPENDIX IV – Required Patient Encounters). Procedures and encounters are listed by individual clerkship.

For definitional purposes, procedures are identified as being required to either be performed or observed. Students are encouraged to work with their attending physicians and residents to perform procedures on live patients wherever possible.

• Perform: Performance of a procedure is defined as performing or assisting in the performance of a required procedure with appropriate supervision from an attending or resident.
• Observe: Observation of a procedure is defined as watching an attending or resident perform the procedure in a clinical setting. The student is not assisting in the procedure.

For definitional purposes, patient encounters are identified as students being required to observe or fully participate in the care of the patient. The student is expected to evaluate, diagnose, formulate treatment plans and manage as appropriate to the student’s educational level (with appropriate attending or resident supervision).

• Participate: All patient encounters require students to fully participate. Participation in patient counters includes acting as the caregiver (with appropriate attending or resident supervision) of the patient on the service or clinic, aiding in a complete or problem focused history, physical, and diagnostic/therapeutic plan. This includes the ongoing management of hospitalized patients.
• Observe: Observation in patient encounters implies no direct patient contact (e.g. taking a history or performing a physical, participating in diagnostic/therapeutic plan for that patient). Examples might be observing another care provider providing the service (as part of team rounds) or being shown a physical exam finding on rounds.

The following guidelines discuss the documentation by the student of procedures performed or observed, and patient encounters that the student completes. With respect to procedures, the underlying premise is that students learn the indications and contraindications, the appropriate techniques, and the possible complications and outcomes for each of the delineated procedures. Sources such as the New England Journal of Medicine Videos in Clinical Medicine series which is accessible through the Harrison Health Sciences Library may be useful.

A. Students must complete and log clinical procedure requirements and patient encounters during the assigned clerkship.

1. Students are encouraged to enter clinical procedures or patient encounter data on a daily basis within MedOneStop. Directions on how to use Patient Encounters and Procedures can be found on MedOneStop.
2. Logging a patient includes a form to capture the relevant data from the procedure/encounter. The form will prompt you to document patient age, gender, chronicity, location, and supervising physician. The supervising physician is the physician (attending or resident) who was immediately available at the time of the procedure/encounter. The student should provide basic details, including a brief summary of the patient’s complaint, what the differential or etiology might be, other medical co-morbidities (like Diabetes, Hypertension, etc), and if there was a complication (for the procedures).
3. Clerkship directors will approve the clerkship appropriate encounters after logging has been completed by the student.
4. Students are required to enter the information within 7 days of completing the clinical procedure or patient encounter. A student may not receive credit for a clinical procedure or patient encounter that is not submitted within 7 days of performance of the procedure or encounter. Any such decision is at the sole discretion of the clerkship director and is not subject to appeal or review.
5. For documentation purposes, the students should document at least one (1) of each of the patient encounters and procedures designated for that clerkship. Students are encouraged to perform more than the one required encounter/procedure and may submit documentation of multiple procedures and encounters.

B. During the mid-clerkship feedback session with clerkship leadership, the student should present their progress on the patient encounter and procedure checklist and a plan for completion should be discussed. Students who are experiencing difficulty completing the required clinical procedures or documenting the required patient encounters prior to the end of the clinical rotation must contact the clerkship director and the clerkship coordinator via email at least one week prior to the end of the rotation with an explanation of the procedures or encounters that the student is experiencing difficulty with, and any circumstances as to why the student is experiencing difficulty.

At the sole discretion of the clerkship director the student may be assigned an alternate means of meeting the requirement such as viewing a video of the procedure(s) in question or assigning the student to complete a procedure in a simulation setting that was otherwise required on a live patient. If a student has not contacted the clerkship director in the appropriate timeframe and does not complete documentation of the procedures or encounters by the start of the end of clerkship examination, the consequences as listed below in section C will be in effect unless the clerkship director has identified extenuating circumstances for which any procedure or encounter in question was not available for the student to perform or observe.

C. Students who have not correctly completed and documented all required assigned procedures and encounters on a clerkship by 5:00 pm on the day before the end of clerkship and shelf examination will receive a 5 percent (5%) deduction on their final grade for the clerkship. This deduction may result in a lowering of the grade category (e.g. from H to HP, from HP to P, or from P to F). The grade will be marked as an “Incomplete” until all patient encounters and procedures are documented.

1. Students who fail to complete and document all procedures and encounters by the end of the clerkship will receive the grade deduction as above. The student then has 14 days from the end of the clerkship to complete and document the encounters/procedures. The student is not excused from any clinical/educational activities on any subsequent clerkships or rotations to complete the missed assigned procedures from a previous clerkship. If not completed within the 14-day time frame the grade will be changed from an “I” to a “C”.
2. Failure to complete and document all patient encounters and procedures within 90 days from the end of a clerkship will result in a grade of Failure (F) for the course. The F will be reflected on the student’s transcript and the student will be subject to the appropriate PAC policies with respect to receiving such a grade. The student is not excused from any clinical/educational activities on any subsequent clerkships or rotations to complete the missed assigned procedures from a previous clerkship.

D. Monitoring of students’ procedures and patient encounters:

1. During the clinical rotations, student compliance with documentation of required procedures will be monitored by clerkship directors and/or appropriate designees (coordinators). All encounters and procedures will be approved after being logged with appropriate details by the clerkship director on the rotation that is appropriate (e.g Thyroid disease will be approved by the Internal Medicine clerkship director).
2. Throughout the academic year, select faculty and Office of Medical Education staff may randomly sample student records to verify overall program compliance.

Any student who fails to complete required procedures in a timely fashion within a given clerkship will be monitored by the Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC). Students who fail to complete procedures in a timely fashion on more than one clerkship may be subject to further action related to professionalism in addition to any grade sanctions as described above.

Clinical Supervision Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 6, 2019, September 1, 2022
Clinical Supervision Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

I. PREAMBLE

This policy is intended to guide the supervision of activities of medical students and their supervising resident, fellow and attending physicians to ensure that medical students are appropriately observed/supervised in patient care activities during inpatient and outpatient training during the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) medical degree program. This policy also applies to the supervision of activities of visiting medical students. The policy is meant to ensure the safety of students, supervising resident/fellow and attending physicians, and patients and to make best use of the clinical environment to maximize students’ development of skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to enter the practice of medicine.

Supervision requirements are determined by factors such as the level of training of the student (i.e. year in medical school), the determinations made by the appropriate curriculum committees as to the level of supervision appropriate to that training level, the familiarity of the supervising physician with the student and the student’s abilities, the nature of the clinical situation and degree of risk to the patient, and the student’s skill and experience with the particular clinical situation.

II. Definitions of Supervision

A. Definition of Supervising Physician

1. An attending physician employed by the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; a community attending physician with a volunteer faculty appointment at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; a resident or fellow physician under the supervision of an attending physician training in a graduate medical education program at or associated with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
2. Supervising physicians must all be members in good standing of the clinical setting facility’s medical staff authorized to supervise and/or provide resources for medical students.

B. Definition of Direct vs Indirect Supervision

1. Direct Observation/Supervision – the observing/supervising physician (resident/fellow, attending) is physically present with the student and patient.
2. Indirect Supervision: with direct observation/supervision immediately available – the supervising physician is physically within the hospital or other site of patient care, and is immediately available to provide direct observation.

C. Specific Supervision Designations:

“Observe” is defined as:

1. The student is not allowed to have direct patient interaction (student is not taking a history or performing a physical, student is not participating in the diagnostic/therapeutic plan for that patient, etc). Examples of observation may be observing another care provider providing the service (as part of team rounds) or being shown a physical exam finding on rounds.

"Perform" is defined as:

2. The student is allowed to fully participate in patient encounters with appropriate attending or resident supervision of the patient on the service or clinic, aiding in a complete or problem focused history, physical, and diagnostic/therapeutic plan. Supervision can be either full supervision or on-demand supervision as deemed appropriate.
   1. Full supervision is defined as either a coactivity with the supervising physician (resident/attending) or a patient encounter with the supervising physician (resident/attending) in the room ready to step in as needed.
   2. On-demand supervision is defined as the student participating in a patient encounter with the supervising physician (resident/attending) immediately available with all findings being double checked by the supervising physician

These definitions of full and on-demand supervision are adapted from Chen et al, The Case for Use of Entrustable Professional Activities in Undergraduate Medical Education. Acad Med. 2015; 90: 431–436.

D. Progressive Responsibility

1. Students must be observed/supervised by attending physicians or resident/fellow physicians in such a way that the student only assumes progressively increasing responsibility according to their ability and experience. The level of responsibility accorded to each student must be determined by the teaching staff according to the clerkship or course-specific criteria.
2. After students have demonstrated competency in necessary skills, supervision may be provided with more indirect supervision, but direct supervision readily available. In those situations, students should be provided with rapid, reliable systems for communicating with supervising physicians.

III. Supervision Locations

A. All clinical encounters are expected to occur within primary and affiliate sites of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, with appropriate affiliation agreements according to LCME and AAMC policies and procedures.

B. A medical student must not perform a medical service without the direct and immediate supervision of an attending of the clinical site or resident/fellow at the clinical site where the service is performed.

1. Clinical decisions and orders will not be formulated or enacted by medical students without a supervising physician’s input.
2. Supervising physicians will identify those patients for whom medical student supervision may be provided by fellows, residents, and/or appropriately credentialed allied healthcare providers.

C. Responsibility for Policy

1. It is the responsibility of the supervising course/clerkship faculty member and/or site director to assure that the specifications of this policy are followed for all medical students of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine as well as visiting medical students and that appropriate supervision is always available.

D. Students will have the status of learners in all clinical sites associated with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Students are not meant to replace clinical staff, and are not to render independent patient care and/or service except as such are identified for educational value as a part of the COM‐planned educational program.

E. In the clinical setting in the M1 and M2 years (in-patient or out-patient), M1 and M2 students will be directly supervised with the supervising physician present or with the supervising physician immediately available.

1. Medical Students, in the course of their educational curriculum, may take patient histories and perform complete physical examinations. This begins in the M1 and M2 years.

F. In the clinical setting in the M3 and M4 years, M3 and M4 students will be directly supervised by the supervising physician present or with the supervising physician immediately available. Specific clinical situations must be considered in the M3 and M4 years:

1. Inpatient Care:
   1. It is the expectation of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine that an appropriately credentialed and privileged attending faculty member will be available for supervision during all clinical hours. Attending physicians are responsible for ensuring the appropriate care and coordination of care that is provided to patients.
   2. All patients seen in an inpatient clinical setting should be seen by the attending physician.
   3. In most inpatient clinical settings, all patients will also be seen by the appropriate resident/fellow physicians (e.g. a senior level resident for M4 acting internship supervision, a junior level resident for M3 clerkship).
   4. The attending physician and/or resident/fellow physician shall review the clinical situation and modify the clinical plan of the patients under their supervision at regular intervals (i.e. daily and more frequently as acuity increases and clinical situation merits).
   5. Medical students may enter findings in the medical record of the patient with the approval of the patient’s supervising physician. The attending physician is responsible for the completeness of the medical record, including the provision of additional comments in the medical record and attestation of the medical record. The supervising physician will review medical student documentation and provide feedback for educational purposes.
   6. Medical students will learn to write orders involved in patient care in the M3 and M4 years. All written orders must be approved and co-signed by the appropriate supervising physician. Students shall not give verbal orders.
   7. Medical students will learn to write medication orders and prescriptions involved in patient care during the M3 and M4 years. All medication orders must be approved and co-signed by the appropriate supervising physician.
   8. Students may call consults to other physicians during the M3 and M4 clinical years under the guidance of supervising physicians.
2. Outpatient/Ambulatory Care
   1. It is the expectation of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine that an appropriately credentialed and privileged attending faculty member will be available for supervision during normal outpatient hours. Attending physicians are responsible for ensuring the appropriate care and coordination of care that is provided to patients.
   2. All patients seen in an outpatient clinic should be appropriately staffed by the senior supervising physician.
      1. Not every outpatient visit might be staffed with an attending physician. Medicare grants a primary care exception for approved Graduate Medical Education residency programs where a resident provides services and the attending physician is immediately available for supervision. These visits are limited to annual wellness visits and primary preventive care visits. The services must be furnished in a primary care center located in the outpatient department of a hospital or another ambulatory care entity where the time spent by residents in patient care activities is included in determining DGME payments to a teaching hospital. This requirement is not met when the resident is assigned to a physician’s office away from the primary care center or when he or she makes home visits. Residents who provide this patient care without an attending physician physically present must have completed more than 6 months of an approved residency program. Click here to access the Teaching Physician's Fact Sheet.
   3. In some clinical outpatient settings, patients will also be seen by the appropriate resident/fellow physicians.
   4. Medical students may enter findings in the medical record of the patient with the approval of the patient’s supervising physician. The attending physician is responsible for the completeness of the medical record, including the provision of additional comments in the medical record and attestation of the medical record. The supervising physician will review medical student documentation and provide feedback for educational purposes.
   5. Medical students will learn to write orders involved in patient care in the M3 and M4 years. All written orders must be approved and co-signed by the appropriate supervising physician. Students shall not give verbal orders.
   6. Medical students will learn to write medication orders and prescriptions involved in patient care during the M3 and M4 years. All medication orders must be approved and co-signed by the appropriate supervising physician.
3. Observation/Supervision of Students Performing Procedures
   1. A student will be considered qualified to assist in performing a procedure if, in the judgment of the medical school curriculum guidelines and the supervising attending physician, that the student is entrusted to perform that activity. The guiding principles in determining appropriateness of a given procedure will include the complexity of the procedure, the potential for adverse effects, the demonstrated medical knowledge appropriate to the procedure, previous training in the procedure,and the competence, maturity and responsibility of each student in order to ensure the safety and comfort of the patient. The student should not perform the procedure without Direct Observation/Supervision.
   2. All outpatient procedures will have the attending physician of record documented in the procedure note, and that attending physician will be ultimately responsible for the procedure.
   3. The supervising physician must have privileges or authorization to perform the procedure being supervised.

G. Advanced Practitioners and Allied Healthcare Providers Supervision

1. When a medical student is participating in a clinical setting in which advanced practitioners (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetist) and/or allied healthcare providers (e.g. nursing, social work, etc) are present, it is the responsibility of the supervising faculty physician to assure that the advanced practitioners and/or allied healthcare providers are appropriately credentialed and capable of medical student supervision within the scope of their practice.
2. When a medical student is participating in a hospital-based practice, it is assumed that advanced practitioners and allied healthcare providers employed are appropriately credentialed by the hospital and capable of medical student supervision within the scope of their practice.
3. Advanced practitioners may supervise medical students as a delegated responsibility from the supervising physician. This does not waive the supervising physician’s responsibility for the student.

H. Supervision of Patient Encounters and Procedures in the M3 Year

1. As part of the graduation requirements of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, as specified by the Education Program Committee (EPC), medical students are required during the M3 and M4 years to track and record documentation for 1) a defined set of clinical procedures that the student must perform or observe and 2) a defined set of patient encounters that the student must perform.
2. Procedures and encounters are listed by individual clerkship.
3. Procedures are also identified as being required to either be performed or observed and whether the performance or observation needs to be done on a live patient or can be done in a simulation setting. Students are encouraged to work with their attending physicians and residents/fellows to perform procedures on live patients wherever possible and to record as many clinical encounters as possible.
4. Please see the Clinical Procedures/ Patient Encounters Checklist Policy. (add hyperlink)

I. All on-call experiences in which medical students participate are subject to the supervision rules described above.

IV. Distribution of Policy

A. Distribution to UCCOM Students:

1. Students will have on-line access to this policy in the student handbook.
2. The policy will be distributed and reviewed during orientations to each of the curriculum years, at each core clerkship/acting internship/elective orientation, and in any course of the curriculum with clinical patient activities.

B. Distribution to Visiting Medical Students:

1. Visiting medical students will have on-line access to this policy in the student handbook.
2. The policy will be referenced on the Visiting Medical Student webpage.

C. Distribution to Supervising Attending and Resident/Fellow Physicians

1. This policy is distributed to all attending physicians within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and its affiliates, including clerkship directors, residency program directors, fellowship directors, and community preceptors.
2. This policy is distributed to and reviewed by all residents/fellows who will supervise University of Cincinnati College of Medicine students or visiting medical students in any clinical setting.
3. Faculty and residents/fellows will also have online access to this policy via the Medical Education Faculty Handbook.

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion. To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements. Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

COVID-Patients Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 and M4 Students
Approval Date: December 18, 2020
Revised Date: September 1, 2022

COVID Patients Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

1. M3 students and M4 Students. M3 Students and M4 students may be assigned by their supervising physician to provide direct patient care for patients (patient encounters and procedures) with SARS-CoV-2. They may see patients who are under investigation (PUI) for possible SARS-CoV-2 infection.
2. M3 and M4 Students opting out. M3 and M4 students may also opt out for specific reasons such as being immunocompromised, having a medical condition that puts them at higher risk and/or living with a family member who is considered higher risk. No explanation is required for opting out.

It is expected that students would follow PPE conservation principles regardless of the patient’s COVID status. Students must continue to observe universal precautions.

Current Guidelines for testing and what to do if suspected of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 are found on The Link or by calling University Health Services (UHS).

Third Party Requirements

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements. Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

Disabilities: Student Policies and Procedures

Responsible Department: UC Disability Services and Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: August 2, 2018

Disabilities: Student Policies and Procedures (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Procedures for Students Requesting Initial Eligibility for Accommodations

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) grants reasonable and appropriate accommodations to medical students with documented disabilities. All reasonable requests will be considered. For the most expeditious assistance, the student is advised to adhere to the following procedures:

1. Medical students who report or suspect they have a disability may go directly to, or will be referred to, Accessibility Resources located on West Campus at 210 University Pavilion, or online here.
2. Students will need to provide documentation of the disability from a healthcare professional to Accessibility Resources.
3. Documentation such as Individual Education Program (IEP), Summary of Performance (SOP), Teacher Observations, full psychological evaluations, psycho-educational evaluations (with test scores), physician's medical records, etc., may be submitted to our office for review. Documentation should be relevant and from a qualified professional or professionals that are licensed or credentialed with expertise in the diagnosed area of disability, i.e., a psychologist should not diagnose an orthopedic disability.
   We prefer documentation (even from multiple sources) that offers the following information:
   • A diagnosis of disability or impairment that limits a major life activity;
   • How the condition will impact the student within the academic environment;
   • A listing of reasonable, appropriate accommodations that will lessen the impact of the disability within the academic setting.
4. Accessibility Resources maintains the ability to ask for more documentation to clarify how the disability will impact the student within the academic setting.
5. Documentation can be faxed, mailed, e-mailed, or dropped off in person:
   
   Accessibility Resources
   University of Cincinnati 210 University Pavilion
   PO Box 210213
   Cincinnati, OH 45221-0213
   Email: accessresources@uc.edu 
   Fax: 513-556 1383
   Phone: 513-556-6823
6. Once the documentation is provided, an intake will follow to discuss the impact of the disability within the academic environment. Students should contact Accessibility Resources to verify the documentation has been received and is appropriate. If documentation is appropriate, an intake appointment is scheduled.

UCCOM has an internal review committee called the Disability and Accommodations Committee. The Assistant Dean for Academic Support serves as the Chair of the Disability and Accommodations Committee (hereafter referred to as “Chair”) and acts the liaison between UCCOM and Accessibility Resources. The Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education is responsible for appointing members to the committee.

Consultation between the UCCOM Disability and Accommodations Committee and Accessibility Resources

Upon receiving a request for accommodations from a medical student, the Accessibility Resources Coordinator will review the documentation and make a determination regarding eligibility for accommodations. During the intake meeting between the student and the resources coordinator, the resources coordinator will work with the student to develop a list of the requested accommodations. If the requested accommodations include only testing accommodations of extended time on written or computer based exams (including gross anatomy practical exams) and/or a limited distraction testing room (and the provided documentation supports such accommodation) the plan will be approved through Accessibility Resources and does not typically require consultation with the UCCOM Disability and Accommodations Committee.

Accessibility Resources will provide the Chair with an email listing the approved accommodations for each medical student. The Chair will ask the student to sign the Description of Academic Accommodations document indicating an understanding of and compliance with the UCCOM testing procedures. The Chair will notify relevant course directors of the approved plan at the time of approval and at the start of each academic year. See “Communication regarding approved accommodations plans” section for responsibilities of student communication.

If the requested accommodations include other academic accommodations (beyond extended time on exams and distraction limited testing room) and/or if the requested accommodations will apply in educational settings/activities that are clinical in nature, Accessibility Resources will submit the accommodations request via email to the Chair within 24 hours of the intake appointment. The Disability and Accommodations committee will review the request for feasibility, reasonableness, and plans for implementation of the accommodation plan. Possible clinical settings/activities include but are not limited to, emergency management courses (HCEM 1-4), clinical skills courses (CS 101, 102, 201, 202), Longitudinal Primary Care Clerkship (LPCC), Interprofessional Experiences (IPEX), Objective structured clinical exams (OSCE), third year clerkships and fourth year rotations. The UCCOM Disability and Accommodations Committee, in consultation with Accessibility Resources, will review accommodations requests for medical students within 15 business days of being notified by the Accessibility Resources Coordinator.

While all reasonable accommodation requests will be considered, the UCCOM cannot waive any Essential Technical and Health Standards and must not compromise the competency standards for admission, retention and graduation. Accommodations should not entail a fundamental alteration of educational outcomes, competencies, or standards or represent an undue burden on the university.

Accommodations in the academic and/or clinical settings are designed to remove barriers and to allow for equal access to the educational environment, they do not guarantee success in the educational program.

When the Disability and Accommodations Committee has reviewed the accommodation plan in consultation with Accessibility Resources, and the interactive process has come to an agreement, the Accessibility Resources Coordinator will provide a an email listing the approved accommodations to the student and the Chair. The Chair will notify relevant course directors of the approved plan at the time of approval and at the start of each academic year. See “Communication regarding approved accommodations plans” section for responsibilities of student communication.

Communication regarding approved accommodation plans

Subsequent to the process described above, Accessibility Resources will provide the medical student and the Chair with an email listing the approved accommodations. If the approved accommodations include testing accommodations, the Chair will ask the student to sign the Description of Academic Accommodations document indicating an understanding of and compliance with the UCCOM testing procedures. The Chair will notify relevant course directors of the approved accommodations at the time of approval and at the start of each academic year.

Throughout the academic year, students should communicate with relevant course directors/coordinators at the start of each course regarding the specifics of implementing the accommodations. For students in M1 and M2, the plan for administering weekly and biweekly exams will be arranged at the beginning of the course. Students should contact the course coordinator again at least two weeks before the end of course examination to make specific arrangements for the final. Students in M3 should notify the clerkship director/coordinator at the start of the clerkship and again two weeks in advance of the shelf exam to make arrangements.

Temporary Accommodations

A student who suspects he/she has a disability can begin the process for requesting accommodations with Accessibility Resources as described above. The Accessibility Coordinator will ask the student to complete the Student Self-Report document. Based on the student’s self-description of physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, the Resources Coordinator will assist the student with identifying reasonable accommodations. Consultation between the Resources Coordinator and the Chair will occur as described in section “Consultation between the UCCOM Disability and Accommodations Committee and Accessibility Resources” above. The Accessibility Resources Coordinator will inform the

Chair when accommodations are categorized as “temporary” status vs. “documented” status.

The plan may be approved temporarily pending the receipt of supporting documentation from an appropriate health professional. Temporary accommodations will not exceed one semester without the appropriate supporting documentation.

Procedures for Renewal of Accommodations

The Chair will notify medical students previously registered with the Accessibility Resources via email that it is time to renew accommodation plans. Accommodations plans are renewed for each academic year. Neither Accessibility Resources nor the Disability and Accommodations committee need to review renewal requests for determination of a disability unless there is a change in the nature of the disability or a substantial modification to the previously approved plan. A written request to renew accommodations is required to be submitted by the student for each academic year using the Request for Accommodations form. Whenever possible, accommodation requests should be submitted in a timely manner and are not applied retroactively. For processing prior to the first day of class, such requests must be submitted at least 15 business days prior to the first day of class.

In consultation with Accessibility Resources, the Disability and Accommodations Committee may review the provision of accommodation to any student at any time, including at the time of the request for renewal of accommodations.

The Chair writes a new eligibility verification letter for each academic year verifying that the student is eligible for accommodations and specifies the approved accommodation plan. The letter is sent to the student via email.

For students who are approved for testing accommodations, each year when presented with the verification letter, the student must sign the Description of Academic Accommodations document indicating an understanding of and compliance with the UCCOM testing procedures.

No course director or faculty may grant accommodations without specific approval from the Accessibility Resources and the UCCOM Disability and Accommodations Committee.

The Chair will provide assistance to students who apply for accommodations on NBME licensure exams. All decisions regarding accommodations requests on NBME licensure exams are handled directly through the NBME. There is no guarantee that approval through UCCOM/ UC will also mean approval through NBME.

Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation Reporting Policy

Responsible Department: Dean's Office
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: March 3, 2022

Discrimination Harassment or Retaliation Reporting Policy (PDF)

POLICY

The University of Cincinnati (“University”) and its College of Medicine is committed to providing a living, learning, and working environment that is equitable, inclusive, and free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.  Consistent with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, the University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status (including veteran status), national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, parental status (including status as a foster parent), pregnancy, or any other status protected by law (collectively, “protected class”), in its academic, education, and employment programs and activities.  

This policy serves to provide notice and information regarding the University’s policies and procedures related to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. 

REPORTING

I. Reporting Allegations of Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation Not Involving Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender, and/or Gender Identity or Expression:

Students who are directly involved in, who observe, or who receive reliable information that discrimination, harassment, or retaliation not involving sex, sexual orientation, gender, and/or gender identity or expression are strongly encouraged to report such allegations to any of the following offices:

A.For any type of allegation:

1. Associate Dean for Student Affairs

   Medical Sciences Building, Room E-450J

   (513) 558-0737

   braggds@ucmail.uc.edu

2. Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

   Medical Sciences Building, Room E-553

   (513) 558-7301

   uccomdiversity@uc.edu

    

3. Associate Deans for Medical Education
4. Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs
5. Co-chairs of the Honor Council
6. Course/Clerkship/Elective Evaluations

B. Alternative reporting option for allegations based on protected class, not including sex, sexual orientation, gender, and/or gender identity or expression:

Office of Equal Opportunity & Access

5150 Edwards 1, Corry Blvd.

(513) 556-5503

oeohelp@uc.edu

C. Alternative reporting option for allegations of disability discrimination, including website accessibility concerns:

Accessibility Resources

630 Steger, 2801 UC Mainstreet

(513) 556-4119

UCAccess@uc.edu         

II. Reporting Allegations of Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation Involving Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender, and/or Gender Identity or Expression:

A. All allegations based on sex, sexual orientation, gender, and/or gender identity or expression are subject to the University’s Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy or Sex- and/or Gender-Based Misconduct Policy.These policies are administered by the Office of Gender, Equity, & Inclusion (“OGEI”).Collectively, these policies will be referred to as “OGEI Policies.”

B. Students who are directly involved in, who observe, or who receive reliable information that discrimination, harassment, or retaliation involving sex, gender, and/or gender identity may have occurred are strongly encouraged to report such allegations pursuant to the OGEI Policies.

C. All University employees, and any member of the University community who supervises faculty, staff, students, or volunteers, except those individuals exempt from reporting as set forth in the OGEI Policies, have an obligation to report incidents of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation pursuant to the OGEI Policies.

D, All reports should be made directly to OGEI:

                USquare 308, 225 Calhoun St.

                (513) 556-3349 M-F 8a-5p

ogei@uc.edu

III. Reports to Law Enforcement

A. In the event of an emergency, an immediate threat, or if a crime is in progress, call 911 immediately.

B, Where the alleged discrimination, harassment, or retaliation is potentially of a criminal nature, individuals are encouraged to also make a report to the University of Cincinnati Police Division or to local law enforcement. Ohio law requires that any person knowing that a felony has been or is being committed to report the crime to the police.

University of Cincinnati Police Division

Three Edwards Center, 51 West Corry Blvd

(513) 556-1111 (non-emergency line)

publicsafety@uc.edu    

IV. Anonymous Reporting

Students may report information anonymously via the College of Medicine’s Anonymous Learning Environment Reporting Tool (“ALERT”) or the University’s EthicsPoint Anonymous Reporting Hotline.  The University will review and take appropriate action on anonymous reports. However, the University’s options for investigating and resolving anonymous reports may be limited depending on the amount of the information provided in the report.

ALERT – For College of Medicine Issues

Online Reporting:

https://comdo-wcnlb.uc.edu/emos/resources/reportmistreatment.aspx   

EthicsPoint – For General University Issues

Hotline: (800) 889-1547

Online Reporting: http://www.uc.edu/af/intaudit/ethicshotline.html

V.   False Reporting

False reporting is making an intentional inaccurate report or accusation in relation to a University policy, as opposed to a report or accusation, which, even if erroneous, is made in good faith. False reporting is a serious offense subject to appropriate disciplinary action ranging up to and including dismissal.

REPORT PROCESSING

I. All reports received by an individual/department on end of course/clinical rotation evaluations, within the College of Medicine, are sent to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs including anonymous reports submitted via ALERT, which prompt an email notification to be sent to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.Reports made via end of course/clerkship/elective evaluations are sent to the course directors and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs once grades have been submitted.

II. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will send reports to the appropriate University department for review and processing (i.e. OGEI; Honor Council; Performance and Advancement Committee; etc.).Those reports will be addressed according to their applicable University policy.

III. If the Associate Dean for Student Affairs determines that the report does not fall under the jurisdiction of another University department, the report will be forwarded to the appropriate course director and/or other administrator/supervisor to review the report. The course director or other administrator/supervisor will document steps taken to review the report and note whether any interventions or supports were needed, and if so, what interventions or supports were taken to address the report. Student participation in this process is meant to foster professional development. The course director or other administrator/supervisor will resolve the report within a reasonable time. The documentation will be sent to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Related Policies:

Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy

Sex- and/or Gender-Based Misconduct Policy

Policy on Harassment

Medical Student Honor Code

Policy of the Honor Council

Student Code of Conduct

Performance and Advancement Committee Standards and Procedures

Notice of Non-Discrimination

University Policy on Non-Discrimination and Harassment

Dress Code for Medical Students in M1/M2

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M1 and M2 Learners
Approval Date: June 7, 2018
Revised: August 6, 2020; August 14, 2020; August 4, 2022, September 1, 2022

M1-2 Dress Code Policy (PDF)

UCH HR Employee Relations Professional Business Wear Guidelines (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

A. Attire for Activities Involving a Patient or Simulated Patient

Medical students are representatives of the College of Medicine (COM) and are expected to exhibit appropriate professionalism at all times. This professionalism extends to and includes dress appropriate to the setting. A dress code is in place to maintain a level of professionalism as students develop relationships with their patients, the public, and other members of the health professions. In all activities involving patients, simulated patients or a panel of presenters, the M1/2 medical students are to follow the Dress Code for Medical Students in M3/4. See below for specific details related to scrub attire.

PPE following standard UCCOM protocols should be used in every clinical encounter with patients or simulated patients. Students must follow UCCOM and UC Health policy regarding masks and PPE whenever present in their facilities. This includes any mask mandate for classroom activities as required by the Dean of the College of Medicine.  Your mask must cover your mouth and nose. Depending on the course and the activities being conducted, students may have additional PPE requirements (e.g. eye protection, gown, gloves) as noted by the course directors in their syllabus (e.g. clinical skills). Students should follow any additional PPE requirements outlined for the course. If the UCCOM mask mandate for classroom activities is lifted, the COVID specific requirements would no longer apply for the classroom, but may still be in place in the clinical setting, particularly when seeing patients with COVID.

B. Attire for Lectures (In-Person or Virtual)

Course directors will indicate the attire expected of students (e.g. professional dress casual, White Coats) in the event description on LEO. Students should follow the indicated attire on Leo for the course regardless of whether the event is held in-person or virtually. Professional dress casual includes dress pants or khakis (no shorts), dresses, skirts, dress shirts, or polo shirts. Ties are not required. Note that any in-person events will require that students wear a mask that covers the mouth and nose consistent with UCCOM and UC Health policy until further notice.

C. Scrub Attire

The University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC) allows medical students access to hospital scrubs. This includes laundering of the scrubs. Medical students are expected to use these scrubs appropriately. Any student who fails to return scrubs to the hospital (e.g., leaves them in locker rooms or other inappropriate areas) or utilizes the scrubs inappropriately will have this privilege removed and will be subject to disciplinary action and/or referral to Honor Council.

Use of scrubs by M1/M2 students should essentially be limited to activities in the Gross Anatomy lab or as noted by the course directors in the syllabi of specific courses (e.g. Clinical Skills, or courses where there are interactions with patients or there are clinical interactions required). Until further notice, students will be required to wear additional PPE in the Gross Anatomy lab that includes face mask, face shield, and gloves. This additional PPE is required for scheduled dissection, self-directed learning sessions for gross anatomy, peer teaching, and anytime students enter the Gross Anatomy lab to study.

The following are some reminders of inappropriate use of scrubs.

1. Scrubs are NEVER to be worn outside the patient care area (hospital) and the Medical Center buildings.
2. Tee shirts should not be worn underneath scrubs if they extend beyond the scrub top.
3. Sweatshirts, sweaters, pullovers and hoodies are not permitted over scrubs.
4. Scrubs are not allowed in the following areas:
   1. In the MSB/CARE/Crawley complex (except for Gross Anatomy lab or immediately preceding or following this lab).
   2. Conferences and lectures
   3. Meetings (e.g., Admissions Committee, EPC, etc.)
   4. Outside of the hospital

D. Professionalism Requirements/Policies

1. Do not chew gum when talking to patients or faculty
2. No eating or drinking in front of patients or in patient care areas
3. Never discuss patient care issues in public areas, such as cafeterias and elevators. This is a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and may lead to disciplinary action up and to including dismissal from the College of Medicine as well as civil criminal penalties.
4. Beepers and cell phones should be kept on vibrate or silent mode.
5. Consistent with UCCOM and UC Health policy, all students must wear a mask at all times. Your mask must cover your mouth and nose. If you need to eat or drink, the following is recommended: try to eat in a space with good air flow (e.g. outside or in a large open area), maintaining at least 6 feet social distance when you remove your mask to eat.

A Formative Feedback Form will be issued to a student who is in violation of the Dress Code. Egregious violations of the Dress Code may lead to further disciplinary action including but not limited to a referral to a PAC or Honor Council.

E. Third Party Requirements

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

Dress Code for Medical Students in M3/M4

Policy Title: Dress Code for Medical Students in M3/M4
Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 & M4 Learners
Approval date: June 4, 2020

UCH ADM Student Placement and Clinical Practice-019 (PDF)

Physician and Mid-Level Provider Professional Dress and Scrub Wear - Medical Staff (PDF)

The COM will follow the policies developed by UC Health, outlined below. Students are expected to follow the dress code policies set by other clinical sites when rotating at those sites.

UCH-ADM-019-01
Student Placement and Clinical Practice - Dress Code
02/25/2019
Next review: 02/01/2022

1. Students and clinical faculty must be in school uniform and comply with the UC Health dress code when providing or supervising patient care in any of the UC Health facilities.
2. The clinical faculty/preceptors are expected to review and enforce the dress code policy with students. (UCMC-PCS-Dress Code for Patient Care Services Personnel-134, WCH-PCS-100 Dress Code for Patient Services Personnel, DDC-PCS-005 Dress Code Nursing Services)
   • Clinical faculty and students may adhere to the color palette as outlined by the school’s dress code policy. Midlevel students must adhere to the Physician and Mid- Level Provider Professional Dress and Scrub Wear policy. (UCMC-MSO-006 Physician and Mid-Level Provider Professional Dress and Scrub Wear)
3. All clinical faculty and students must wear their college badge as well as a UC Health identification badge while in the hospital. Once the clinical rotation is completed, all issued badges must be returned to the UCH Parking and Access Office. Fees may apply for failure to return a badge after the clinical rotation is complete.

Policies and procedures for physician and mid-level provider professional dress and scrub wear at UCMC:

As part of our culture of excellence, the University of Cincinnati Medical Center encourages physicians to arrive to work in attire considered appropriate for the standards of the profession of medicine. All credentialed providers and all graduate medical education trainees must follow these professional dress guidelines.

1. PURPOSE
   To establish dress guidelines for credentialed providers and members of house staff.
2. DEFINITIONS
   Credentialed Provider: Physician or Advanced Practice Practitioner (Advanced Practice RN or Physician Assistant) who holds membership and/or privileges at UC Medical Center.
   House Staff: Graduate Medical Education trainee (medical student, resident, or fellow) in a training program providing clinical services at UC Medical Center.
3. PROCEDURE
   The following guidelines apply to all members of the Medical Staff, Allied Health Advanced Practice Providers, and to all members of the House Staff, regardless of employment status.

Scrub Wear Policy

Scrub wear covered by a clean, white lab coat is appropriate in the following areas:

• Operating Room (no white coat in O.R.)
• Intensive Care Units
• Procedural areas such as cystoscopy/endoscopy
• Radiology/Cardiology procedure areas
• Perinatal areas including
• Labor and Delivery
• Nursery
• Post-Partum
• Emergency Department

Scrubs covered by a clean, white lab coat may be worn in other areas of the hospital by physicians working the night shift. Uncovered scrubs should not be worn in public areas of the hospital.

Hospital-provided scrub attire is considered hospital property and will not be removed from hospital premises.

COMPLIANCE

This Professional Dress Policy is under the purview of the Medical Staff Code of Conduct for members of the medical staff and the Standard Terms and Conditions for Graduate Medical Education for residents and fellows.

RESPONSIBILITY

Members of Medical and Allied Health Staff Members of House Staff

KEY WORDS

Professional Dress Code, Scrub Wear, Medical Staff Dress Code, Professional Dress

Duty Hours Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 and M4 Learners
Approval Date: August 3, 2017

Duty Hours Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Introduction

In an effort to effectively train and educate medical students it is necessary to comply with the following guidelines related to attendance limitations in clinical educational experiences. This policy is intended to prevent fatigue and the inability of medical students to master the essential concepts of the assigned experience.

Attendance Limitations on Student Assignments

1. The following attendance limitations must be implemented and enforced for all clinical experiences:
   1. For all clinical sites (hospital, nursing home, clinic, etc.), the maximum number of required hours should not exceed 80 hours per week, averaged over a 4-week period. A written explanation must be submitted to the clerkship director explaining any week with more than 80 hours.
   2. Overnight in-house call should not be assigned more than an average of every third day and not the day before administration of the end of the clerkship examination.
   3. An average of one day (24 hours) in every seven must be free of clinical responsibilities (including seminars, clinic, rounds, lectures), averaged over a four week period.
   4. In-house consecutive duty hours cannot exceed 24 hours.
      1. It is essential for medical student education that effective transitions in care occur. 4 additional hours after the initial 24 hours may be used for transitions of care and educational purposes. Medical students must not be assigned new additional clinical responsibilities after 24 hours of continuous in-house duty.
      2. If medical students are assigned shifts, the students should have 10 hours off between shifts.
   5. The Student Duty Hours Policy and how to report violations are to be discussed during the orientation to each clerkship
2. Violations in Student Duty Hours Policy If violations occur, the procedure for reporting duty hour violations will be as follows:
1. Verbal reporting will occur first through supervising clerkship director, site preceptor and/or the Office of Student Affairs.
2. End of clerkship evaluations occur after every required clerkship, acting internship, specialty clerkship, and elective clerkship. Duty hours reporting occur on these evaluations.
3. Students may access the online Anonymous Learning Environment Reporting System (ALERT) form to report violations of duty hours. These reports will be reviewed by the Associate Dean of Medical Education upon submission.
Link to ALERT

The above guidelines do not account for independent study time aside from clinical responsibilities or other activities in which students choose to participate.

Electives Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education and Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: M3 and M4 Learners
Approval Date: June 3, 2021
Revised: June 4, 2020; June 3, 2021; March 3, 2022, September 1, 2022; December 22, 2022; September 7, 2023

Elective Policy (PDF)

PURPOSE

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) offers electives to medical students to broaden and balance the overall educational development of each student while enhancing learning in preparation for residency as well as an opportunity for career exploration and appreciation for medical specialties. This policy outlines the types of electives that are available at each academic level and the associated enrollment requirements. All electives must be approved by the Education Program Committee.

Pre-Clerkship

Longitudinal Electives

Provides medical students the opportunity to take an elective offered for two or four weeks credit that spans across several months and in many instances more than a single academic year starting during the pre-clerkship phase in the M1 or M2 year. Credit for completion of these electives is applied during the fourth year. While students may apply for consideration to more than one longitudinal elective, students are restricted to enrolling in only ONE longitudinal elective. Students applying to a longitudinal elective should be in good academic standing. However, if a student experiences academic difficulty at any time while enrolled in the elective, consideration of withdrawal will be discussed with the elective director, student, and possibly advisor in the office of student affairs.

Longitudinal electives may include activities in the third and/or fourth year and, therefore, can be taken concurrently with any type of elective including acting internship (AI), intensive clinical experiences (ICE), general elective or part-time elective. Priority will be attending the AI, ICE, and general elective over longitudinal elective activities as students may not miss any components of one elective in order to complete requirements of overlapping elective.

Beginning 07/01/23 students in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine MD-MPH Dual Degree Program will not be eligible to earn additional credit towards the M4 year/Phase 3 for another pre-clinical longitudinal elective. This is because the MPH includes 4 weeks of elective credit applied to the M4 year for the History and Ethics of Public Health course taken during Phase 1. For example, if a student chooses to take a longitudinal elective (e.g., Medical Spanish and Latino Health) in addition to the History and Ethics of Public Health course required for the MD-MPH Dual Degree Program, they may not apply the credit for the Medical Spanish longitudinal elective toward M4/Phase 3 elective credit requirements.

If a student enrolled in a pre-clinical longitudinal elective prior to joining in the MD-MPH Dual Degree Program, the student will be capped at 4 weeks longitudinal elective credit applied to the M4 year. Students who were accepted to the MD-MPH Dual Degree Program prior to 07/01/23, who also completed another longitudinal elective, will receive full credit for both.

There is a maximum of four weeks that may be applied to M4/Phase 3 elective requirements. This holds no matter when the students take the History and Ethics of Public Health course and no matter the other longitudinal electives they have taken. 

M3 Electives
Third Year Specialty Electives*

During the third year of medical school, students are required to choose two specialty electives each lasting two weeks. The emphasis for these electives is for career exploration. These electives are interspersed during the third year and are selected by way of a lottery system permitting students to rank order of preference. See Appendix A.

Deferment of this requirement will be rare and granted only under exceptional circumstances such as the following: (1) to allow military (Health Professions Scholarship Program) students to do their required active duty or (2) extenuating personal/academic circumstances. The office of Student Affairs will review all requests. The student will replace the deferred weeks of M3 specialty clerkships/electives with an equivalent number of additional weeks of M4 electives that must be completed to meet graduation requirements.

Specialty Electives Offered:

• Anesthesiology
• Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
• Clinical Oncology
• Dermatology
• Emergency Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine
• Medical Intensive Care Unit
• Ophthalmology
• Otolaryngology
• Pathology
• Radiology
• Urology

M4 Electives*

The fourth year is designed to provide medical students with more independence and responsibility in terms of patient care to ensure that they have met the overarching program objectives of UCCOM.

1. Students must complete all required third year clerkships prior to starting any fourth year   electives.
   1. Exception: Students with unique circumstances may be permitted to take an M4 elective prior to completing third year clerkships. Students must select from a pre-approved list of electives and obtain permission from their advisor in the Office of Student Affairs.
2. Students must complete a total of 28 weeks of elective credit. Specifically, all students must take a defined number of weeks within each elective grouping:
   • A total of 4 weeks of a Specialty Acting Internship
   • A total of 12 weeks of Intensive Clinical Experience
   • A total of 12 weeks of General Electives
   • During the spring semester of the M4 year, students must complete a minimum of 4 of the required 32 weeks in (2) 2-week electives or (1) 4-week elective or (1) 4-week Acting Internship that provides the student with the responsibility of actively providing direct patient care for a minimum of 20 hrs/week.
   • An additional 12 weeks is considered unscheduled or flex time, which is time to be used for interviews, vacations, or other personal use.

   Elective Type	Duration	Total Weeks
   Specialty Acting Internship (AI)	Four Week block	4 weeks
   Intensive Clinical Experience (ICE)	Two or Four Week block	12 weeks
   General Electives	Two or Four week block	12 weeks
   	Total	28 weeks
   *12 weeks unscheduled/flex time

3. Electives are offered for two weeks OR four weeks total credit. The time to complete the total number of hours can be offered as full time which is 40 hours per week or part time which would be less than 40 hours per week.
   1. Two weeks = 80 hours
   2. Four weeks = 160 hours
4. Refer to the absence policy for blackout dates and attendance issues.
5. To drop a course, students should submit a request at least four weeks prior to the start date in order to automatically withdraw to avoid a formal approval process. If the drop request is submitted less than 30 days, the drop request must go through a formal approval process with the department.
6. To add a course, students should submit a request four weeks prior to the start date for consideration for approval. If the add request is submitted less than 30 days prior to the start date, the add request must go through a formal approval process with the department. Requests submitted less than 30 days may not necessarily be approved due to the short-time frame and onboarding process.
7. The same elective cannot be taken twice unless it is an away or research elective.

*Detailed descriptions and syllabi for each elective are available in the M3/4 Course Offerings on MedOneStop

Specialty Acting Internship – total 4 weeks

Acting Internships (other schools called sub-interns or sub-Is) is a four-week experience for the student to practice being an intern under the careful supervision of an attending physician and senior level resident physician. Acting Interns (AI) are the primary caregiver for these inpatients, performing the history and physical, creating a differential, then writing the orders, and managing the patient’s care throughout the hospitalization. The AI also participates in call, cross coverage, and patient care transitions just like any other first year resident. Students will choose from a specialty/discipline of their choice: surgery, pediatrics, family medicine, anesthesiology, obstetrics, gynecology, neurology, psychiatry, emergency medicine or internal medicine. AIs must be completed in Cincinnati.

Intensive Clinical Experience (ICE) – total 12 weeks

Defined as intensive, substantial, direct patient care experience providing more than 20 hours of direct clinical/patient care experience and responsibility; cannot be primarily shadowing or in a didactic setting. Designed to teach medical students the importance of actively participating in the care of a patient and the health care team. Students spend 50% of the rotation in face-to-face patient interactions while serving as a member of the medical team. Four of the 12 weeks of ICE must be taken in Cincinnati.

General Electives –total 12 weeks

Provides medical students with an opportunity to broaden and balance their educational experience in preparation for intern year.

Part-time Electives

Provides fourth year medical students the opportunity to take an elective offered for two or four weeks credit with fulfillment of required time to obtain credit spanning from one month to several months of the entire M4 academic year. Part-time electives provide medical students with an opportunity for flexible working hours, nonconsecutive working days, and the ability to overlap with a qualifying elective. These electives allow students to be productive during interview season months.

• Students may overlap a part-time elective with an elective that allows overlap as noted on the M4 Course Availability schedule page in MedOneStop.

• Students may not miss any components of one elective in order to complete the requirements of overlapping electives.
• Part-time electives cannot be overlapped with an AI or ICE credit electives.
• Students may take a maximum of 2 electives per M4 rotation i.e full-time plus part-time or two part-time provided the electives permit overlap as noted on the M4 Course Availability schedule page in MedOneStop.

Extended Electives

Provides fourth-year medical students the opportunity to take an elective offered for two or four weeks credit with fulfillment of required time to obtain credit spanning across the entire M4 academic year only. Extended electives are considered a subset of part-time electives which also offer medical students an opportunity for flexible working hours and nonconsecutive working days with the unique ability to overlap with any elective including Acting Internship (AI) and Intensive Clinical Experiences (ICE).

• Students may not miss any components of one elective in order to complete the requirements of the extended elective.
• Exception: Students may take a maximum of 3 electives per M4 rotation if the third elective is an extended elective i.e full-time plus part-time plus extended or two part-time plus extended provided the electives permit overlap as noted on the M4 Course Availability schedule page in MedOneStop.

Away/Extramural Electives

Students may choose to do away electives for a variety of reasons: encouraged by some specialties (e.g. emergency medicine, orthopedics) or personal desire to investigate institutions. No more than 16 weeks of electives can be completed as away electives. Acting internships are not accepted as an away elective. Additionally, four weeks of ICE credit must be completed at UC.

Before applying for an away rotation, students must meet with their advisor in the Office of Student Affairs to obtain approval from the College of Medicine to confirm the student is in good academic standing and the elective opportunity meets the needs of the individual student’s education.

The elective must ultimately be approved by the UCCOM commensurate department insuring it provides an adequate learning experience.

• Apply via AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) or if offered outside VSLO must be with a LCME accredited medical school
• Away elective dates will often not match UC elective dates
  • Recommendation: Use flex time until you are back on UCCOM rotation schedule
• Forward acceptance to commensurate UCCOM department as soon as accepted
  
  • Request ICE - credit, if applicable, by sharing syllabus or elective description with commensurate UCCOM approving department.
  • Students may not receive retroactive credit. All arrangements for an elective experience must be submitted for approval before the elective begins.  Once approved by the UCCOM commensurate department they will add the elective to the student’s schedule.

Grading Policy

• The student will email the UCCOM commensurate department elective coordinator with name and email address of the away elective director and coordinator responsible for completing the grade ideally when initially accepted for the away elective or by the first week of the rotation but no later than the last day of the rotation.
• The UCCOM commensurate department elective coordinator will be responsible for uploading the away elective director and coordinator into MedOneStop so that the grade request will be sent in the same fashion as other UCCOM elective grades are collected. The initial email request for a grade to the away elective director will be sent no later than the last day of the rotation and recommended before the last day. Reminder emails will be sent in the same frequency as other grade requests.
• If the grade is not submitted by day 30, the coordinator should resend the MOS reminder email requesting grade submission. The coordinator should send an email directly to elective director and coordinator sharing the expectation that the grade be submitted as per LCME guidelines.
• If the grade is not submitted by day 30, the coordinator should also reach out to the student informing them of the missing grade and encourages student to reach out to away elective director and coordinator requesting grade completion.
• If the grade is not submitted by day 35, Gina Burg may offer assistance to UCCOM commensurate department with grade submission.
• If the grade is not submitted by day 38, Amy Guiot, Director of Electives, will be requested for further assistance.

International electives offered through UC may be approved for ICE credit if ICE criteria are met. International electives not offered through UC may be used for general elective credit but cannot satisfy the ICE requirement.

Virtual Away Electives

Purpose: The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) offers the ability for students to participate in virtual away electives. As a result of COVID 19, institutions created virtual away electives to combat the inaccessibility of away rotations and create a shared, altered approach to help future residency applicants meet the goals of away rotations. In the future, virtual away electives may be another means for students to experience other institutions.

Prerequisite: UCCOM students must have completed all core clerkships.

Before applying for a virtual away rotation, students should meet with their advisor in the Office of Student Affairs to confirm good academic standing and insure the elective opportunity meets the needs of the individual student’s education.

The elective must ultimately be approved by the UCCOM commensurate department/elective director insuring it provides an adequate learning experience. Student must forward acceptance and course syllabus to insure content meets UCCOM criteria.

• Apply via AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) or if offered outside VSLO must be with a LCME accredited medical school
• Away elective dates will often not match UC elective dates
• Recommendation: Use flex time until you are back on UCCOM rotation schedule
• Only general elective credit will be offered
• Students may not receive retroactive credit. All arrangements for an elective experience must be submitted for approval before the elective begins. Once approved by the UCCOM commensurate department they will add the elective to the student’s schedule.
• Download evaluation form from MedOneStop and give it to your preceptor. Return the completed form to the UCCOM approving department.
• Follow grading policy as outlined in Away/Extramural electives

Virtual Away electives may not be taken with another full time UCCOM elective but can be taken with a part time or longitudinal elective provided work hours do not conflict.

Course length: Maximum 8 weeks of virtual away rotations permitted with a 2 week minimum.

Course Content: Students are expected to participate for a range of 20-40 hours per week.

Student must spend at least 50% of the rotation involved with a clinical component to include concepts such as observation/participation of rounds, office visits via telehealth, surgical procedures via video observation or patient simulations. The course should be designed to teach medical students the importance of actively participating in the care of a patient and the health care team. For the remaining 50% of the rotation, acceptable activities could include case discussions, case presentations, topic specific didactics, journal club, conference attendance, literature review, and case based problems all which should have oversight by faculty and/or residents.

Grading : pass/fail

Updates or Changes to Elective Director/Coordinator Process

In addition to the yearly elective updates requested by the Office of Medical Education, your elective may undergo other changes such as a new elective director or coordinator.

Communicate any requests for changes to contact information for the elective director or coordinator to OME M3/4 Administrator, and OME Program Manager.

In the event that a current elective course director needs to step down from his/her responsibilities, the following steps must be taken:

• Current elective director writes a formal email/letter of resignation which will include the name of the successor to the Director of Electives, Elective Coordinator, Department Head, OME M3/4 Administrator, and OME Program Manager.
• Successor writes a formal email/letter accepting the new position to Director of Electives, Elective Coordinator, Department Head, OME M3/4 Administrator, and OME Program Manager.
• Department Head writes a formal email/letter stating support of the new elective director and confirming department support including allocated time to perform new educational duties sent to Director of Electives, Elective Coordinator, Department Head, OME M3/4 Administrator, and OME Program Manager.
• After approval by EPC, the elective coordinator will update MedOneStop with approved changes.

Creating a New Elective Process

• To create a new elective, the course elective director can directly access the new elective proposal document to download from MedOneStop under the course information tab under course offerings heading. Or contact OME Program Manager or Director of Electives directly for the form.
• Preliminary review of the completed new elective propsoal by the Director of Electives, Office of Medical Education Program Manager, and Office of the Registrar will occur within 14 business days. Additional information or clarification may be requested of the course elective director at that time. This is done by email request.
• If revisions are necessary, the elective director will revise and resubmit to Director of Electives.
• After approval by the Director of Electives, the elective must be presented to M1/2 curriculum committee if the elective is offered over the M1 and/or M2 academic year and/or the M3/4 curriculum committee if the elective is offered or given credit during the M3 and/or M4 academic year. The new elective will be added to the agenda for the next M1/2 and/or M3/4 Curriculum Committee meeting.
  1. The presence of the course elective director will be strongly recommended to answer any questions at the curriculum committee meetings in order to expedite the approval process. If the elective director cannot be present, then the Director of Electives will present the elective to the committee. If questions arise that would need the elective director response, voting will be delayed until those answers can be obtained. Then the elective will be voted upon by the curriculum committees.
• Once the M1/2 and/or M3/4 Curriculum Committee approves the elective, the new elective must be approved by Education Program Committee (EPC). An approval email will be sent to the Elective Course Director.
• After all committees have approved the elective, the elective director or elective coordinator must enter all the elective information from the new elective proposal document into the new elective form on MOS which uploads directly into MedOneStop.

Timeline for New Elective Proposals

• Please allow 12 weeks from the time of submission to final approval in timing the offering of the elective.
• For a new elective to be considered for a current academic year, recommend final deadline for approval by October 1^st.
• For a new elective to be considered for a subsequent academic year, recommend final deadline for approval by December 1^st.
• Proposals may be submitted at any time during the academic year but are not guaranteed to be approved for the current academic year for which it is submitted.

Third Party Requirements

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

RELATED LCME STANDARD
6.5 Elective Opportunities

Enrollment Categories
Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 4, 2020
Enrollment Categories Policy(PDF)


POLICY STATEMENT


ENROLLMENT CATEGORIES

There are three (3) enrollment categories in the College of Medicine:

• Full-Time
• Half-Time
• Program Related Activity (PRA)

Full-time enrollment is the default enrollment category for all students. Students must request and be approved for Half-Time enrollment or Program Related Activity enrollment. Preliminary approval is granted by the Office of Student Affairs. Final approval of the student delaying graduation or taking a leave of absence is granted by the Performance and Assessment Committee (PAC).

ENROLLMENT CATEGORY REQUIREMENTS

1. Full-Time. The standard academic program in the College of Medicine consists of ten (10) semesters of full-time enrollment over a period of four (4) years. Students are enrolled continuously starting with the fall semester of the M1 year, with the exception of the summer following the M1 year, unless they have been granted a Leave of Absence or a Delayed Graduation. Students enrolled full-time pay the full tuition and fee charges in effect for each academic year. It is expected that all students graduating from the College of Medicine will pay a minimum of ten (10) semesters of full-time tuition and fees or its equivalent.
2. Half-Time. Students enrolled half-time pay half the tuition and fees in effect for the semester of half-time enrollment. Half-time status is limited to M4 students who are enrolled in the fourth-year curriculum at the start of that specified term and who will exceed four years to complete graduation requirements. Students must meet with either the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs to obtain a preliminary approval to enter Half-Time status before petitioning the PAC for a delayed graduation date. 

   Students enrolled half-time are limited to the following weeks of instruction:

   • Fall semester: no more than 12 weeks of instruction
   • Spring semester: no more than 12 weeks of instruction
   • Summer semester: no more than 4 weeks of instruction

   It is expected that such students will pay the equivalent of at least ten (10) semesters of full-time tuition and fees by the time they graduate. They may pay more than this amount.

3. Program Related Activity. Students enrolled in Program Related Activity (PRA) are charged the tuition and fees for one (1) credit hour in effect for each semester of PRA enrollment. PRA enrollment allows a student to maintain malpractice insurance, eligibility for UC student health insurance, and deferment on student loans.

• Students enrolled in PRA are engaged in an activity, such as research or other relevant activity, which is related to their program of study for the M.D. degree.
• A PRA enrollment status does not qualify students for financial aid.
  Students planning to enroll in PRA after completion of their M2 year must sit for USMLE Step 1 before beginning their period of PRA.
• Students planning to enroll in PRA after completion of their M3 year are strongly encouraged to sit for USMLE Step 2CK before beginning their period of PRA.
• To enroll in PRA, the student must first meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to plan the Leave of Absence and to receive approval to enroll in PRA. The preliminary approval for PRA is granted in consultation with the COM Registrar and Director of Student Financial Services. Students planning to enroll in PRA must be granted a Leave of Absence (LOA) from the curriculum of the COM by the appropriate Performance Advancement Committee (PAC).
• Students must complete a MSSF for Academic Enrichment LOA. They will be directed to complete Section 1 of the Academic Enrichment LOA Petition. This petition will automatically route to the appropriate PAC for review before granting approval.
• In preparation for return from the LOA the student will complete another MSSF for Academic Enrichment LOA which will direct them to Section 2 of the LOA Petition in which they will summarize details of their experience. This must be completed by the date requested by PAC in their letter to the student approving the LOA.
• Students should consult the Leave of Absence policy outlined in the Handbook for further details. 

1. Infectious Disease Policy
2. Hepatitis, HIV, or TB Chronic Infection Policy 

FERPA and the Student’s Right to Review Records Policy

Responsible Department: Registrar & Office of Medical Education
Applies To: All Students
Approval Date: September 6, 2018

FERPA and the Student’s Right to Review Records Policy (PDF)

Policy

The University of Cincinnati abides by Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (34 C.F.R. Part 99 — commonly known as FERPA), is the federal law that governs the release of and access to student education records. FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

Procedures

These rights include:

• The right to inspect and review your education records within forty-five (45) days of the day the University receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed. Copies of any portion of the record will be provided at a cost currently established at ten cents ($0.10) per page, excluding the official transcript of the student's permanent academic record for which the University's transcript policy and fee will apply.
• The right to request an amendment of the student’s education record if the student believes it is inaccurate or misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should submit a written request to the University office responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record the student wants changed and specifying why it should be changed. That office will notify the student of its decision. Contact the Office of the Ombuds at 513-556-5956 should you encounter difficulty in obtaining the requested record review. If the University office decides not to amend the record as requested, the student may request a hearing before the University’s Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act Committee. To request this hearing, contact the Office of the Registrar.
• The right to provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
• One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with “legitimate educational interest.” A school official is an employee, agent or other person acting on behalf of the University, to include: a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent, or enrollment/degree certification service facilitator); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University.
• Upon request, the University also may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

Compliance

FERPA affords students the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW Washington, D.C. 20202-5920

Link to University of Cincinnati Policy

Additional information regarding the University of Cincinnati FERPA and Records Privacy Policy is available at https://www.uc.edu/about/registrar/personal-info-changes/ferpa.html

Grade Appeal Process

Responsible Department: Dean's Office
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: April 1, 2021 
Revised Date: August 4, 2022

Grade Appeal Process Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Should a student have cause to request a review of a final grade of Failure for any course that appears on the transcript, the formal grade appeals procedure may be undertaken once final grades are issued. These procedures also apply to failures in remediated courses. In order to discuss a clerkships grade (pass, high pass, or honors) the informal grade appeal process is utilized.

1. Informal Grade Appeal Process (applies to discussions of pass, high pass or honors grades – not failures).
   1. A student who wishes to request a re-evaluation of any questions or items on an examination shall use the format established by the course, or the Office of Medical Education, for the formal review of test items. It is at the sole discretion of the course director as to whether to accept the request to review the test item in question and to make any changes to the test score. Students have until 24 hours after the formal review of test items to request a re-evaluation of specific test items by the course director. The formal grade appeal process is not allowed.
   2. A student who questions whether the grade of Honors, High Pass or Pass has been assigned correctly may petition the course director in writing for a review of the grade. The course director is then expected to do a review, and it is at the sole discretion of the course director as to how the review is done, the timing of the review, and if any grade changes are indicated. The formal grade appeal process is not allowed.
   3. A student who has concerns about the language of any comments on a clerkship evaluation may petition the course director in writing for a review of the comments. The course director is then expected to do a review and it is at the sole discretion of the course director as to how the review is done, the timing of the review, and if any changes to the comments are indicated. The formal grade appeal process is not allowed.
2. Formal Grade Appeal Process (for grades of failure in any course, either taken for the first time or for remediation)
   1. All formal requests for changes in final grades will first be submitted in writing to the course director with a copy to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. The written request must be submitted within 5 business days following the notification of the grade. The official notification of the grade is deemed to have occurred when it is posted on MedOneStop. The Office of Medical Education will keep a record as to the timing of the posting of final grades in the system. It is the student’s responsibility to check this system in a timely manner once a course has ended. Students appealing grades may continue in the curriculum while the appeal process is undertaken.
   2. Should the course director determine that there is a reason to change a course grade in the student’s favor, which is consistent with the grading policy of the course, the course director will send the revision to the Registrar, post the correct grade on the course management system, and inform the student and the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs of the change in the grade. Should the course director determine that there is no reason for a change in the grade, the course director will report this decision in writing to the student and to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. This decision must be made within 10 business days of the student’s request.
   3. If the course director’s decision is not favorable to the student, the student may appeal that decision to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. The student must initiate this appeal in writing within 5 business days of receiving the course director’s decision. The sole ground to appeal a grade is that the grade is capricious or biased. This written appeal must state the grounds for the appeal, stating the particular basis why the student believes that the grade is capricious or biased. The Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs will determine whether the appeal lacks the merit to warrant a review in which case the decision of the course director will stand, or will rule that the appeal has the necessary merit for review. If such a review is warranted, the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs will appoint an ad hoc review panel consisting of three members from the standing Academic Appeal Board. The ad hoc panel will meet separately with the student and the course director and examine the basis of the appeal. The ad hoc panel will report to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs within 3 business days of the hearing whether they find the grade is capricious or biased. The Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs may accept or reject the recommendation of the ad hoc appeal panel. The decision of the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs is the final decision for course grade appeals. This decision will be conveyed to the student, the course director and the Registrar who will record any appropriate changes.

Grading System Policy

Responsible Department: Registrar and Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018
Revised Date: November 2, 2023

Grading System Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

The College of Medicine grading policy is designed to reflect the academic performance of the medical student within the College of Medicine curriculum. The grades assigned reflect what the student has earned in a particular course or learning activity.

All clerkship and elective directors are expected to adhere to the expectation that no provider, who provides health services to medical students, has any role in the academic assessment of promotion of those students for whom they provide treatment. A student may also ask to not have a provider, who has provided treatment to a close family member, be in the role of assessment or promotion of the student. Furthermore, students should not rotate with family members for their required clinical clerkships and electives. Every clerkship and elective director must have a mechanism by which to identify and prevent these situations.

The COM uses a Pass/Fail/Incomplete grading system in M1/2. The COM uses an Honors (H), High Pass (HP), Pass (P), Conditional (C) and Failure (F) and Incomplete (I) grading system in M3/4. All grades appear on a student's official transcript. A Withdrawal Passing (WP), Withdrawal Failing (WF) and Withdrawal (W) also will appear on the official transcript. These grades are defined later in this document.

It is expected that the course director will post final grades and written evaluations of student performance where applicable within six (6) weeks of the completion of the course according to the policy set forth by the Education Program Committee (EPC) of the COM. A final grade is to be entered after all graded components of the course have been entered.

Each course will publish its grading criteria prior to the beginning of the course. A course’s grading policy may not be changed once the course starts unless there are truly exceptional circumstances. Any such grading policy change is subject to approval of the EPC. If, due to unforeseen events, a requirement in a course must be dropped, appropriate adjustments to the grading policy will be made such that all students are treated equitably. All grading policies are subject to the oversight and approval of the EPC.

Withdrawal (W), Withdrawal Failing (WF), Withdrawal Passing (WP)

A grade of Withdrawal (W), Withdrawal Failing (FP) or Withdrawal Passing (WP) will be assigned to a student who goes on a Leave of Absence or who withdraws from the COM.

1. If a student withdraws from all coursework prior to the sixteenth day of the term, no grade(s) will be recorded and the course(s) will be removed from the student's official record.
2. If a student withdraws prior to the first graded course activity, a Withdrawal (W) will be recorded. If a student is passing a course at the time of a withdrawal, a Withdrawal Passing (WP) will appear on his or her official transcript. If a student is not passing the course at the time of withdrawal, a Withdrawal Failing (WF) will appear on his or her official transcript. Withdrawal, Withdrawal Failing and Withdrawal Passing grades are not counted in the calculation of class rank/total weighted average.
3. Withdrawal Failing does NOT count as one of the three course failures in four years that represents grounds for dismissal. However, a Withdrawal Failing followed by a Failure is grounds for dismissal.

1. GRADES FOR M1/2

   1. Final grades for all completed courses in M1/2 will be recorded on the transcript as a Pass (P), Incomplete (I), or Fail (F).

      A grade of Pass (P) is awarded to a student whose performance in a course meets the Minimum Pass Level (MPL) established for each course.

      Incomplete (I)

      A grade of Incomplete is awarded without grade point assignment at the end of a semester (not within a semester) when a significant portion, but not all of the course work has been satisfactorily completed and the reason for non-completion is approved by the course directors and the Associate Dean of Student Affairs (e.g., absence from a class or examination due to illness or a serious personal emergency). The incomplete grade is appropriate only when the completed course work is of passing quality and the student has had such hardship that completion of the remaining course work within the Semester timeline would present an additional hardship. Processes and procedures for completing the course are at the sole discretion of the course director and the EPC. Once the coursework is satisfactorily completed, the grade of Incomplete is removed from the transcript and replaced with final grade earned by the student.

   2. A student whose performance in a course is below passing standards shall be given a Failure (F) grade. A Failure (F) grade will remain on the student’s official transcript along with the grade achieved if a course is repeated.
   3. The MPL for all courses is established and approved by the M1/2 Curriculum Committee and is subject to approval by the EPC.
   4. All courses are weighted equally with respect to whether a student has passed or failed a course when considering student promotion.
2. GRADES FOR M3/4

   • Honors (H)

     A grade of Honors (H) is awarded to a student whose performance is of very high caliber and, in addition, whose demonstrated qualities of intellectual curiosity, integrity and professionalism have clearly set him/her apart from the majority of the group.

   • High Pass (HP)

     A grade of High Pass (HP) is awarded to a student whose performance clearly exceeds the Pass requirements but does not reach Honors caliber.

   • Pass (P)

     A grade of Pass (P) is awarded to a student whose performance in a course meets but does not exceed the requirements established by the department concerned.

   • Pass/Fail M3 courses

     All M3 specialty clerkships are graded Pass/Fail with the exception of Ophthalmology. Most of the M3 specialty clerkships are designed as introductions and exposure electives rather than audition rotations. All are two-week rotations that limit the ability of the preceptor to give an in- depth evaluation. All M3 specialty clerkship grades are NOT included in the student’s class rank determination. 
     
     Benchmark Achieved
     
     Students who are part of the competency-based growth pathway are not assigned grades using the tiered (honors, high pass, pass, fail) system. Their performance is assessed using an entrustment rating scale and reviewed by an entrustment committee. Therefore, when they complete a clerkship, their performance will be labelled in the transcript as benchmark achieved or fail. To receive a designation of benchmark achieved from each clerkship director, students must meet three criteria. 1) They must have no more than 10% of the lowest ratings (“I would do it”) on their MedOneStop evaluations. 2) Their clerkship specific NBME shelf score must meet the requirements as all other students. 3) They must meet expectations for professional behavior and complete all assignments, requirements, and other expectations of the clerkship. If the student does not meet one of these criteria (i.e. minimum NBME shelf score) they may receive a “conditional” grade and be afforded the same opportunities that all students have outlined in the grading policy for remediation.

   • Conditional (C)

     A grade of Conditional (C) may be given under specific circumstances. The grade of C is most commonly used when a student is marginally below the minimal requirements for just one component of the course. A student who is below the minimum pass level for the course as a whole will receive an F grade.

     A student who receives a C grade due to a failing performance on the Shelf exam may only make up the Shelf exam at the next scheduled retake date after learning of the failure (June or December, whichever comes first) of the published repeat Shelf exams. Failing the exam a second time will lead to a failure of the clerkship.

   • Failure (F)

     A student whose performance in a course is significantly below passing standards shall be given

     A grade of Failure (F). Should a student receive an F grade, if approved by the PAC utilizing the guidelines of the Advancement and Retention Policy, the student would need to repeat the entire course.

     Failure to meet a requirement (for example, not taking an exam, not submitting papers or patient write-ups, failure to attend required clinical duties) without prior notification of the course director or designee will be treated as grounds for awarding a Failure (F) for the course.

     Course directors have the latitude of not using the full range of grades available, subject to approval of the EPC.

     Grading policies for M3/4 are approved by the M3/4 Curriculum Committee and are subject to approval by the EPC.

   • Incomplete (I)

     A grade of Incomplete is awarded without grade point assignment, at the end of a term when a significant portion, but not all of the course work has been satisfactorily completed and the reason for non-completion is approved by the course directors and the Associate Dean of Student Affairs (e.g., absence from a class or examination due to illness or a serious personal emergency). The incomplete grade is appropriate only when the completed course work is of passing quality and the student has had such hardship that completion of the remaining course work within the term timeline would present an additional hardship. Processes and procedures for completing the course are at the sole discretion of the course director and the PAC. Once the coursework is satisfactorily completed, the grade of Incomplete is removed from the transcript and replaced with final grade earned by the student.

Graduation Competencies

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018

Graduation Competencies (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Graduates of the UCCOM will be expected to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviors required to be an effective provider of quality clinical care. The desired traits can be categorized into competencies as is done in graduate and continuing medical education and are linked to courses across all four years of the curriculum:

1. Patient Care - Provide patient-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health
2. Knowledge for Practice - Demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care
3. Practice-Based Learning and Improvement - Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate one’s care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning
4. Interpersonal and Communication Skills - Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals
5. Professionalism - Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles
6. Systems-Based Practice - Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care
7. Interprofessional Collaboration - Demonstrate the ability to engage in an interprofessional team in a manner that optimizes safe, effective patient- and population-centered care
8. Personal and Professional Development - Demonstrate the qualities required to sustain life-long personal and professional growth

Graduation Requirements

Responsible Department: Registrar & Office of Medical Education & 
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: August 1, 2013
Revised Date: February 4, 2021, August 5, 2021, August 4, 2022

Graduation Requirements Policy

POLICY STATEMENT

A student must successfully complete the designated four-year program of medical education, thus ensuring that the student has met the Graduation Competencies of the COM. Students may take no more than 15 semesters of academic enrollment to complete the program.  A student can take no more than six academic semesters to complete M1/2, and no more than nine academic semesters to complete M3/4. A Leave of Absence is not counted as enrollment and thus not counted towards this requirement except in M1/2 when the Leave of Absence semester is counted if taken after a final grade is received for a course.

A student must maintain a satisfactory level of academic performance in COM coursework and meet professional expectations as determined by the COM. A student may be dismissed for failure to meet the academic performance standards and/or the professional expectations of the College of Medicine. The student must take and pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) examinations and record the results, including the scores obtained, in the Dean’s Office prior to the date of graduation as specified in the Advancement and Retention Policy or as otherwise specified in this document.

The student must take and pass the Clinical Competency Examination (CCX) at the COM as specified in the Advancement and Retention Policy.

The student must complete all Clinical Medical Procedures and Required Patient Encounters and all other clinical and administrative requirements as determined by the COM.

The student must shadow a minimum of 1hour during the medical education curriculum. Shadowing performed with physicians that hold a UC faculty title, inclusive of adjunct and volunteer, will be covered by the medical student malpractice policy.  Students may shadow with non-UC physicians, but will not be covered by the medical student malpractice policy, and will not count towards the minimum 1 hour of shadowing.

On successful completion of the curriculum of the COM, the student is recommended to the Board of Trustees of the University of Cincinnati for the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Graduation dates are determined by the University. The student must note that the graduation date on the diploma may not be the same date as the Honors Day ceremony.

Students who complete the curriculum following the standard program, i.e., those students who graduate “on time”, will have a graduation date in the spring. Students who do not complete requirements by the official University designated graduation date will have their graduation date delayed. Students need to be aware that not graduating “on time” may have an adverse effect on starting residency training.

Guest Coater and Guest Hooder Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: July 2019
Revised Date: November 3, 2022

Guest Coater and Guest Hooder Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

The Guest Coater and Guest Hooder Policy defines the criteria for guests who are allowed to participate in the White Coat Ceremony as a “guest coater” or in the Honors Day graduation ceremony as a “guest hooder.” The ultimate decision for any exception rests with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

White Coat Ceremony
Only designated college of medicine faculty will serve in the role as “coater” at the White Coat Ceremony. “Guest coaters” are not allowed. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

Honors Day
Each student will be allowed a maximum of one guest to serve in the role of “guest hooder” at the Honors Day ceremony.

Students may select any adult of significance who they would like to participate in the ceremony as the guest hooder.

Because guest hooders may be individuals from various educational and professional backgrounds, regalia is not required. Guest hooders are asked to dress in formal, appropriate attire. Guest hooders who have a medical degree are welcome, but not required, to wear the White Coat.

Designated faculty will serve as hooders for any student who did not select a guest hooder.

*Military graduates will be allowed to invite two guest pinners, in addition to one guest hooder.

Health Insurance

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students

HEALTH INSURANCE

STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE AND BLOOD-BORNE PATHOGEN INSURANCE

All UC students are required to have health insurance and will be charged for the UC Student Health Insurance Plan in the fall and spring semester of each academic year unless waived. Students who have coverage from another source that meets the minimum requirements can have the health insurance charge removed from their bill by completing a request to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan prior to the stated deadline. This waiver will be in effect for the remainder of the academic year. More information, including a student health insurance plan description, can be found on the Student Health Service web page located here

Medical students who waive the UC Health Insurance Plan will automatically be enrolled in and charged for blood-borne pathogen insurance through the UC Student Health insurance provider, which covers the cost of treatment related to needle- sticks or other blood/body fluid exposures.

DISABILITY INSURANCE

LONG-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE

All medical students are billed for a group long-term disability insurance policy in the Fall Semester of each academic year. Students do not have the option to waive this charge unless they can document other long-term disability insurance coverage. Long-term disability insurance provides an income in the event that a student is disabled and unable to continue in medical school. It also provides an income in the event a student is temporarily disabled and unable to continue in medical school for a specified period of time. The plan description for the long-term disability insurance is made available to students on MedOneStop

Health Requirements for Medical Students Upon Entry to UCCOM

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Student Admissions & Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018
Revised Date: September 1, 2022

Health Requirements for Medical Students Policy (PDF)

• Tuberculosis (TB) and Influenza (Flu) Immunization Requirements
• Hepatitis B Immunization Requirements

Prior to matriculation, each student must submit medical documentation for the following immunizations and requirements:

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): Positive IGG titer.

Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis (Tdap): If received Tdap > 10 years prior to school start, must have received Tetanus - diphtheria [Td] < 10 years ago.

Varicella: Positive IGG titer.

Hepatitis B: 3 injections (or 2 Heplisav-B) according to schedule and positive quantitative Hepatitis B surface Antibody titer with exceptions made only for extenuating circumstances (See Hepatitis B Diagram at end of policy).

Tuberculosis (TB) clearance: All students are required to be free of active tuberculosis. You must either:

1. Complete a two-step TB test. This ensures any future positive tests can be interpreted as being caused by a new infection, rather than simply a reaction to an old infection or BCG vaccination. The first test must be placed no sooner than 4 months prior to the start date of school UNLESS you have had a TB skin test placed in the 364 days prior to your program start date. Then this test can be your baseline TB test.
   A second TB skin test must be placed > 2 weeks after the baseline test and no sooner 6 weeks prior to the start of school.
   If either test is positive, then a negative IGRA blood test (preferred) or chest x-ray is required.
2. Have a negative Interferon Gamma Release Assay [IGRA] blood test, such as QuantiFERON- TB Gold. Note: if you have a history of a positive tuberculin skin test, you must have a negative IGRA test (preferred) or a negative chest x-ray performed six months or less from your school start.

COVID 19: Fully vaccinated and any additional booster(s) required by the health systems that participate in your clinical education. One institution’s exemption from a requirement may not be accepted at another institution.

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion. To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

A student will not be permitted to participate in the Orientation and required clinical training activities unless documentation that a student is appropriately immunized has been provided. Documentation of immunization must be signed by your personal physician (not a relative) and uploaded into Med+Proctor. Failure to comply will result in the student being restricted from patient contact and a Formative Feedback Form will be submitted to PAC. The inability to participate in patient contact that is a mandatory component of the curriculum will be considered an unexcused absence that may negatively impact grade in course up to and including receiving a grade of Failure.

Drug & Alcohol Testing

Individuals who are dependent on or impaired by alcohol or other substances are not suitable candidates for providing care to patients and, therefore, for admission, promotion, or graduation. Health care providers within our primary health system (UCHealth) are expected to maintain a safe, productive, and drug- and alchohol-free environment and to perform their assigned duties safely and efficiently. Participation in clinical rotations at UCHealth is an essential requirement of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine’s curriculum. UCHealth requires all participants to submit a negative drug screen prior to participation in clinical rotations. Therefore, all College of Medicine candidates must pass a comprehensive, pre-matriculation drug screen according to the standards and requirements set forth and maintained by UCHealth. Failure to pass this drug screen may result in the rescinding of an applicant’s acceptance.

Following matriculation, “for cause” drug and alcohol testing may be initiated when concerns are raised regarding the performance, behavior, or actions of a medical student that indicate a reasonable suspicion for substance impairment. Compliance with “for cause” drug and alcohol testing of medical students is a condition of continued enrollment.

Policy of the Honor Council

Policy Title: Honor Council Policy
Responsible Department: Office of the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs and Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: January 9, 2020 (by COM Council)
Revised: January 12, 2023

Honor Council Policy (PDF)
Role of Adviser (PDF)

GENERAL PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS: POLICY OF THE HONOR COUNCIL

I.  THE HONOR COUNCIL

The Student Code of Conduct (“SCOC”) of the University of Cincinnati (“University”) identifies those behaviors considered unacceptable and not permitted for all University students, including students of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine (“COM”). Students in the COM are expected to abide by both the SCOC and the COM’s Medical Student Honor Code. Accordingly, COM students must maintain an exceptional level of professionalism in keeping with the unique nature of the practice of medicine and the exigencies of the clinical setting. The Honor Council will serve as the COM’s primary committee for review of misconduct by medical students.[1] It will promote overall high standards of professional behavior by medical students. The Dean of the COM, or designee, reserves the right to transfer misconduct matters to the University’s Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards (“OSC&CS”) when appropriate.

The SCOC is available for review at Student Code of Conduct - Campus Life | University Of Cincinnati. The Medical Student Honor Code is available for review in COM’s Student Handbook at Student Handbook Policy Portal (uc.edu). All time limits/deadlines refer to University business days. All written notices to students are sent via email to their University student email address.

A.  JURISDICTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Honor Council are as follows:

1. Engage with COM administration, faculty, and student leadership to promote activities that heighten the awareness and commitment to ethical behavior by medical students.
2. Consult with COM medical students, faculty, committees, and administrative staff to clarify ethical issues, as well as the professional behavior and conduct expectations of medical students.
3. Conduct periodic review of this Policy of The Honor Council and recommend changes to COM leadership for approval.
4. Require first-year medical students to sign an electronic acknowledgment of receipt and understanding of the Medical Student Honor Code and the SCOC.
5. Host an educational session for medical students at least once a year.
6. Receive reports of alleged medical student misconduct from the co-chairs of the Honor Council and the Associate Dean for Medical Student Affairs (“ADMSA”).  
7. Meet as necessary to investigate reports of alleged medical student misconduct.
8. Hear and recommend sanction(s), if any, in cases of alleged medical student misconduct brought before it. If the Honor Council determines, during its investigation and/or deliberations, that the alleged misconduct may be criminal in nature or a Title IX violation, it will refer the case to the ADMSA who is to contact the appropriate University offices or outside authorities.

B.  STRUCTURE OF THE HONOR COUNCIL

The Honor Council will consist of the following members as set forth below. The Honor Council will be co-chaired by a faculty member and a senior medical student. All Honor Council appointments are subject to approval by the Dean of the COM. Overall responsibility for the ongoing functioning of the Honor Council is with the co-chairs.

1. Students

A total of eight (8) medical students, two (2) from each academic year, shall serve on the Honor Council. One (1) student from each class will be appointed as the class representative to the Honor Council, and the other as an alternate representative. The class representatives will have voting rights, while alternate representatives will vote only in the event that a class representative is not available. When a class representative is not available, the alternate for their academic year will serve as a voting member in their absence. In the event that both representatives from a specific class are not available, the most senior alternate representative from another class who is available will serve as a voting member. If none of the alternate representatives are available, the ADMSA will appoint a temporary student representative to serve as a voting member for the duration of the specific matter.

The M4 class representative will serve as the student co-chair. The student co-chair is a voting member during Honor Council hearings. 

Four (4) student members will be required for quorum at all Honor Council proceedings.

Student representatives will be recommended by their Medical Student Association (“MSA”) class officers. Students may nominate themselves, nominate each other, or be nominated by their class officers. All nominations should be directed to the ADMSA. If a nominee is not in good academic or professional standing, as defined by the Standards and Procedures for Performance and Advancement Committees, the ADMSA will remove the student’s name from the list of eligible candidates. Once the ADMSA has compiled the list of eligible student candidates, the ADMSA will provide the list to the class officers.

The class officers will conduct interviews of all candidates from the list and make their appointment recommendations for the Honor Council class and alternate representatives as outlined above to the Dean of the COM for approval. The M1 representatives will be appointed before January 31. Appointees will serve for four (4) academic years on the Honor Council, provided that they remain in good academic and professional standing. Failure to remain in good academic and professional standing will result in removal from the Honor Council by the ADMSA. A student representative may also be removed from the Honor Council by the ADMSA for failure to abide by the terms of this Policy of The Honor Council. In the event that a class representative is unable to continue their duties, their alternate will become the class representative. The current MSA class officers will convene to recommend a new alternate representative who will be reviewed by the ADMSA to determine eligibility for appointment and, if eligible, the recommended new alternate’s name will be provided to the Dean of the COM for approval.

2.  Faculty

Eight (8) full-time faculty members, along with one (1) faculty co-chair, will serve on the Honor Council. The Dean of the COM will appoint four (4) of the eight (8) faculty members to serve as representatives with voting rights. The Dean of the COM will appoint each of the other four (4) faculty members to serve as an alternate representative for one (1) of the voting faculty representatives. There should always be at least one (1) basic scientist serving as a voting faculty representative. Alternate representatives will vote only in the event that their voting faculty representative is not available. In the event that both the voting and their alternate faculty representative are not available, the faculty co-chair will select one of the other alternate representatives to serve as a voting member. If none of the alternate representatives are available, the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs (“SADEA”) will appoint a temporary faculty representative to serve as a voting member for the duration of the specific matter.

Four (4) faculty members will be required for quorum at all Honor Council proceedings. The faculty co-chair does not vote, except in the case of a tie. Faculty members will be appointed for a three (3) year term with the option for reappointment. The faculty co-chair will be appointed for a three (3) year term with the option for reappointment. An Honor Council faculty representative and the faculty co-chair may be removed for misconduct and/or failure to abide by the terms of this Policy of The Honor Council, in the sole discretion of the Dean of the COM.  

The Bylaws of the College of Medicine are to constitute a governance structure to conduct the business of the COM including that of committees and meetings of the COM faculty. In accordance with the Bylaws of the COM the Honor Council is a Standing Committee and membership is monitored by the Committee on Committees. When there is a faculty representative vacancy the Committee on Committees will seek nominations from COM faculty by way of an email to the COM faculty listserv. Faculty may nominate themselves, nominate each other, or be nominated by COM leadership. All nominees are requested to provide a current Curriculum Vitae and Interest Statement. The Committee on Committees will make their appointment recommendation to the SADEA, the SADEA in conjunction with the Honor Council faculty co-chair will advise the Dean of the COM on the recommendation. The Dean of the COM will make faculty representative appointments.

In the event of a vacancy in the faculty co-chair role, the SADEA will seek interest from sitting faculty representatives, their experience serving on the Honor Council will give them priority consideration. The SADEA will make recommendations to the Dean of the COM who will make the faculty co-chair appointment. If there is no candidate from sitting faculty representatives then the SADEA will seek nominations from COM faculty by way of an email to the COM faculty listserv. Faculty may nominate themselves, nominate each other, or be nominated by COM leadership. All nominees will be requested to provide a current Curriculum Vitae and Interest Statement. The SADEA will make an appointment recommendation to the Dean of the COM who will make the faculty co-chair appointment.

3.  Recusal

An Honor Council member shall recuse themselves from an Honor Council hearing when involvement or interest in the individual(s) or subject matter under review might reasonably pose questions regarding their impartiality. Conflicts of interest occur when an Honor Council member is unable to make an objective determination based on the information obtained and presented at an Honor Council hearing due to direct or indirect personal, professional, educational, or financial interest. With regard to faculty members, some examples of a conflict of interest that would necessitate recusal include, but are not limited to: having administered a failing grade to the accused student in the past, serving as the faculty member for the class/course/rotation in which the accused student took action that resulted in the misconduct report, or being the supervisor in a lab, on a research project, etc. in which the accused student took action that resulted in the misconduct report. With regard to students, some examples of a conflict of interest that would necessitate recusal include, but are not limited to: the accused student is a friend, roommate, relative, significant other, or someone with whom the student has had a past conflict. 

Any Honor Council member who believes they have a conflict of interest must inform the faculty co-chair in writing of their recusal as soon as the conflict of interest becomes known or evident. If a Honor Council member is unsure if a conflict of interest exists, they must provide all relevant information to the faculty co-chair who will make a determination regarding the existence of a conflict of interest and, subsequently, the need for recusal, if any.

If an Honor Council member recuses themselves, an alternate representative will be chosen according to the process described in Section I(B)(1) for student representatives, or Section I(B)(2) for faculty representatives. 

4.  Executive Secretary

The assistant to the ADMSA will serve as the Honor Council’s Executive Secretary (ex-officio), who will assist the co-chairs of the Honor Council as needed. The Executive Secretary does not have voting rights on the Honor Council nor are they present at hearings.

C.  ACTIONS OF THE HONOR COUNCIL

Members of the Honor Council will not discuss or share the deliberations and actions of the Honor Council, except as required by applicable University policies and the law. Any breach of this requirement may subject the Honor Council member(s) to disciplinary action and/or removal from the Honor Council.

1. When the Honor Council votes on sanction recommendation(s) after a hearing, the following specifications apply:
   
   a.A quorum of eight (8) voting members must be present, four (4) of whom must be student members, and four (4) of whom must be faculty members. Among the student members, at least one (1) must be an M3 or M4 student. Among the faculty members, at least one (1) must be a basic scientist. The faculty co-chair must also be present. If the faculty co-chair is not available, the SADEA may appoint a temporary faculty co-chair to serve for the duration of the specific matter.
   
   b. A simple majority vote is sufficient for any sanction recommendation other than dismissal. In the event of a tie vote, the faculty co-chair will vote.
   
   c. A two-thirds majority vote is required for a recommendation of dismissal
2. The Honor Council may recommend to the Dean for consideration any of the following sanctions:

      a. Professional or educational counseling;

      b. Placement on a “Professionalism Warning,” to be monitored by the student’s
          Performance and Advancement Committee (“PAC”);

      c. Written reprimand;

      d. Statement in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (“MSPE”);

      e. Change of grade; and/or

      f. Dismissal from the COM.

If the Honor Council recommends a written reprimand or a change of grade, a statement in the student’s MSPE should also be recommended, unless the Honor Council specifically states that it does not recommend a statement in the student’s MSPE and provides an explanation for its exclusion. The draft language of the MSPE statement should be included in the Honor Council’s report. As with all other sanction recommendations in this policy, the Dean will make the final determination regarding whether a statement will be made in the MSPE.

II.  THE MANAGEMENT OF STUDENT MISCONDUCT

A.  CATEGORIES OF MISCONDUCT

1. Non-Academic Misconduct
   
   a. Criminal Misconduct

2. These offenses are defined by the SCOC. Examples include, but are not limited to: theft, destruction of property, trespassing, disturbing the peace, etc. Instances of student misconduct resulting in alleged criminal conduct or investigation must be reported to the ADMSA. It is the responsibility of the student to self-report all criminal investigations, arrests, convictions, and guilty pleas for any offense other than minor traffic violations, to the ADMSA as soon as possible after the occurrence and no later than seven (7) days after the occurrence. The reporting requirement includes DUI, DWI, OR OMVI (driving under the influence) offenses, any instance where the student is called into court as a criminal defendant, or any instance where the student is named a defendant in a criminal lawsuit.

   b. Other Non-Academic Misconduct

   Other non-academic misconduct includes unprofessional behavior that occurs at any time or place that is in conflict with the behaviors outlined in the Medical Student Honor Code and/or any other non-academic misconduct as provided for in the SCOC. Examples include, but are not limited to: inappropriate professional behavior, substance abuse, misuse of resources, breaches of patient confidentiality, failure to divulge or misrepresentation of information as requested on medical school applications, financial aid, and other required forms or communications, etc.

3. Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, acts of cheating, plagiarism, falsification, and forgery as defined by the SCOC. These acts originate within a required or elective course and its related activities, or within activities undertaken to meet the administrative or curricular requirements for matriculation and potential licensure.

All reports of misconduct should be directed to the ADMSA, who will share with the Honor Council co-chairs as appropriate.

B.  REPORTING AN INCIDENT

1. Decision to Report

   The observer of alleged medical student misconduct may want to clarify their perceptions personally through discussion with the medical student involved. If satisfied that no further action is warranted, no report need be filed. However, if for any reason the observer decides not to proceed with personal contact, or if the matter remains unresolved after discussion, a written report may be filed in any one of two routes described below.

   University employees are required to abide by all other reporting requirements set forth by applicable law and/or University policy.

2. Reporting Procedures

   Any of the following routes may be used to file a written report of medical student misconduct:

   a. An observer of medical student misconduct may file a report directly with the ADMSA and the faculty co-chair of the Honor Council by completing the MedOneStop · Honor Council Referral Form (uc.edu).
   
   b. An observer of medical student misconduct may make a written report to the ADMSA.

When making a report of medical student misconduct, some information is required in order to thoroughly assess the report. Therefore, a report of medical student misconduct should include at least the following:

    a. Date of the report; 
    b. Name(s) of individual(s) involved;
    c. Location/activity/setting of incident;
    d. Date and time of incident;
    e. Description of incident;
    f. Name(s) of witness(es) and;
    g. Name(s) and phone number(s) of person(s) submitting report. Anonymous reports
        are permitted, but may limit the Honor Council’s ability to investigate the matter.

In the event an initial report of medical student misconduct does not contain sufficient information to proceed with an investigation, the ADMSA or the Honor Council co-chairs may contact the individual who submitted the report to gain the necessary information.

C.  PROCEDURES UPON RECEIPT OF A REPORT OF MISCONDUCT

1. Interim Measures for Non-Academic Misconduct, Including Criminal Misconduct

        
   When the COM receives a report that a medical student has been accused of or implicated in non-academic misconduct, including criminal misconduct, the Dean or designee may impose interim measures (e.g., removal from coursework, mandatory leave of absence pending further investigation, etc.) to protect the rights and ensure the safety of students, staff, faculty, patients, and the University community. 

2. Reports of Misconduct

    

   Upon receipt of a report of medical student misconduct, the Honor Council co-chairs, in consultation with the ADMSA, will determine a course of action, including but not limited to proceeding to an Honor Council hearing, not proceeding to an Honor Council hearing, or refering the report to another appropriate group (i.e., PAC, Title IX, etc.). If the Honor Council co-chairs disagree about the appropriate course of action, the SADEA will make the final determination. The co-chairs and ADMSA may decide to meet with the accused student to discuss the issue and gain more information.

3. Decision to Proceed or Not Proceed with Hearing

        
   If the Honor Council co-chairs decide to proceed with an Honor Council hearing, then the accused student(s) named in the report will be notified. The individual who submitted the report may be notified of the decision regarding whether a hearing is or is not convened.

4. Preparation for Hearing

     
      Prior to the hearing, the Honor Council co-chairs will carry out the following as
      appropriate:

      a.Notify the accused student and the charging party that a hearing will be held. The
         ADMSA will inform the SADEA. The co-chairs will set a date for the Honor Council
         to hear the case. The date should usually be within sixty (60) days of receipt of
         the report.

      b. Inform the accused student of the names of the Honor Council hearing members.
          If the accused student believes any Honor Council member may be biased, the
         accused student may object in writing, detailing the basis of the objection, to the
         faculty co-chair within two (2) days after receiving the names of the Honor Council
         members. The student or faculty member at issue may not object to the accused
         student’s request. If the faculty co-chair determines that an Honor Council
         member may be biased based on the accused student’s request, the student or
         faculty member at issue must recuse themselves. If the faculty co-chair determines
         that the accused student’s request is not substantiated, the Honor Council member
         will not be required to recuse themselves. If an Honor Council member does
         recuse themselves, an alternate member will be chosen according to the process
         described in Section I(B)(1) for student representatives, or Section I(B)(2) for
         faculty representatives.

      c. Determine investigation teams, if necessary, to request additional information,
         documentation, and investigation. Written and/or oral reports may also be
         requested. Departments, the Dean's Office, or any individuals with information     
         pertinent to the case may be asked to report on the matter or to serve as
         witnesses.

       d. Identify and arrange for witnesses to appear at the hearing.  

       e. Receive and add to the agenda the names of witnesses and documents that
           either party wishes to present at the hearing.

       f. Explain the nature of a closed hearing to the hearing participants. All hearings will
          be closed, meaning they may only be attended by the Honor Council, the party
          bringing the charges, the accused student, and any advisor(s). Witnesses will be
          present at a closed hearing only during the times of their own participation. They
          may also be asked to return to the hearing if further questioning is required.
   
       g. The accused student and the charging party may each elect to have an advisor                (e.g., parent, counselor, faculty member, legal counsel, etc.) of their choice at
           the hearing. The advisor may not be a College of Medicine Dean’s Office staff
          member, including but not limited to the Dean, the SADEA, or the ADMSA. If the
          accused student or charging party intend to bring an advisor, they must provide
          the identity of the advisor in writing to the faculty co-chair no later than five (5)
          business days prior to the Honor Council hearing. If the advisor is an attorney, that
          must be noted. The conduct process will not be delayed to accommodate the
          accused student’s or charging party’s advisor’s schedule. Therefore, an advisor
          should be selected whose schedule permits attendance at the scheduled date and
          time. At the discretion of the Honor Council faculty co-chair, the Honor Council
          may elect to have a legal advisor from the University of Cincinnati at the hearing.
          Advisors may not be present for any party who does not attend the hearing. An
          advisor may consult with the party they are accompanying, but may not speak on
          the party’s behalf or otherwise formally represent the party before the Honor
          Council. Any consultation between any party and their advisor during the hearing
          should be done in a written or quiet manner. An advisor cannot be a witness. 

h. The accused student and the charging party are strongly encouraged to participate in the hearing. If the accused student chooses not to attend the hearing, the hearing will proceed without them, however, in matters requiring credibility assessments, both the accused student and the charging party are required to participate in the hearing. In matters requiring credibility assessments, if the charging party is unwilling to cooperate with the Honor Council investigation process or unwilling to participate in a hearing the matter will automatically be dismissed.

i. Prepare and distribute the hearing agenda and materials to the voting Honor Council members, the standby voting member(s) as described in Section D(2)(d), the charging party, and the accused student.

Above all, the co-chairs are to conduct the hearing to ensure that the proceedings are fair and impartial, that relevant information is presented, and that thorough study is given to all recommendations.

D.  HEARING PROCEDURE

The Honor Council may proceed through the disciplinary process outlined below regardless of any action by other authorities (e.g., police) under the laws of any jurisdiction. If an accused student withdraws from the University and/or the COM during a disciplinary proceeding and is later readmitted to the University and/or the COM, the disciplinary procedure may be reopened.

1. The purposes of the Honor Council hearing are:
   
   a. To determine if the accused student committed the alleged misconduct, to establish its degree of severity, and explore extenuating circumstances; and
   
   b. To determine what response is appropriate and to make well-reasoned sanction recommendation(s), if any, to the Dean.

   2. The general procedure of a Honor Council hearing is as follows:

        a. The hearing, except for the Honor Council deliberations, will be recorded by a
        court reporter. The final transcript of the hearing, along with other evidence from
        the hearing, will be kept by the COM’s Office of Medical Student Affairs in
        accordance with the University’s records retention policies. All present in any
        capacity during the hearing will be informed of its confidential nature.

        b. The role of the faculty co-chair is to conduct the hearing according to this Policy          of The Honor Council and vote in the event of a tie.
   
        c. All participating, voting members of the Honor Council and the faculty co-chair
         must be present for the entirety of the hearing. 

        d. At the discretion of the faculty co-chair, a faculty and/or student member of the
        Honor Council may be assigned as a standby voting member. This is to ensure a
        hearing has the requisite quorum in the event of sudden or emergent absence of a
        scheduled voting member.

        e. The voting members of the Honor Council, the charging party, the accused
        student, and any advisor(s) may be present throughout the entire hearing.

        f. The Honor Council members may question anyone appearing before the Honor
        Council. Advisors may not address the Honor Council or question any of the
        witnesses. Any consultation between any party and their advisor during the hearing
        should be done in a written or quiet manner.

        g. The charging party and the accused student will have the right to submit written
        questions to be asked of all witnesses who participate in the hearing. The faculty co
        chair, in consultation with voting members of the Honor Council, has the right to
        review and determine which written questions will be asked. Only relevant
        questions will be considered. 

       h. Each witness will be present only during their testimony and/or period of
       questioning.

       i. The charging party, as well as their witnesses, will be heard first.

       j. The accused student, as well as their witnesses, will be heard second.

       k. The charging party and the accused student will have the opportunity to
       summarize      their positions prior to the close of the hearing. Each closing
       statement shall not exceed 10 minutes.

       l. Deliberations will follow and are closed to all but the voting members of the Honor
       Council, the faculty co-chair, and, at the discretion of the faculty co-chair, the Honor
       Council’s legal advisor. Deliberations will not be recorded.

       m. The Honor Council’s decision will be based upon consideration of the weight of
       the evidence.

       n.  Any record of the accused student’s past misconduct will be available for the
       Honor Council to consider in recommending the sanction(s), if any. If the ADMSA is
       aware of prior misconduct, they will share this information with the Honor Council.

       o.  The Honor Council co-chairs will prepare a written report in a timely manner
       following the hearing and will provide it to the ADMSA. The report should contain
       the Honor Council's decision regarding whether the accused student committed
       misconduct, the justifications for its determination, copies of all written materials
       provided at the Honor Council’s hearing, and the specific sanction
       recommendation(s), if any.  

E.  HONOR COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION AND NOTICE OF RIGHT TO APPEAL

The ADMSA will then inform the accused student of the Honor Council's report and recommendation(s) and their right to appeal. The accused student may choose not to appeal. If the accused student does not appeal, the ADMSA will forward the Honor Council's report and recommendation(s) to the Dean. A copy will also be provided to the SADEA for informational purposes. The Dean will review the Honor Council’s report and recommendation(s) and will make a final determination regarding the accused student’s alleged misconduct and sanction(s), if any. The Dean’s final determination and imposition of sanction(s), if any, may differ from that of the Honor Council. The Dean will communicate this decision in writing to the accused student without unnecessary delay. The accused student will have no further rights of appeal.

If the accused student appeals, the ADMSA will forward the Honor Council's report and recommendation(s) to the SADEA who will notify the Judiciary Appeal Board (“JAB”). 

III.  APPEAL PROCESS

A.  NOTICE AND APPEAL SUBMITTAL

To appeal, the accused student must submit their request for appeal and all supporting documentation in writing to the SADEA within ten (10) days of receiving the Honor Council’s report and recommendation(s). The accused student’s supporting appeal documentation must specify the grounds for appeal (see below). If the accused student does not timely submit their appeal documentation and specify the grounds for appeal therein, the Honor Council’s report and recommendation(s) will be sent to the Dean for final determination.

Grounds for appeal:

• Discovery of new information not available at the time of the Honor Council hearing - the accused student believes there is new, clear, and convincing evidence that would affect the decision rendered.

   

• Procedural error - the accused student believes a substantial error was made in the Honor Council procedures as outlined in this document, which resulted in a fundamental change in the outcome.

   

• Harshness of sanction - the accused student believes the recommended sanction(s) are not commensurate with the violation.

B.  STRUCTURE OF THE JUDICIARY APPEAL BOARD (JAB)

The JAB shall consist of three (3) faculty members and two (2) senior (M3 or M4) medical students appointed by the SADEA. One (1) of the three (3) faculty members will be designated as chair. None of the JAB members may be Honor Council or PAC members. All JAB members have one vote, including the designated chair. All JAB decisions are made by majority vote.

The SADEA shall inform the accused student of the JAB appointments. The accused student may object in writing within two (2) days to the appointment of any JAB member who the accused student believes may be biased. The SADEA will review the accused student’s request and make a determination as to whether the objection is valid and a replacement is warranted.

C.  APPEAL

The SADEA will provide the JAB with the Honor Council’s report and recommendation(s) and the appeal documentation provided by the accused student. In most cases, the JAB’s review will be limited to those records. The JAB will meet within a reasonable time period, generally within thirty (30) days, after the SADEA receives the accused student's appeal documentation. During its meeting, the JAB will review the appeal record and make a determination regarding the Honor Council’s report and recommendation(s). The JAB may make new recommendations that differ from those made by the Honor Council. Following the JAB’s meeting, the chair of the JAB will prepare a written report that states the reason(s) for the JAB’s finding(s) and that recommends appropriate action when the JAB’s recommendation differs from that of the Honor Council. The JAB may only make the sanction recommendation(s) set forth in Section I(C)(2). The JAB’s report and recommendation(s) should be provided to the Dean of the COM, with a copy to the SADEA and the accused student, in a timely manner following the JAB’s meeting. 

D.  ACTION BY THE DEAN

The Dean will review the Honor Council’s report and recommendation(s) and the JAB’s report and recommendation(s), and will make a final determination regarding the accused student’s alleged misconduct and sanction(s), if any. The Dean’s final determination and imposition of sanction(s), if any, may differ from that of the recommendation(s) of the Honor Council and/or the JAB. The Dean will communicate this decision in writing to the accused student without unnecessary delay. The accused student will have no further right of appeal.

Inclement Weather Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: August 1, 2013

Inclement Weather Policy (PDF)
Revised: 12/8/2022

Appendix

Snow Emergency Classifications

Pursuant of Ohio Attorney General Opinion 86-023, the sheriff of a county may declare a snow emergency and temporarily close county and township roads within his jurisdiction for the preservation of the public peace.

Attorney General Opinion 97-015 allows the sheriff to close state and municipal roads.

Snow Emergency Classifications

LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Motorists are urged to drive very cautiously.

LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Motorists should use extreme caution.

LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.

To view the state’s weather-related road closures and restrictions, visit the Ohio Department of Transportation’s traffic website at www.ohgo.com.

Phone Contacts

Leave of Absence Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 4, 2018

Leave of Absence Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Voluntary Leaves of Absence

• Leaves may be voluntary as a result of student petition, (e.g., to pursue another academic program, to fulfill a fellowship, to conduct research, to take care of personal issues, or to recover from an illness). All voluntary leaves are subject to approval by the COM. A student cannot unilaterally decide that he/she will be taking a Leave of Absence for any reason. A student who is considering a Leave of Absence must meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs if they are planning a 1-year leave to pursue research, additional degree or other academic enrichment. A student who is considering a Leave of Absence, regardless of duration, for any other reason e.g. medical, personal, etc. must meet with either the Associate or Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Any student who wishes to take a Leave of Absence must submit a request in writing to the PAC.

Petition Requirement

• A petition for a voluntary Leave of Absence must be requested on a Medical Student Status Form (MSSF) in MedOneStop (see Appendix) and must include a written petition which clearly describes the reason(s) for the leave, steps the student will undertake to address the reason(s) for the leave and an anticipated return date. If the Leave of Absence is for medical reasons, documentation is required from the evaluating physician, or in the case of mental health, a licensed clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. This documentation should include a statement indicating that the student is under the provider’s care and the student is currently unable to continue his/her medical education responsibilities. The provider, as defined above, should not be a family member of the student’s (as defined by the University policy). If the Leave of Absence is for research, documentation is required from the faculty supervisor on the research project providing a description of the student’s role and responsibilities. For any non-medical or concern of substance abuse Leave of Absence, the student will be required to complete a drug screen and myKnowledge compliance modules, prior to re-entry into UC Health. UC Health will bear the cost of the drug screen.The petition must be initiated by the student and submitted to the appropriate PAC with a copy to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Students are advised to consult with the Office of Student Affairs prior to petitioning for a Leave of Absence.

Authority to Grant Voluntary Leaves & Timeframe for Approval and Timing of Leaves

• Except in cases of Emergency Leaves of Absence (see next section), Leaves of Absence must be approved by the appropriate PAC prior to a student going on leave. Students are to remain in the curriculum until notified by the PAC that their request has been approved (or denied) and the effective start date of their leave has been determined. In M1/M2, Leaves of Absence requested within 7 calendar days of the first final of the final exam week will not be approved, except for extraordinary and compelling circumstances (e.g. if the first exam of the final exam week is scheduled for Tuesday, the request for Leave of Absence must be submitted prior to the Tuesday of the week before).
• Leaves of Absence are granted for a specific period of time up to a maximum period of 12 months and the length of all leaves is subject to approval by the PAC. Students wishing to extend the leave beyond what was initially approved by PAC will be required to re-petition. The PAC may modify the period of time for which a requested Leave of Absence will be allowed and may extend a Leave of Absence in the unusual event that a student’s desired time of return cannot be accommodated by the curriculum or the time requested is not sufficient to resolve the stated problems. A student must be registered and pay tuition and fee charges for the semester in which they plan to return, as well as be current with all immunizations, TB screening and flu vaccinations.
• If an M1 or M2 student takes a Leave of Absence after successfully completing (no Failure grades) all of the courses in the previous semester, at the discretion of the PAC, the student may re-enter coursework at the next chronological semester after the one completed (the student would not have to repeat the entire year). The student would also have the option of repeating the entire year if the student feels this would benefit his/her long-term learning objectives. Students choosing to voluntarily repeat the entire year instead of repeating only the semester they missed are advised to talk with the Assistant Dean for Student Financial Planning to discuss the financial aspects of that decision. However, if a student goes on a Leave of Absence, having received a Failure in that year, the student must repeat the entire year. If an M3 or M4 student takes a Leave of Absence after successfully completing (no Failure or Conditional grades) all of the courses taken thus far, he/she may re-enter coursework where appropriate in the clerkship model of M3 and M4. If a student goes on a Leave of Absence without having completed all of the requirements to pass a clerkship, the PAC, in consultation with the clerkship director, will determine the remaining components required to pass the clerkship as well as what grade will appear on the transcript until the final grade is recorded.
• The PAC will review the petition in a reasonable timeframe and may request the student to appear before the Committee to discuss the petition and provide any additional information and insight into the reasons for the request.
• The PAC chair will communicate the PAC’s decision on all requested Leaves of Absence to the student via email within 24 hours of the PAC reaching their decision. If approved, this email will state the effective start date of the Leave of Absence. A formal letter with the stipulations for the student’s return will follow the chair’s email notification to the student.

Mandated Leaves of Absence

• Leaves of Absence may be mandated by PAC or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, if circumstances warrant. Leaves mandated by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will be considered temporary util the Leave is reviewed and approved by PAC, which will grant formal approval and stipulate the time frame for the Leave.
• The PAC may consider any failures in one year as grounds for dismissal.

Emergency Leaves

• Emergency Leaves of Absence generally refer to situations in which students have reported unexpected and significant health, or personal issues that immediately interfere with their ability to participate in the curriculum.
• The Associate Dean for Student Affairs or his/her designee may grant an Emergency Leave of Absence when extraordinary circumstances do not allow the PAC to consider the leave in a timely manner.
• Emergency Leaves of Absence are subject to approval by PAC.
• In the case of an Emergency Leave of Absence the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or his/her designee will complete the Medical Student Status Form (MSSF) to document the leave.

Petition for Return from a Voluntary, Mandated or Emergency Leave of Absence

• Returning from a leave is not automatic. A student seeking to return from a voluntary, mandated or emergency leave must submit a petition to return to the appropriate PAC with a copy to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions. The PAC has the authority to approve or disapprove the petition for return and to establish timing and other stipulations for return. In cases where a student is taking only a short LOA, e.g., 2 or 3 weeks, the PAC may waive the student’s duty to petition for a return and instead will approve a specified return date when the LOA is approved.
• In order to return from a Leave of Absence, a student must fulfill the obligations specified in granting the leave. The PAC may, if the obligations have not been fulfilled, extend the leave of absence (which cannot be appealed by the student) or may recommend dismissal of the student from the COM. The decision to recommend dismissal of the student may be appealed by the student as described elsewhere in this handbook (see APPEALS).
• Failure to petition either for a return from a leave or an extension of the existing leave within the time period specified on the approved petition will be considered grounds for dismissal from the College of Medicine. Such dismissal may be appealed by the student under the procedures for an Academic Appeal as set forth in the ACADEMIC STATUS APPEAL PROCESS. Such appeal must be requested by the student in writing within (5) five business days of the PAC’s notification of recommendation for dismissal being sent to the student. No extension of this time period will be permitted due to a student’s failure to review correspondence or other negligent behavior, nor shall such circumstances serve as grounds for an appeal.
• Students granted a leave for medical reasons must support their petition for return with a statement from the evaluating physician, or in the case of mental health, licensed clinical psychologist or psychiatrist confirming their medical fitness for return to school. The provider, as defined above, should not be a family member of the student’s (as defined by University policy). The PAC may reserve the right to have a physician of its choosing evaluate the student for fitness to return to school, in addition to the statement from the student’s evaluating physician. The evaluation may include a toxicology screen. This fitness for duty assessment will be at the expense of the COM.
• A student on a Leave of Absence who has an unpaid balance owed to the University will not be able to register for classes and will not be allowed to re-enter the curriculum until that balance is paid in full.
• Students returning from a Leave of Absence will be considered a member of the class into which they return and fall under the existing policies, including coming under the jurisdiction of the PAC of the class that they enter.

Enrollment, the Student Record, and Student Services during the Leave of Absence

• Students on a Leave of Absence are generally not permitted to participate in any school activities – either academic or non-academic. Exceptions may include, but are not limited to, a student who has to sit for a USMLE Exam, the UCCOM Clinical Competency Exam (CCX), or a student who may be required to attend an M3 Intersession while on a Leave of Absence. Any exceptions to participate in school activities while on Leave of Absence must be approved by the PAC. The student’s UC email account remains active during the Leave of Absence. Students are responsible to check their UC email while on leave and to respond to communications from the PAC. In the event that the student’s access is restricted to email during the Leave of Absence, the student will be informed and will be instructed on how to communicate to the college.
• The student is not eligible to receive financial aid during the leave period.
• Each graduate of the College of Medicine must successfully complete all course requirements to receive the Doctor of Medicine degree. This principle is applicable even when a student takes a Leave of Absence. In the case of the curriculum changing while a student is on leave, the College will, at its sole discretion, create an alternative to any courses that have either been restructured or moved to another time in the curriculum such that the student will experience the entire curriculum. The College will determine the specific timeline and schedule for any student who requires such an alternate course.
• A student who has been granted a Leave of Absence and who is enrolled in the UC Student Health Insurance policy may remain covered under the policy according to the terms established by the Student Health Insurance Office. In such case, the costs for the insurance coverage will be the responsibility of the student. Any statements in this section are subject to the terms and conditions of the Student Health Insurance policy and are not under the control of the College of Medicine.
• Copies of all approved MSSFs are retained in the student’s academic file as part of the official student record.
• If a student takes a leave for a Program-Related Activity, the student will pay one credit hour of tuition per semester and will be enrolled full-time (see PROGRAM-RELATED ACTIVITY POLICY).

M1/2 Scheduling Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M1 and M2 Learners
Approval Date: July 9, 2019

M1/2 Scheduling Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Scheduling of Mandatory Activities

• Course schedules will be published in Leo or Blackboard four weeks prior to the start date of the course.
• All mandatory events listed in Leo will be indicated with the “mandatory event” icon.
• Mandatory events will not be added to the course schedule after the start of the course. In addition, the course syllabus will have a listing of all mandatory events.
• If it is necessary to move the time and date of a mandatory event due to a conflict with the availability of a presenter or a patient, the course director will communicate this change to the class via email.
• If a mandatory event is rescheduled and a student previously made plans to be away from school at that time, the student will not be penalized for missing the mandatory event. The student will submit the associated paperwork for an MSSF and the course director will work with the student to formulate an equitable make-up session for the missed mandatory activity.

Policy for Students Being Doubled Booked for Events

The COM cannot require a student to take make-up exams, Epic training, get flu shots or any other activity during the time that didactic sessions are scheduled. If a student has to reschedule an educational activity (missed exams, Epic training, LPCC, etc.) they may elect to do so when didactic sessions are scheduled as long as they do not miss a mandatory course activity.

M1/2 Student Workload Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M1 and M2 Students
Approval Date: July 3, 2019
Revision Date: June 3, 2021; July 7, 2022


Student Workload Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

PURPOSE

1. Defines reasonable expectations for student committed time to all educational activities (both scheduled and unscheduled—see definitions below)
2. Sets the maximum average amount of time each week M1 and M2 students participate in scheduled educational activities (e.g., lectures, laboratories/dissections, panel presentations, small group activities (e.g. service learning), clinical skills, learning communities, early clinical experiences (Fundamentals of Doctoring), self-directed learning modules, career development sessions, and assessments).
3. Sets the maximum amount of time each week for required assignments that are completed outside of class time across all courses.
4. Describes how compliance with the M1/2 Student Workload Policy will be monitored.

OVERVIEW

PROCEDURE

1. Scheduled activities should not exceed 25 hours per week averaged over a 2-week period inclusive of assessments across all courses.
2. Unscheduled learning activities (independent learning/study) can be calculated by multiplying lecture (does not include content integration sessions and live patient cases/panels) and laboratory/dissection activities by a factor of 2.5 to provide an estimate of total unscheduled time needed for a student to invest in learning the material (e.g., two hours of study is needed for each hour of lecture or laboratory/dissection). Independent study will be calculated by a factor of 3 for each hour of assessment/examination in a given week.
3. Scheduled educational activities (lectures, laboratories/dissections, panel presentations), small group activities (e.g. service learning), clinical skills, learning communities, early clinical experiences (e.g. Fundamentals of Doctoring), self-directed learning modules, career development sessions, and assessments) should occur between the hours of 8 am-5 pm. Scheduled educational activities should reflect the time it takes to complete the activity. The noon hour should be kept free of mandatory/required events to facilitate travel time to experiential courses and learning activities. Exceptions to this should seek advisement from the Student Workload Advisory Group (SWAG) for potential alternatives and subsequent necessary approval through the curriculum committees. It is noted that some exceptions for clinical skills and Fundamentals of Doctoring may be necessary due to SIM Center, standardized patient, and/or preceptor availability.
4. During the M1 and M2 years of the curriculum, students may not be asked to complete required, outside of class time assignments requiring more than 5 hours per week on average across all courses.

MONITORING

1. When new features of a course are introduced at the M1/2 Curriculum Committee prior to its implementation, course directors will include in their presentation how this impacts the average number of hours per week of required activities (in and out of class) to ensure to M1/2 Curriculum Committee that all required educational activities fall within the parameters of this policy. This is done prior to the start of the new academic year.
2. Course directors will report on (1) the frequency of self-directed learning sessions in their course, (2) the average number of scheduled activities per week, and (3) the number of hours of assigned required activities that are completed outside of scheduled class time in the course report to the curriculum committee. The review of the course report will subsequently be reviewed by the Educational Program Committee.
3. SWAG will maintain a database of the number of hours of scheduled activities, assignments, and estimated independent study time to monitor adherence to this policy.
4. The M1/2 Coordinators Workgroup will coordinate and monitor the scheduling of student activities and exams to better ensure compliance with the workload policy. Updates will be provided to the M1/2 Curriculum Committee.

RELATED LCME STANDARDS

*Definitions:

Scheduled Learning Activities:

Unscheduled Learning Activities:

Independent Study:

Medical Student Honor Code

Responsible Department: Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 6, 2019

Medical Student Honor Code (PDF)

PREAMBLE

Upon matriculation, I become a member of the medical profession. I am a Student Physician and as such my patients, colleagues, and teachers will expect me to maintain and promote the ethical standards that my chosen profession embodies. As a student enrolled at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, my actions at all times and in all places reflect on the College of Medicine and medicine as a profession. Furthermore, my matriculation at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine signifies an acknowledgement of my new position and responsibilities within society and the student body as enumerated in the following Code:

1. I shall be dedicated to learning the art and the science of medicine, and shall pursue this endeavor with compassion and with respect for human dignity;
2. I shall approach the study of medicine with the utmost academic integrity and deal honestly with patients and members of the health care team;
3. I shall respect the rights of patients, their families, and members of the health care team;
4. I shall demonstrate respect and consideration for my fellow students, faculty, and staff in word and deed;
5. I shall respect the directives of my superiors. However, I will question decisions that may be contrary to the wishes or best interests of the patients;
6. I shall not create a false impression of my knowledge or ability, nor allow patients or their families to believe that I am anything other than a medical student;
7. I shall safeguard patient confidences within the constraints of the law and inform my patients when I am unable to maintain their confidentiality;
8. I shall neither accept patient care responsibility nor perform any action without proper supervision; I shall ask for supervision when appropriate and request assistance when necessary;
9. I shall serve patients to the best of my ability regardless of diagnosis, race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, age, socioeconomic status, religion or political beliefs;
10. I shall not allow competitiveness with colleagues to adversely affect patient care;
11. I shall assist impaired colleagues in seeking professional help and accept such help if I am impaired;
12. I shall allow my colleagues fair and equal access to educational materials and not strive to create an unfair advantage over my colleagues;
13. I shall abide by all commonly understood principles of academic honesty. This includes, but is not limited to:
    • I shall not provide to, or receive from another person, any impermissible assistance on any academic exercise;
    • I shall not intentionally falsify, reproduce, use without attribution, or invent any information or citation in an academic or clinical setting;
    • I shall not offer bribes or favors to, or threats against, any person with the intention of affecting a grade or evaluation of academic performance;
    • I shall not take an examination by proxy;
    • I shall not attempt to change my grades in an unauthorized manner;
    • In addition to abiding by the above principles, I shall seek to promote these virtues in myself and my colleagues.

Mid-Clerkship/AI Student Formative Feedback Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 & M4 Learners
Approval Date: June 7, 2018

Mid-Clerkship Student Formative Feedback Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

All required clerkships and required Acting Internships must have a formative feedback plan in place. While some variation is permitted and necessary to allow for the individual features and attributes of the various clerkships, certain standards and practices are required to ensure that a) medical students receive the substantive and constructive feedback necessary to remediate performance issues and improve their clinical skills prior to the conclusion of the clerkship, b) that this experience is an active learning process and fosters life-long learning skills, and c) that the College of Medicine is in compliance with related accreditation standards.

The following will be implemented as part of the formative feedback plans of all clerkships and required Acting Internships:

1. Formative feedback sessions must occur no less frequently than once per clerkship and at a date that is near the mid-point of the clerkship.
2. The student will be required to independently identify specific learning outcomes to be accomplished during the clerkship prior to the scheduled mid-clerkship feedback session.
3. The same form used to summarize a student’s performance for the purpose of deriving his/her final clerkship grade will be used to guide the formative feedback process. The student will be required to bring this form to the session for review by the faculty member/preceptor providing the formative feedback.
4. Using this form, students will be required to perform a self-assessment of his/her attainment of both his/her defined learning outcomes and those defined by the clerkship director.
5. The faculty/preceptor providing the formative feedback will use this form to provide a written documentation of the feedback provided both for the benefit of the student and for centralized tracking.
6. The form must be signed and dated by both the student and the faculty member/preceptor providing the formative feedback.
7. Each Clerkship Director must submit to the Educational Policy Committee for approval a written Formative Feedback Plan detailing the specific details for how formative feedback will be conducted in his/her clerkship. This plan must comply with the 6 directives listed above or it will not be approved by the Educational Policy Committee. The detailed plan must include a copy of the form cited in directives 3-6 above, the frequency and time point at which the formative feedback sessions will take place, and who will provide the formative feedback or how the individual charged with providing the feedback will be identified. Any subsequent modifications to the Formative Feedback Plan must be submitted to the Educational Policy Committee, prior to implementation, for approval.
8. Clerkship directors will be responsible for assuring that all faculty and preceptors involved in the formative feedback process comply with the Formative Feedback Plan.

MSTP Max. Length of Study Policy

Responsible Department: MSTP Program
Applies to: MSTP Students
Approval Date: October 3, 2019

Download the Policy (PDF)

Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Maximum Length of Study

Students have a maximum of 6 years to complete their PhD work and a total of 10 years to complete the entire MSTP. Time spent on Leave of Absence does not count toward these limits. Students may appeal for additional time under extenuating circumstances to the MSTP APC. In accordance with the medical degree policy, students may take no more than 15 semesters of academic enrollment to complete the medical degree program. A student can take no more than six academic semesters to complete M1/2, and no more than nine academic semesters to complete M3/4.

Click here to go to the MSTP webpage

Narrative Assessment Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: July 22, 2019

Narrative Assessment Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) requires a narrative description of medical student performance, including non-cognitive achievement, whenever teacher-student interaction permits this form of assessment.

Specifically, written narrative assessment of student performance is required for:

• Any course/clerkship in which there is regular, longitudinal contact between a faculty member and a student.
• Any course/clerkship that includes regular contact with patients and/or patient care.

Additionally, course/clerkship directors are required to ensure the following:

• Feedback is timely, and
• Feedback identifies student strengths and strategies on how to improve their performance.

These narrative summative evaluations of student performance are entered verbatim into the student’s permanent file. Narrative feedback generated during the clerkship year is included in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), which accompanies applications for residency.

Monitoring

To monitor this policy, students complete an end-of-course evaluation that provides them the opportunity to comment on the quality of formative and summative narrative feedback received during the course or clerkship. Additionally, course and clerkship directors may receive feedback as part of the bi-annual student survey as well as the annual focus groups facilitated by the Office of Medical Education (OME). As part of the annual course/clerkship report, course and clerkship directors are required to review the data and identify opportunities to improve both formative and summative narrative feedback. This report will be reviewed annually by EPC to ensure that the requirements of the policy are being met and that if there are any issues, the course/clerkship director has identified an appropriate course of action.

Related LCME Element

9.5 Narrative Assessment: A medical school ensures that a narrative description of a medical student’s performance, including his or her non-cognitive achievement, is included as a component of the assessment in each required course and clerkship of the medical education program whenever teacher-student interaction permits this form of assessment.

Parental Leave/Accommodations Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: May 2, 2019

Parental Leave/Accommodations Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) acknowledges the importance of family growth and supports all students (male, female, gender non-conforming) who are both birth and non- birth adopting parents (including stepparents and guardians). Given the demands of parenting, modification to medical school curriculum and timeline for completion may be necessary. When parental leave or accommodations are needed, UCCOM will strive to provide flexibility for completion of curricular requirements using the following core principles during pregnancy, postpartum, and the child-rearing years:

1. Each parental leave and accommodation request will be considered on an individual basis. Students should discuss their request with the Office of Student Affairs. Student Affairs and the Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC) will provide guidance as to whether the request will need to have formal approval by the PAC.
2. Illness of the student’s child, requiring the student to miss minimal class or clinical work, is comparable to the student being ill themselves. Refer to the Attendance and Absences Policy in the Student Handbook.
3. When extended parental leave (more than 5 business days in M3/4 or more than 2 weeks in M1/2) is anticipated, the student is referred to the Leave of Absence Policy in the Student Handbook.
4. In planning for a parental leave, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee will refer the student to the Office of Financial Services and the Registrar, prior to submission of the Medical Student Status Form (MSSF), to discuss any impact on their tuition/loans and on their curricular progression to meet graduation requirements.
5. It may be possible to arrange accommodations without changing the graduation date, provided all UCCOM graduation requirements are met; however, this determination will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Lactation Support

1. If a student requires space/time for breast pumping and related activities, they will notify the clerkship/elective director who will then notify the necessary clinical site director.
2. UCCOM and UC Health have lactation rooms available for student/employee use. The student may also use call rooms with locking doors for this purpose. Working together, the student and clinical site director will find a location on the unit for pumped milk storage. The following locations may be used by students assigned to UC COM or UCMC:
   1. Health Sciences Library (during library hours) – Two areas in private room with privacy screen and storage fridge.Obtain key from Circulation Desk
   2. UCMC has two designated areas for breast pumping:
      1. Third floor lactation room near L&D and postpartum. Four areas with privacy screens, breast pumps, and fridge.The door is unlocked, so please knock before entering.
      2. Main hospital lobby - Two private Mamava pods.
3. An MSSF form is not needed for breast pumping sessions.

University of Cincinnati Title IX Policies

1. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities. This prohibition includes discrimination against pregnant and parenting students.
2. Students with additional questions may refer to the University of Cincinnati Title IX site at this page
3. Additional questions not addressed at this site may be forwarded to:

Title IX Office

3rd floor, 3115 Edwards 1
45 Corry Blvd. Cincinnati, OH 45221-0158
(513) 556-3349

titleix@uc.edu
Title IX Website

Performance and Advancement Committee Standards and Procedures

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2019
Revised Date: June 1, 2023

Performance and Advancement Policy (PDF)

1. PERFORMANCE AND ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE

   A Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC) monitors the progress of each medical student through the curriculum. A separate PAC is established for each cohort of students upon entry into the program of medical education. Each committee regularly reviews each student’s performance and may make decisions on promotion, retention, dismissal, leave of absence and compliance with COM standards.

   1. MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING

      Overall evaluation of student performance at the COM shall be made by any of two PACs. One PAC will follow the student primarily through the pre-clinical years (the M1/M2 PAC), and the other through the clinical years (the M3/M4 PAC). A transfer student will be assigned to the PAC which applies to the class into which he or she enters. MD/PhD students will be followed by the M1/M2 and M3/M4 PACs when they are in their medical student years. When these students are working on their PhD dissertation or doing MSTP work outside of the MD requirements their progress will be monitored by the MSTP Academic Progress Committee, following the rules and regulations established by the MSTP and the department in which they are obtaining their PhD degree.

      Membership on each PAC shall include eleven faculty members including both basic science and clinical faculty. Members will be appointed by the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs or his designee. A chairperson and vice-chairperson of each PAC shall be designated by the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs or his designee from among the members on PAC. Each member, including the chairperson and vice-chairperson will have one vote. A simple majority of the voting membership shall constitute a quorum.

      An Executive Secretary to the PAC may be appointed by the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. The Executive Secretary is a non-voting member of PAC. Members of the Office of Medical Education and of the Office of Student Affairs may be asked to attend PAC meetings to provide information that may assist the Committee in their deliberations.

      Decisions of PAC will be based upon the student’s academic record, behavior and professionalism and overall performance. A PAC may review, at its discretion, information submitted by the student under consideration. A PAC is not required to review any information that is submitted by a student that the PAC did not specifically request.

      The PAC will document its decisions in meeting summaries or minutes. These meeting summaries will not be detailed transcripts of discussions at meetings. Adverse actions or significant concerns as determined by PAC regarding an individual student will be communicated to the student and may also be communicated to the student’s advisor and to the Office of Student Affairs at the discretion of the PAC. Email is an acceptable form of communication to a student by a PAC.

      A student may appeal the decision of a PAC only in the manner described in Appeals and Grievances. No other appeal or review mechanisms are applicable.

   2. FREQUENCY OF THE MEETINGS

      Each PAC shall meet no less than four times per year. It is anticipated that each PAC may need to meet more frequently such as monthly to review student progress. A PAC may meet at other times as needed. Virtual meetings of PACs, including email votes, are allowed but should be limited to special circumstances that preclude a meeting of the PAC.

   3. THE NATURE OF Committee DELIBERATIONS

      All deliberations of the PAC are confidential.

      It is the PAC’s responsibility to assure to the extent of its abilities that all graduates of the COM are prepared to become physicians and deserve the conferring of the Doctor of Medicine degree by the University. The PAC will review student performance based upon the published educational objectives of the courses, derived from the graduation competencies. This includes not only test scores and other measures of knowledge and skill, but also, behaviors that the faculty has defined as part of the academic requirements of the curriculum. A PAC member who has a conflict of interest in the matter shall remove themselves from the deliberation and any potential vote of action concerning the student. A conflict of interest is determined to exist in instances where the PAC member: 1. is related to the student; 2. is or has been in a significant mentoring or social relationship with the student or student’s family; 3. believes s/he cannot be completely impartial in his/her consideration of the matter regarding the student or 4. has previously given a grade of Failure to the student in a course or clerkship that is an integral component of the decision that is currently before PAC pertaining to this student.

      The PAC will follow the guidelines defining Advancement and Retention and Appeals and Grievances.

      Issues relating to improper conduct or lack of professionalism may be referred directly to the Co- Chairs of the Honor Council and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions and/or the appropriate PAC as determined by the person submitting the Exemplary/Formative Feedback Form. The COM adheres to the General Professional Standards: Policies for the Honor Council and the Guidelines for Student Conduct maintained by the University of Cincinnati as well as the standards of performance expected of all students enrolled in the medical school curriculum.

   4. PERSONAL APPEARANCE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE

      A student whose advancement and/or academic or professional performance is in question may be requested to appear before a PAC. This includes students for whom actions such as dismissal, repetition of a course or other component of the curriculum, or other alterations in progress are likely possibilities. Repeated instances of marginal grades or other poor academic or professional performance may lead to a request by the PAC for the student to appear. The PAC also reserves the right to mandate a student’s appearance. Failure of a student to attend a mandated PAC appearance will be grounds for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the College of Medicine.

      A major purpose for providing the student access to the PAC is to allow the student an opportunity to furnish more information before a decision is made. Correspondingly, invited students are encouraged to inform the PAC of any extenuating or mitigating circumstances affecting academic or professional performance.

      The PAC must provide notice to the student via email at least 48 hours prior to the meeting at which the student is requested to appear to allow the student sufficient time to make alternations in his or her schedule.

      A student may request an appearance before a PAC to discuss requests for Leaves of Absence, participation in Program Related Activities, or other extenuating or unusual requests. Students wishing to appear before the PAC must provide notice to the PAC at least 48 hours prior to the regularly scheduled meeting of the PAC. Any such appearance by a student is at the sole discretion of the PAC.

      A PAC may request, at its sole discretion, an assessment for fitness for duty regarding any student who experiences problems that interfere with academic or professional performance.

      A student may bring an advisor to the meeting with the committee. The PAC, at its discretion, may also meet with the advisor in the absence of the student. When the student is present the advisor may advise the student, but not directly interact with the PAC. Once the meeting with the student is over, and the PAC has no questions for the advisor, the advisor will leave the meeting before PAC deliberations begin.

2. LETTER OF CONCERN

   1. Use and Consequences

      The PAC may, but is not required to, issue a Letter of Concern if, in its judgment, the student is at academic risk. The decision to issue a Letter of Concern is a matter of discretion of the PAC and is not a prerequisite or condition to later action, adverse or otherwise, regarding a student. An unsatisfactory performance, whether interim or final, in any course may result in the PAC sending a Letter of Concern to a student. A student who has failed to pass the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 Clinical Knowledge/Clinical Skills exams may be issued a Letter of Concern.

      The nature of the Letter of Concern status is meant to alert the student that he or she is in significant academic or professional difficulty. It is not recorded on the student’s official transcript and does not affect financial aid. Receipt of a Letter of Concern cannot be appealed.

   2. Removal of Letter of Concern Status

      To have the Letter of Concern status removed, a student must maintain two successive semesters with passing grades in all courses, i.e., receive no Failures or Conditionals. The passing grades may be interim grades. However, a PAC may retain a student’s Letter of Concern status for a period longer than two semesters, if the PAC believes that extending the Letter of Concern would be beneficial to the student’s academic progress.

3. PROFESSIONALISM REQUIREMENTS The PAC recognizes that there is a range and degrees of behavior that encompass professionalism. However, a medical student who fails to maintain the degree of personal and professional standards deemed essential for all medical students by the COM is subject to actions which may include dismissal from the COM. Failure to meet the academic standards of a course for any reason will lead to review of the student by the PAC. Issues relating to improper conduct or lack of professionalism should be referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions and the appropriate PAC chair in writing (see below). The PAC chair and Associate Dean for Student Affairs will discuss the issue and determine if the concern expressed in the professionalism referral should be referred to the Honor Council, be handled by the Office of Student Affairs, or by the PAC. The Exemplary/Formative Feedback Form can be found in the appendix (one is for behavior which needs correction, another is for exemplary behavior).
   

    

   Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

   
   
   1. PAC Review of Professionalism
      1. An individual who has concerns about a lack of professionalism exhibited by any COM medical student may express concerns to the PAC and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions. Any submissions must be in writing and describe the concerns. The preferred format is through the use of the COM Exemplary/Formative Feedback Form but the use of this form is not an absolute requirement.
      2. If the issue is to be handled by the Office of Student Affairs the PAC will be informed of the discussion between the student and the Office, and the PAC will be aware of the outcome of such discussions.
      3. If the issue is to be handled by the PAC, the PAC will review the documentation of the alleged unprofessional behavior and, if applicable, any action taken to correct the alleged behavior. The student who allegedly engaged in the unprofessional behavior shall be invited to appear before the appropriate PAC to allow the student an opportunity to furnish more information before a decision is made. The PAC will investigate the alleged unprofessional behavior and make a determination as to whether there is reason to believe that the medical student engaged in the alleged unprofessional behavior. Once a determination is reached, the PAC will proceed as described under point 4.
      4. The PAC will summarize in its minutes or meeting summary the conduction of its review, and may choose to do any or a combination of the following:
         1. Take no action

         2. Place the student on a Professional Warning status

            A simple majority of the voting members in attendance at the PAC meeting, provided that a quorum is present, must agree to the placement of the student on Professional Warning.

            In placing a student on Professional Warning, the PAC will specify the corrective actions, activities and parameters that the student will be required to demonstrate or perform. These may include, but are not limited to, monitoring of performance; a Leave of Absence; specifications regarding the student's academic program and schedule; periodic updates or appearances before the PAC; consultation and advising, or other actions. The PAC will also delineate specific timelines as applicable for resolution of the Professional Warning.

            A student in Professional Warning status will undergo regular reviews by the PAC to assure that progress is being made by the student in addressing the concerns that led to the Professional Warning status. Removal of Professional Warning Status is at the discretion of the PAC and requires a simple majority vote of PAC members providing that a quorum is present.

         3. Inform others, such as appropriate course directors and members of the COM administration, of the student's need to engage in corrective actions so that appropriate monitoring can be provided. In addition, the PAC may work with the course directors and COM administration to arrange for alterations of instructional situations and/or mentoring to assist the student in correcting the deficiencies.
         4. Determine if a statement regarding the professionalism problem should be placed in the student's MSPE; or, if the MSPE has been sent, to send out an addendum to the MSPE to the student's matched residency program or programs to which the student is applying of the specific needs which the student has regarding professional guidance.
         5. Determine that dismissal is appropriate due to unprofessional behavior.

4. LEAVE OF ABSENCE

   Granting of and return from a Leave of Absence will be determined by the PAC as described in the LEAVE OF ABSENCE POLICY.

5. GRIEVANCES AND APPEALS

   Information describing reasons for grievances and appeals, and procedures used to file a grievance or an appeal can be found under GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE, GRADE APPEALS PROCESS, AND ACADEMIC STATUS APPEALS PROCESS.

Principles Guiding Interactions between Teachers & Learners in Medicine

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students

Principles Guiding Interactions between Teachers & Learners in Medicine

POLICY STATEMENT

Preparing for a career in medicine demands the acquisition of a large fund of knowledge and a host of special skills. It also demands that the virtues underlying the patient-doctor relationship are imparted to learners so that the profession of medicine as a moral enterprise is sustained. This compact serves both as a pledge and as a reminder to teachers and learners that their conduct in fulfilling their mutual obligations is the medium through which the profession inculcates its ethical values.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

DUTY

Medical educators have a duty to convey the knowledge and skills required for delivering the profession’s contemporary standard of care and to inculcate the values and attitudes required for preserving the medical profession’s social contract across generations.

INTEGRITY

The learning environment must be suffused with integrity. Students learn enduring lessons of integrity by observing and emulating role models who epitomize authentic professional values and attitudes.

RESPECT

Fundamental to the ethic of medicine is respect for every individual. Mutual respect between learners, as novice members of the medical profession, and their teachers, as experienced and esteemed professionals, is essential for nurturing that ethic. Given the inherently hierarchical nature of the teacher/learner relationship, teachers have a special obligation to ensure that students and residents are always treated respectfully.

COMMITMENTS OF TEACHERS

We will ensure that all components of the educational program are of the highest possible quality.

As mentors for our student and resident colleagues, we will demonstrate the highest professional standards in all of our interactions with patients, colleagues, and staff.

In nurturing both the intellectual and personal development of students and residents, we will strongly encourage professional attitudes and behaviors, as well as academic excellence.

We will show respect for our learners and all individuals without regard to gender, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation.

We will not tolerate others who abuse, exploit, disrespect, or exhibit biased attitudes towards our students or residents.

We encourage any student or resident who experiences mistreatment or who witnesses unprofessional behavior to report the incident immediately to appropriate faculty or staff without fear of reprisal.

COMMITMENTS OF LEARNERS

We will acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors required to fulfill all educational objectives established by the UCCOM.

We value and will strive to achieve the professional virtues of honesty, compassion, integrity, fidelity, and dependability.

As physicians in training, we will embrace the highest standards of the medical profession and pledge to conduct ourselves accordingly in all of our interactions with patients, colleagues, and staff.

We will show respect for our teachers and all individuals without regard to gender, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation.

We pledge to encourage and support each other in meeting our academic goals and professional obligations.

Program-Related Activity Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018
Revised Date: September 1, 2022

Program Related Activity Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Any third or fourth-year medical student in good academic standing who wishes to take up to one year away from the formal curriculum for enhancement purposes (i.e., conduct research outside of UC, engage in mission work, enroll in cultural exchange/language immersion programs), may request approval from the appropriate Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC) for Program-Related Activity (PRA) registration. Permission to participate in a PRA is at the sole discretion of the PAC. If a student is requesting a PRA after their M2 year the student must take Step 1 before beginning the PRA. Refusal to allow a student to participate in a PRA is not subject to any appeals or grievances.

A student enrolled in any other academic program at UC or outside UC is not eligible for PRA.

The student on PRA will be charged one credit hour of tuition per semester and will be registered as a full- time student at the University of Cincinnati. This enrollment status makes the student on PRA eligible to purchase student health insurance and defer student loans.

Academic credit will not be given for the Program Related Activity. Students on PRA are not eligible for financial aid.

To be enrolled in a Program Related Activity, the student must follow the procedure outlined below:

1. Meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs for initial approval of the plan
2. Submit a written plan for PRA to the appropriate PAC for final approval at least 60 days before the PRA is to commence
3. The plan is to include dates when the PRA will commence and end
4. A description of the PRA must specify what the student will do, who will supervise/oversee the student and if the student will be compensated for the PRA
5. At the conclusion of enrollment in PRA, the student will present a written report summarizing the PRA experience to the PAC. If there are any changes in the student’s original PRA plan, the student is to notify the PAC as soon as the student is aware of the changes.

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

Health Requirements for Medical Students Upon Entry to UCCOM

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: October 6, 2022

Protected Time to Vote Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

UCCOM will provide 2.5 hours of protected time for students in all phases of the curriculum to vote in presidential and midterm elections. Course and clerkship directors will be able to identify a time slot appropriate for that course/clerkship’s course/clinical requirements and will have the autonomy to address this in each respective syllabus but a minimum of 2.5 hours of protected time is suggested.

Students in the Phase II or III curricula who are scheduled for a clinical shift on election day will be empowered to communicate with their preceptor or clerkship director to schedule time to vote on or before election day. Students in the Phase II or III curricula who are prohibited from voting due to scheduling on election day may submit a half-day Medical Student Status Form (MSSF) per the M3/M4 Attendance and Absences Policy. The MSSF must be requested at least 2 weeks prior to election day and will count toward the students permitted personal days.

For students in Phase I of the curriculum, a time slot will be scheduled on LEO from 5:00pm to 7:30pm Eastern Time on midterm and presidential election days to allow students to vote, and to ensure that no coinciding events are scheduled. In addition, a LEO long event banner will be created one month and one week prior to the day of the election to remind students of the opportunity to register to vote before the deadline of one month prior to election day.

For students in the Phase II or III curricula, a long event banner will be created on LEO one month and one week prior to the day of the election reminding students of the opportunity to register to vote before the deadline of one month prior to election day. A second long event banner will be created on LEO 3 weeks prior to election day with a due date of 2 weeks before the election to remind students to talk to their preceptor or clerkship director to schedule time to vote (including early voting), request an absentee ballot, or submit an MSSF.

For information on how to register to vote in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, students can refer to these links:

https://vote.gov/register/oh/

https://vote.gov/register/ky/

https://vote.gov/register/in/

Religious Observance Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: July 3, 2019

Religious Observance Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

The COM abides by the UC Religious Observances and Class Attendance Policies that respect the religious diversity of its students by providing opportunities, where possible, for accommodation in cases where conflicts exist between students’ religious beliefs/practices and educational activities.

ACCOMMODATION FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES: M1-4

In clinical settings, such religious observances must honor the primacy of a commitment to patient care and avoid unduly burdening faculty, staff and the general student population involved in the affected educational and/or patient care activity.

PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING ACCOMMODATION

M1-4: The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) sends an email annually to all students with instructions for submitting a request for religious accommodations. This applies to the COM student who, because of religious beliefs or practice, believes that he or she is unable to attend a class, participate in an examination, or in other ways fulfill an educational requirement of any course, clerkship or other required activity. For those requests that are strictly for time away from mandatory components of the curriculum in observance of a religious holiday, the request should be limited to the minimum specific time/day of the religious observance. Accommodations are not granted for social/family holiday gatherings.

OSA may ask for further clarification, in writing or in person, if the student request lacks sufficient details. The requests are forwarded to the appropriate course/clerkship/elective directors for review and approval.

Students will be notified, in writing, of the final accommodation determination made by the course/clerkship/elective director. Given the varied acuity/complexity of patient care across sites, some may be unable to guarantee time off in advance or know that they will be unable to fully or partially meet the requested accommodation.

Across all 4 years of the curriculum, each student will complete an MSSF for the planned absence, that was approved for religious observance, and will upload the written communication received from OSA detailing the final religious observance determination to the MSSF.

Additional M3 requirement: Students will attach a copy of the final religious observance determination, received from OSA, to the lottery/biosketch form that they receive from each M3 clerkship prior to starting the rotation.

Additional M4 requirement: When students add electives on MedOneStop, they should document in the “Notes” section that they have been approved for religious accommodations specifying any dates and times approved for the absence during that elective. The students will then email the written final accommodation determination, received from OSA, to the appropriate elective coordinator(s) within 5 business days of adding the elective.

PROCEDURE FOR GRIEVANCE OF ACCOMMODATION DECISION

Students should follow the Grievance Procedure in the Student Handbook

Required Course Evaluation Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018

Required Course Evaluation Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

The Office of Medical Education requires that medical students complete evaluations for all required courses, (M1 and M2 basic science courses, core clerkships, and acting internships/electives), and pre- clinical and clinical faculty. Providing constructive curricular program feedback is a student’s professional responsibility and is essential for continuous quality improvement of the medical school curriculum.

Procedure:

• Students will receive an e‐mail informing them that an evaluation is available and the date for completion. Students will have two weeks to complete the evaluation. One email reminder will be sent two days before the evaluation is due.
• M1 and M2 end of course and lecture (pre-clinical faculty) evaluations are mandatory. 30% of the class will be randomly selected to complete each mandatory evaluation. Each student will complete no more than 20 mandatory evaluations per year. Please note students will only receive emails for those mandatory evaluations they have been selected to complete.
• Mandatory M3 end of clerkship evaluations will be available 1 week prior to the end of the clerkship and due 1 week after the conclusion of the rotation. Students are required to complete the clerkship overall and clinical faculty evaluations for each assigned site. Students will be manually assigned to each site for the clinical faculty and inpatient / outpatient clinical faculty evaluations.
• An M1/M2 student who fails to complete three mandatory evaluations will receive a Formative Feedback Form and be placed on the appropriate PAC agenda for discussion. A student may receive a Formative Feedback Form and/or Letter of Concern from the PAC for not fulfilling these requirements. An M3 student who fails to complete one or more mandatory evaluations will be placed on the appropriate PAC agenda for discussion. The M3 student may receive a Formative Feedback Form and/or Letter of Concern from the PAC for not fulfilling this requirement.
• M4 Acting Internship and elective end of clerkship evaluations are required. If the evaluation is not completed within two weeks after the evaluation open date, the student may be placed on the appropriate Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC) agenda for discussion OR receive a formative feedback form or letter of concern from the PAC.

Medical Student Shadowing Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: August 5, 2021
Revised Date: August 28, 2020, September 1, 2022
CoM Medical Student Shadowing Policy (PDF)

Medical Student Shadowing Policy

Shadowing opportunities allow students to explore a field of interest and experience, first-hand, the daily activities within a particular specialty or health care provider role. As part of the required curriculum, medical students may be required to shadow healthcare providers such as nurses, dieticians, physical or occupational therapists. As part of the graduation requirements and career exploration, students are required to shadow physicians, fellows or residents. Students who pursue shadowing opportunities are expected to adhere to the safety and privacy guidelines articulated below. Malpractice coverage is provided to students for shadowing activities inclusive of MSTP students during the doctoral portion of their curriculum and medical students who are approved to shadow by their Performance and Assessment Committee (PAC) while on an approved leave of absence.

Student Responsibilities

• Students must log all of their shadowing experiences (required by courses and voluntary shadowing) in MedOneStop > Career > Shadowing > My Shadowing Data
• The specific shadowing shifts can be any time that the physician/practitioner and student mutually agree on. However, students may not miss mandatory events to attend a shadowing session.
• Arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled session.
• Wear professional attire or follow the dress code required by the healthcare provider, site or course director if the shadowing experience is a required part of the curriculum. If shadowing is scheduled through student interest group or independently, student should inquire about the necessary attire for the clinical setting.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and privacy about patient information.
• Respects patients’ rights to refuse to have students present.
• Treat all patients and staff with respect and dignity, regardless of age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.
• Be aware of and follow the guidelines of the hosting institution and of the setting, in which you are an observer.
• At all times, students are expected to utilize PPE appropriately for the safety of patients and other students/employees, follow the same guidelines for COVID symptoms monitoring/reporting as employees, and contact University Health Services in the event of exposure. Students will need to inquire whether they need to bring their own PPE or if PPE will be provided for the shadowing session.
• Ensure patient safety by remaining at home if you are ill; notify physician/coordinator of an absence due to illness.
• The management of the hospital has the right to revoke permission for observation at any time, and the student must agree to immediately leave the Patient Care Area, if requested to do so.
• If the student has a concern about the learning environment, it should be reported either through anonymous reporting online using the (ALERT - Medical Student Mistreatment Reporting) or by phone (1-800-889-1547 to UC Title IX).

Scheduling of Shadowing

• Students are expected to reach out to the contact identified below to schedule a shadowing experience (For Applications in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, the coordinator schedules all required shadowing UCCOM Departmental Shadowing Contacts or Student Orgs Contacts 
• Students who want to schedule a shadowing experience for career exploration, will be expected to complete the paperwork, if applicable, 21 days in advance to schedule a session (though it may be possible to schedule session sooner). Note students could be required to complete the paperwork for each shadowing experience. The required paperwork and badging will be provided by the department coordinator, if applicable (this is also the case for affiliate sites).
• For students who are required to shadow as part LPCC, they are not required to complete any paperwork in advance at UCH however, it could be a requirement at an affiliate site.
• To fulfill the shadowing graduation requirement, paperwork is not required for observing at UCH, as your medical malpractice insurance covers your experience. Shadowing at other health institutions i.e. CCHMC, VAMC may require paperwork specific to that institution.

Physician/Healthcare Provider Responsibilities

• Introduce students to patients.
• Establish a protocol as to how and when a patient is asked if the medical student can observe the patient-physician interaction (e.g., informed verbal consent - patient is asked by medical staff during check in; patient’s response noted in medical record).
• Shadowing scheduling needs to be coordinated with the Education Program Coordinator or Clerkship Program Coordinator for your department.
• Establish boundaries and expectations as to when a medical student’s questions are to be asked and answered (e.g., between patients visits or at the end of a shadowing shift).

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

Related Links

*Adapted from the AAMC guidelines for shadowing experiences and
Brown Shadowing Opportunities Guidelines.

Phone Contacts

Timeliness of Final Grades Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: July 3, 2019

Timeliness of Final Grades Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

Purpose

To outline expectations related to the timeliness of the posting of grades.

Related LCME Standard

1. Fair and Timely Summative Assessment

   Policy

   Course and clerkship directors are deemed to be the primary authority to certifying a student’s mastery and final grade in a given course or clerkship. Course and clerkship directors are expected to judge the quality of academic work within their course, adhering to published standards/expectations approved by the Education Program Committee (EPC) for the course or clerkship.

   To ensure timeliness of grade processing and posting for students, course/clerkship/elective directors are required to adhere to the following schedule, which requires that all final grades are posted on MedOneStop (MOS) by the deadline identified below after the completion of a course or clerkship.

   1. M1 and M2 Courses
      1. Course directors have two (2) weeks (i.e., 10 business days) to finalize grading and submit results to the Office of Medical Education (OME);
      2. OME is responsible for the input of numerical grade data from the course director to MOS within one (1) week (i.e., 5 business days) to post grades to MOS for student viewing;
      3. Grade discrepancies and contesting must be made to the course director within five (5) business days of the results posting to MOS;
      4. Following five (5) days, the numerical grade value will be pushed to the University’s student enrollment management system, Catalyst, and converted to a value of “P” if passing and “F” if failing;
   2. M3 and M4 Clerkships/Electives/IM Acting Internship
      1. Site and preceptor information for the evaluating preceptor for the clerkship/elective/IM Acting Internship must be entered into MedOneStop by the course director or designee four (4) weeks prior to the start of a rotation.
      2. Clerkship directors in the M3 year have six (6) weeks to submit a grade;
      3. The IM Acting Internship and electives in the M4 have six (6) weeks to submit a grade; with the exception of the final rotation where grades must be submitted within twelve (12) days following the conclusion of the clerkship or elective to allow sufficient time to process graduation requirements.
   3. Operational Procedures
      1. The UCCOM Registrar has responsibility for regularly monitoring grade submissions to ensure timely release to students;
      2. Reminder emails for the M1/2 course directors are generated one (1) week following the end of course to meet the two (2) week submission requirement to OME;
      3. Reminders emails for the M3/4 clerkship/elective directors are generated four (4) weeks following the end of clerkship/rotation to meet the six (6) weeks deadline for grade submission.
      4. At the 40 day mark, the clerkship/elective/course director, associate dean of medical education, the M3/4 Curriculum Director, and department chair are sent a reminder communication. The M3/4 Curriculum Director will send a personal communication to the course/clerkship/elective director confirming that actions are being taken to ensure that the grade is submitted by the deadline.
      5. The Dean and the Senior Associate Dean of Educational Affairs will be notified if a course/clerkship/elective director fails to submit a grade on time. The Dean and/or Senior Associate Dean will take appropriate steps to ensure that a late submission does not occur again.

Toxicology Testing "For Cause" of Medical Students"

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: December 7, 2017
Revision date: July 7, 2022, September 1, 2022;

Toxicology Testing for Cause Policy (PDF)

PREAMBLE

This policy references the Honor Council and the Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC). The Honor Council serves as the College of Medicine’s primary committee for review of misconduct by medical students (see full charge in the Honor Council Policy). The PAC is responsible for monitoring the progress of each medical student through the curriculum. The PAC regularly reviews each student’s performance and may make decisions on promotion, retention, dismissal, leave of absence and compliance with COM standards.

Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements.  Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

POLICY STATEMENT

1. “For cause” drug and alcohol toxicology testing for medical students:

   1. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee may act to order testing “for cause” when concerns are raised regarding the performance, behavior, or actions of a medical student that indicate a reasonable suspicion for substance impairment (e.g. drugs and/or alcohol) while the student is engaged in any College of Medicine (“COM”) program activity, course, class or clinical rotation

      The smell of alcohol or drugs is sufficient cause for following the procedure outlined in this policy. The use of prescribed medication that impairs the ability to work safely is also sufficient cause for following the procedure outlined in this policy.

      Physical signs, symptoms and abnormal behavior may include, but are not limited to those listed on the Observation Checklist for Unusual Behavior that is completed by the initial observer of the student. (Attached)

      If there is concern about the student’s health or safety, the student will be escorted for evaluation to University Health Services at Holmes (UHS), or the nearest emergency department in addition to undergoing toxicology testing.

   2. “For cause” drug and/or alcohol testing may be ordered when concerns are raised and/or a recommendation for drug and/or alcohol testing is made to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs or his/her designee by any of the following individuals and/or committees: the Performance and Advancement Committee (PAC), any faculty member or attending physician, any UCCOM staff member, any hospital staff member, fellow medical student, hospital administrator, other healthcare professional, patient, and/or family member.
   3. Once testing is ordered, it should be initiated immediately and must be completed within two hours when at all possible. Failure or refusal to undergo and/or complete testing in a timely manner will result in both a presumption of a positive toxicology result and mandatory leave of absence and/or other disciplinary action up to and including a recommendation for dismissal. A student’s refusal to undergo and/or complete testing includes, but is not limited to, an unexcused failure to provide an appropriate sample for testing, or any effort or test result that indicates tampering with the testing process or results.
   4. There will be no opportunity to appeal the order to be tested “for cause.”
2. Procedure for Drug and Alcohol testing of medical students
   1. The clerkship or elective director for the rotation the student is on should be contacted first to be informed about the suspicion of impairment in the student. The clerkship or elective director should contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee to communicate the findings. The Office of Student Affairs will forward a copy of the Observation Checklist for Unusual Behavior to the site where the student is located to be completed by the person observing the student.
      1. UC Health site: For students rotating at UC Health sites, testing will be performed on site by UC Health during business hours and by an outside agency that comes on site to perform the testing after hours. The procedure followed for employees at that site will also be followed for medical students.
      2. Non-UC Health site: If the student is at a non-UC Health site, testing will be completed by an outside agency unless that site prefers otherwise.
      3. Away rotation: If a UCCOM student is on an away rotation as a visiting student at another institution, the procedure for drug testing by that institution is followed.
      4. Visiting student from outside institution: A visiting student from an outside institution will be drug tested as per the policy for UCCOM students.
      5. Cost of “for cause” testing will be covered by UCCOM but any additional medical evaluation sought by the student will be their financial responsibility.
3. Test results
   1. Result of toxicology testing is forwarded to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee will only share the toxicology testing results with university employees to whom disclosure is necessary in order to effectuate the requirements and/or procedures of this policy or other UCCOM policies (e.g., PAC members) or as otherwise required by any applicable state and federal law.
   .
   2. A positive toxicology screen will exist if the toxicology results present a finding of:
      1. Illicit/illegal drugs or alcohol;
      2. Any prescription substance for which the student does not have a valid prescription;
      3. Any prescription substance for which the results indicate that it was taken in a manner that is inconsistent with how it was prescribed.
   3. Results are stored in the student file.
   4. The College of Medicine shall maintain the toxicology results in a manner that ensures the confidentiality of the results in compliance with applicable state and federal law.
4. Consequences to the student
   1. A student with a negative toxicology screen may be referred to the PAC and Honor Council due to concerns raised by the findings on the Observation Checklist for Unusual Behavior.
   2. Failure or refusal to undergo and/or complete testing, as discussed in 1.c. will result in a presumption of positive toxicology result and mandatory leave of absence and/or other disciplinary action up to and including a recommendation for dismissal.
   3. A student with a positive toxicology screen will be placed on a mandatory leave of absence (LOA), and all educational and clinical activities will be discontinued. A student with a positive toxicology screen will be referred to the Honor Council. Referral for such a finding could result in discipline up to and including a recommendation for dismissal. Refusal or failure to comply with the recommendations of the Honor Council may result in a discipline, up to and including a recommendation of dismissal from the College.
   4. Among other things, the Honor Council may recommend or require that a student with a positive toxicology report participate in the Ohio Physicians Health Program (OPHP) in Columbus, OH. Students required to participate in OPHP must permit OPHP to disclose to the College if the student received a positive toxicology report. A student’s failure to comply with OPHP and/or a subsequent positive toxicology report will be grounds for discipline, up to and including a recommendation of dismissal from the College. Participation in OPHP will be at the student’s expense.
   5. Non-UCCOM students may be terminated from working at the site where they were observed to be impaired and then will be held to the rules of their home institution. Results of toxicology testing is forwarded to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions or designee at UCCOM. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the student’s home institution is contacted to communicate the toxicology results and observations leading to drug testing.

Transportation Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: All Students

POLICY STATEMENT

Transportation Expectation

Some mandatory activities will require students to travel to a respective preceptor's office location, an interprofessional clinical site, or community service learning partner. All students must have access to a form of reliable transportation.

Tuberculosis (TB) and Influenza (Flu) Immunization Requirements

Responsible Department: Office of Student Affairs
Applies to: All Students
Approval Date: June 7, 2018
Revised Date: September 1, 2022

Immunization Requirements Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT
Tuberculosis (TB): An annual tuberculin skin test or IGRA test is required for all students. An annual chest x-ray or negative annual IGRA test is required for those with positive tuberculin skin tests..

Influenza (Flu): An annual flu shot is required for all students.

Failure to provide adequate documentation in Med+Proctor may be grounds for restricting patient contact and/or registration.

• All students must provide adequate documentation in Med+Proctor of having met the TB and influenza requirements by the UCCOM specified dates annually to remain active within the curriculum especially those curricular components involving patient contact.

• Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the student being restricted from patient contact and a Formative Feedback Form submitted to PAC. The inability to participate in patient contact that is a mandatory component ofthe curriculum will be considered an unexcused absence that may negatively impact the student’s grade in the course up to and including receiving a grade of Failure.

PROCEDURES

• Annual TB and Influenza (Flu) immunization brigades are provided by University Health Services (UHS) for all medical students at UCCOM. The brigades are scheduled in collaboration with the Offices of Medical Education and Student Affairs to best accommodate the curriculum schedules. 
• Students may meet the annual TB and influenza requirements through other avenues outside of participation in the scheduled brigades but must be in compliance with the requirements by the UCCOM specified dates.
• Financial Responsibility: Prior to participating in a UHS brigade session, students must submit either student health or private health insurance information or specify that they intend to pay out-of-pocket with the expense appearing in their Student Bursar account.
  
  

THIRD PARTY REQUIREMENTS

• Certain programs at the University have clinical and/or external placements that are a requirement for program completion.  To the extent permitted by law, Students enrolled in such programs will be expected to comply with all rules, policies, guidelines, and requirements of any third-party placement, including but not limited to vaccination and background check requirements. Any student’s failure to comply with such third-party rules, policies, guidelines or requirements may result in the student not being able to complete and graduate from their program.

Virtual Elective Policy (Visiting Student Virtual Elective and Virtual Elective Guidelines)

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M4 Students
Approval Date: August 14, 2020

Visiting Student Virtual Elective Policy (PDF)

Visiting Student Virtual Elective

Purpose:

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) offers visiting student virtual electives to medical students from LCME approved institutions. As a result of COVID 19, institutions created visiting student virtual electives to combat the inaccessibility of away rotations and create a shared, altered approach to help future residency applicants meet the goals of completing away rotations. In the future, visiting student virtual electives may be another means for students to experience other institutions. All visiting student virtual electives must be approved by M3/4 and Education Program Committee.

Requirements:

Prerequisite:

Visiting students must have completed all core clerkships at home LCME approved institution

Course length:

Offered as a two or four week course

Course Content:

Students are expected to participate for a range of 20-40 hours per week. Student must spend at least 50% of the rotation involved with a clinical component to include concepts such as observation/participation of rounds, office visits via telehealth, surgical procedures via video observation or patient simulations. The course should be designed to teach medical students the importance of actively participating in the care of a patient and the health care team. For the remaining 50% of the rotation, acceptable activities could include case discussions, case presentations, topic specific didactics, journal club, conference attendance, literature review, and case based problems all which should have oversight by faculty and/or residents.

Grading: Pass/Fail

Elective Title: Must have the word “Virtual”

Virtual Away Elective Guidelines

Purpose:

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) offers the ability for students to participate in virtual away electives. As a result of COVID 19, institutions created virtual away electives to combat the inaccessibility of away rotations and create a shared, altered approach to help future residency applicants meet the goals of away rotations. In the future, virtual away electives may be another means for students to experience other institutions.

Requirements:

Prerequisite:

UCCOM students must have completed all core clerkships.

Before applying for a virtual away rotation, students should meet with their advisor in the Office of Student Affairs to confirm good academic standing and insure the elective opportunity meets the needs of the individual student’s education.

The elective must ultimately be approved by the UCCOM commensurate department/elective director insuring it provides an adequate learning experience. Student must forward acceptance and course syllabus to insure content meets UCCOM criteria.

• Apply via AAMC Visiting Student Application System (VSAS) or if offered outside VSAS must be with a LCME accredited medical school
• Away elective dates will often not match UC elective dates
• Recommendation: Use flex time until you are back on UCCOM rotation schedule
• Only general elective credit will be offered
• Students may not receive retroactive credit. All arrangements for an elective experience must be submitted for approval before the elective begins. Once approved by the UCCOM commensurate department they will add the elective to the student’s schedule.
• Download evaluation form from MedOneStop and give it to your preceptor. Return the completed form to the UCCOM approving department.

Virtual Away electives may not be taken with another full time UCCOM elective but can be taken with a part time or longitudinal elective provided work hours do not conflict.

Course length:

Maximum 8 weeks of virtual away rotations permitted with a 2 week minimum.

Course Content:

Students are expected to participate for a range of 20-40 hours per week. Student must spend at least 50% of the rotation involved with a clinical component to include concepts such as observation/participation of rounds, office visits via telehealth, surgical procedures via video observation or patient simulations. The course should be designed to teach medical students the importance of actively participating in the care of a patient and the health care team. For the remaining 50% of the rotation, acceptable activities could include case discussions, case presentations, topic specific didactics, journal club, conference attendance, literature review, and case based problems all which should have oversight by faculty and/or residents.

Grading : pass/fail

Virtual Orientation and Didactics Policy for M3/4 Students Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: M3 and M4 Students
Approval Date: January 6, 2022

Visiting Student Policy

Responsible Department: Office of Medical Education
Applies to: Visiting Students
Approval Date: June 3, 2021
Revised Date: September 1, 2022

Visiting Student Policy (PDF)

POLICY STATEMENT

APPENDIX A: Elective Enrollment Monitoring

Department Coordinators
UCCOM coordinators must certify all requirements have been met by completing an electronic checklist of requirements that have been approved by the Education Program Committee (EPC).

Upon successful completion of the checklist, receipt of the medical school transcript and the student’s curriculum vitae; the student’s application is reviewed and approved by the individual clinical departments who sponsor the electives. Final decisions regarding which students are invited to do a visiting elective at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC) are made by the clinical department’s elective director, who has collaborated with their Graduate Medical Education (GME) office regarding any criteria specific to academics, professionalism or other holistic review criteria that the residency program prioritizes in the review of applicants for their residency program. The coordinator enrolls those students who will be doing a visiting elective in UC Health into the MedOneStop student information system.

Office of the Registrar
The UCCOM Office of the Registrar is responsible for maintaining an accurate and up-to-date roster of visiting medical students that are entered into MedOneStop by the clinical department coordinators.

The visiting medical student roster report includes the following:

• Student name
• Home school name
• Academic year
• Course number
• Course name
• Course begin date
• Course end date

Education Program Committee
The EPC will monitor visiting student evaluation reports on their learning experience to identify any areas of concern or opportunities for improvement. Elective directors are required to provide updates on how they have addressed concerns of visiting students.

EPC also approves and monitors spaces for domestic and international visiting students on an annual basis. If a department wants to increase the total number of spaces for all learners, then a request must be submitted to the M3/4 subcommittee and EPC for final review and approval.