Attendance and Class Participation

Authorizing Body:

Responsible Office:

Date Issued:

Last Update:

Rationale:

The School of Medicine requires every student pursuing the degree of Doctor of Medicine to be responsible for meeting the school's expectations regarding attendance in all aspects of the curriculum. When the school confers the M.D. degree, the faculty is attesting not only that the student has achieved a level of competency as measured by performance on tests, but the student has shown a commitment to professional responsibility and has also participated in the entire educational experience that is defined by the curriculum. Attendance and participation are necessary components of our interactive curriculum and therefore are considered professional responsibilities. Students are obligated to complete all assigned course work and to attend class on a punctual and regular basis. Absences, whether excused or unexcused, do not absolve the student of these responsibilities. Students are expected to contribute to the collaborative learning process by being an integral part of the team-approach, sharing expertise and problem solving. Attendance and participation are expected in all educational activities, and are required for all assessment activities, laboratory sessions, sessions with patients, small group and team-based learning sessions, as well as other sessions as specified by the course and clerkship directors.

Scope and Applicability:

All Students enrolled in the School of Medicine

Standard Practice Guideline:

Procedures:

Religious Observance

Please see the School of Medicine Standard Practices and Guidelines on Religious Observances.

Attendance:

General Rules of Attendance

• Students must attend all mandatory scheduled activities.
• Absence requests are only meant for significant life events, religious observances, military service, legal obligations, student health, professional, leadership or educational purposes, or unanticipated emergencies such as illnesses.
• Students who have attendance leniency accommodations are to be excused without penalty if they are absent because of their disability per the Office of Disability Support Services.
• The Course/Clerkship Coordinator is the point of contact for reporting unanticipated absences and requesting anticipated absences.
• The Course/Clerkship Director of their designee has the sole responsibility for excusing absences.
• Unanticipated Absences must be reported by email as soon as the student is aware that they will be late or will not be in attendance, to the appropriate course leadership, including a phone number or email where the student can be contacted. Verification of receipt of the student’s message, and the granting or denial of the student’s request for an excused absence, will be communicated by the Course/Clerkship leadership to the student as soon as possible. Students may be required to provide written proof of the reason for unanticipated absences (doctor’s note, towing receipt, etc.).
• It is the responsibility of the student to arrange for the completion of any missed academic assignments and remediation activities communicated by the Course/Clerkship leadership.
• The Course/Clerkship Director will determine the timeline if any missed mandatory assignments and activities or time will need to be made up.
• Any absence that has not been excused will be classified as an unexcused absence.
• Students will not receive credit for activities that were missed during an unexcused absence.
• In case of any discrepancies of interpretation of this policy between a student and a Course/Clerkship Director, either party may request the Assistant/Associate Dean to review any specific circumstance.

Attendance at Instructional Sessions

• Excused absences are counted as absences for any attendance requirements.

Attendance at Examination Sessions

• Any unexcused absence from an examination will result in a failure of the examination.
• For anticipated absences from examinations, the student must petition the Course/Clerkship leadership at least 3 weeks prior to the examination. Reasons to be absent from an examination, and the necessary makeup of the mandatory exam date, follow the same rules as stated in the General Rules of Attendance (above).
• For excused unanticipated absences from examinations another testing date may be scheduled by the Course/Clerkship leadership and a passing score will need to be posted before the start of the next semester.

Jury Duty

Students who have been summoned for jury duty or to testify as a witness in a judicial action should contact the Office of Student Affairs immediately upon receipt of the summons for guidance on managing their school and civic obligations.

• Students who must appear for jury duty or who are compelled to testify as a witness will be granted excused absence(s) without penalty.
• Students who are excused to participate in jury duty service or to testify as a witness must make up all assignments, assessments, course sessions, and/or duty hours missed in accordance with course syllabi.
• Students should work directly with course/clerkship leadership to make arrangements for completing makeup work.
• Students are required to provide the Office of Student Affairs with a written statement from the court showing the days served in a jury or in a witness capacity within 10 business days after returning to coursework. This statement must be on an official letterhead with the author’s printed name and signature, position, and contact information included.

Attendance during M3-M4 Clinical Training

• Students are expected to attend all their scheduled clinical duties and activities on time every day of a course, clerkship, sub-internship, and elective. Course/clerkship leadership will ensure that the assigned duties abide by the Student Duty Hours rules. For the purpose of this document courses, clerkships, sub-internships and electives are considered equal.
• A mandatory activity is defined as an educational activity or portion of the rotation that, if missed, would preclude the student from fulfilling a course educational objective. Quizzes and tests are considered mandatory activities. Clerkship Directors are strongly recommended to specify mandatory activities in their syllabi.
• Any anticipated absences must be approved by the Course/Clerkship Director. Clinical faculty, fellows and/or residents cannot excuse absences, but the clinical team should be informed if the student is going to be absent.
• An unexcused absence during M3-M4 clerkships, courses, sub-internships, and electives, will be reflected unfavorably on the student’s written record and their Clinical Performance Evaluation, and may adversely affect the student’s clerkship grade. Both anticipated and unanticipated absences must be officially documented to avoid an unexcused absence.
• The Course/Clerkship Director will determine the process and timeline if any missed mandatory activities or time will need to be made up. Students are expected to make up absences as soon as possible as determined by the Clerkship/Course director timeline and no later than the end of the academic year.
• Failure to meet the timeline to make up missed mandatory activities may result in a Professionalism Feedback Form (PFF) being filed and, if recurrent, this may be reflected in the MSPE. Until the missed time is made up, the student’s clerkship/course grade will be recorded as an Incomplete.
• Students presenting their scholarly work at a conference that requires travel time may be granted an excused absence no longer than from the day before the presentation to the day after the presentation (For example, if the presentation is on a Saturday, they could be granted excused absence time from Friday to Sunday, if needed). Day(s) requested for conference presentations will count towards, and are not considered in addition, to the maximum days off allowed in a course/clerkship. Any mandatory activities missed need to be made up. Any additional days requested need to be pre-approved by the clerkship director and the Assistant/Associate Dean of Clinical Education.
• Courses/Clerkships of 4 or more weeks duration: Requests and reasons for all anticipated absences in the M3-M4 years may not exceed 3 days during Courses/Clerkships of 4 or more weeks duration and must be submitted by email to the appropriate Course/Clerkship Coordinator at least thirty (30) days before the clerkship/course start date. If a student is absent for more than 3 days during a Course/Clerkship of four or more-weeks duration, they will be expected to make up the number of days missed beyond the 3 days (e.g., if a student misses a total of 4 days, they would need to make up 1 day). Mandatory assignments will need to be made up regardless of the days missed.
• Students are permitted to be excused for up to three days during a 4-week elective for the purpose of attending residency interviews or taking the Step 2 examination. Proof of interviews, via confirmation email from the residency program and the Step 2 exam via email from NBME, must be submitted to the Elective Director and Associate Dean of Clinical Education. Days requested for interviews will count towards the maximum days off allowed in a Course/clerkship and are not considered additional days. The rule requiring requests for days off to be submitted thirty (30) days before the start date of the clerkship/course does not apply to residency interviews as these invitations may be received on short notice. Students should request time off for interviews as soon as they decide to accept it. Course/Clerkship Directors will make every effort to accommodate these requests according to the stipulations stated above.
• Half day(s) requested for interviews will count towards, and are not considered in addition, to the maximum days off allowed in a course/clerkship. Two half days are considered equivalent to one full day off. Mandatory assignments must be made up regardless of the days missed.
• Courses/Clerkships of 2 weeks duration: Students are discouraged from taking time off during all 2-week M3-M4 electives/clerkships. If a student requires time off, they must obtain prior written permission from the Elective/Clerkship Director and the Associate Dean of Clinical Education in advance of making plans. For unanticipated absences, the maximum allowable time missed without having to make it up is 1 day (e.g. if a student misses a total of 2 days, they would need to make up 1 day). Days requested for interviews will count towards, and are not considered in addition to, the maximum days off allowed in a course/clerkship. Mandatory assignments must be made up, regardless of the time missed.
• Courses/Clerkships of 1 week duration: Students are discouraged from taking time off during all 1-week M3-M4 Electives/Clerkships. If a student requires time off, they must obtain prior written permission from the Elective/Clerkship Director and Associate Dean of Clinical Education in advance of making plans. For unanticipated absences, the maximum allowable time missed without having to make it up is one half day (e.g. if a student misses one day, they would need to make up a half day).
• Verification of receipt of the student’s request, and the Course/Clerkship Director’s (or designee’s) granting or denial of the request for an excused absence, will be communicated within 1 week of the student’s request. The Director may also grant the request for less than the days requested, if appropriate.
• Anticipated absences of more than the stipulated time depending on the duration of the Course/Clerkship, must be obtained in advance from Course/Clerkship Directors and approved by the Associate Dean of Clinical Education. Mandatory assignments must be made up regardless of the number of days missed.
• If a student is absent from clinical training during an M3-M4 Course/Clerkship for more than two (2) days due to an illness, the School of Medicine requires that the student inform Graham Health and the Office of Student Affairs to officially document and track the student’s status before being permitted to return to their Course/Clerkship. A release to the Director and a copy to the Associate Dean of Clinical Education is required before being permitted to return to clinical training.
• If a student misses more than 25% of a clerkship/course, regardless of the reason, the student will be required to repeat the entire course, as the educational objectives will not be achievable.
• Medical appointments: Students may request time off for medical appointments (hours to half days) without having them make up time, as long as it does not interfere with mandatory activities or is more than the maximum 3 days allowed. Scheduled medical appointments known in advance should be requested 30 days in advance to the start of the clerkship. For more urgent medical appointments, the rule requiring requests for days off to be submitted thirty (30) days before the start date of the Course/Clerkship does not apply, as these may be needed on shorter notice. Students should request time off for medical appointments as soon as they know the time of the appointment. Course/Clerkship Directors will make every effort to accommodate these requests according to the stipulations stated above.
• Missed Assignments: During the M3-M4 years of training, students are required to make up required assignments/activities missed during Courses/Clerkships, a grade of Incomplete will be designated until all assignments have been completed and submitted.

Definitions:

Anticipated Absences: Absences that are planned in advance.

Attendance: Students must arrive on time, stay as long as required by the Course/Clerkship Director to complete the activity, and be fully engaged in the activity, to be considered as present.

Business Days: Oakland University workdays.

Coordinators: Staff members who manage the operations of a course, clerkship, or an elective.

Course Leadership: The Directors and Coordinators are the leadership of courses, clerkships, sub-internships and electives. 

Crisis: An event in the life of the student or a close family member that requires immediate attention and disrupts a student’s participation in the curriculum.

Director: A faculty member that oversees the content of a course, clerkship, sub-internship, or an elective, and provides students with formative and summative feedback, evaluations, and grades.

Excused Absences: Excused absences are absences that have received approval from the Course/Clerkship leadership in advance, or that are unanticipated due to an illness/injury or a crisis and informed in a timely manner to the leadership. Excused absences are granted at the discretion of the Course/Clerkship leadership.

Release: A written release from a health care provider stating that the student was absent due to an illness/injury and is fit to resume studies. The provider cannot be a relative and must have cared for the student.

Unanticipated Absences: Absences or tardiness from a scheduled academic activity due to an unanticipated event such as a personal illness or crisis.

Unexcused Absences: Any absences that are not formally excused by the course leadership.

Related Policies and Forms:

Absence Request Form (M3 & M4 students)

OUWB Religious Observance

Appendix: