Department of Health Sciences, Physician Assistant Program: Policy on Preclinical Phase Attendance

Unit Policy

Title

Department of Health Sciences, Physician Assistant Program: Policy on Preclinical Phase Attendance

Introduction

Purpose

This Policy defines the attendance requirements and expectations for Physician Assistant (PA) Program (Program) students (Students) in the Preclinical Phase of the Program.

Scope

This Policy applies to all Students who have matriculated into the Program.

Policy

Policy Statement

All Students in the Preclinical Phase are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions, lab sessions, patient encounters, and any other scheduled class events. Students are expected to make every effort to attend scheduled class activities and are responsible for all coursework and assessments in each of their classes. They are encouraged to use their time outside of Program requirements to fulfill all personal activities.

Absences

Preclinical Phase Students are allowed two (2) Excused Full Day Absences per semester and no more than five (5) Excused Full Day Absences in the Preclinical Phase. The five (5) Full Day Excused Absence limit may be comprised of a combination of Full Day and Partial Day Absences (e.g. a Student has 3 Full Day Excused Absences and 4 Partial Day Excused Absences, totaling 5 Full Days of Excused Absences).

  1. In the event that a Student exceeds the per semester or per Preclinical Phase Excused Full Day Absence thresholds, the Student will be referred to the Program’s Student Progress Committee for concerns about professionalism and/or academic progress.
  2. Preclinical Phase Students are not allowed any Unexcused Absences. An Unexcused Absence will result in a Student being referred to the Student Progress Committee for professionalism and/or academic concerns.
  3. Any request for a period of Absence of more than two (2) consecutive days from the Preclinical Phase may result in a Student being considered for a Leave of Absence. Should this occur, the Director for Preclinical Education and the Student’s faculty advisor will discuss with the Student. Please see the Program’s Leave of Absence Policy for more information.

Excused Absences

  1. Students are required to submit all Absence requests (i.e., Full Day and Partial Day) to the Director for Preclinical Education through the appropriate channels (see Procedure for Preclinical Phase Absence Requests). Absence requests should be submitted with as much advanced notice as possible. Should a Student’s Absence be unscheduled, the Student must notify the Director for Preclinical Education and the Course Director(s) of the missed class(es) as soon as possible.
  2. Absence requests must be approved by the Director for Preclinical Education. Individual Course Directors may not approve Absence requests.

Unexcused Absences

  1. Failure to submit an Absence request to the Director for Preclinical Education will result in the Absence being deemed Unexcused. All planned Absences must be submitted prior to the Absence. Unplanned Absences must be submitted as soon as the Student is able.
  2. Unexcused Absences are not allowed during the Preclinical Phase. Students with Unexcused Absences will be referred to the Student Progress Committee for professionalism concerns.            

Tardiness

  1. Students who anticipate being Tardy to a class session during the Preclinical Phase should notify the Director for Preclinical Education and the Course Director via email for the class as soon as possible.
  2. Tardiness due to routine circumstances, such as transportation, personal scheduling conflicts, or misunderstanding of attendance requirements, will be excused at the discretion of the Director for Preclinical Education. Repeat Tardiness during the Preclinical Phase will be considered unprofessional behavior and may result in referral to the Student Progress Committee.
  3. Students who are Tardy, regardless of the reason, may be required to make up missed work or patient care experiences.
  4. Tardiness to a scheduled assessment will result in less time to complete the assignment, regardless of academic impact. Tardiness of more than fifteen (15) minutes to a scheduled assessment may, at the discretion of the Course Director or exam proctor, be considered an Unexcused Absence. The Student may be prohibited from taking the assessment with a resultant grade of a 0 (zero) for that assessment.

Make-up Work

  1. Tardiness and/or Absence from any required class session, lab session, or class activity may require the Student to complete the missed work on their own time outside of class. It is the Student’s responsibility to contact the Course Director for more information regarding missed work. Failure to do so could result in a zero (0) on assigned coursework or missed content/concepts.
  2. Every attempt will be made by the Course Directors to provide the Student with material missed. This could be in the form of class recordings, access to class resources, covered course instructional objectives, or lecture content. In the event a Student misses a class session that cannot be replicated, such as experiential trainings, the Course Director will make every effort to provide the Student with a comparable experience. Ultimately, the Student is responsible for all course information, materials, and instructional objectives, as outlined in the course syllabus, regardless of content missed.
  3. Missed assignments, quizzes, examinations, or other assessments due to an Excused Absence may be completed at the discretion of the Course Director. All Students are held to the University Honor Code of Conduct, and any discussion of missed assessment content will result in a 0 (zero) for that assessment, referral to the Student Progress Committee, and consideration of referral to the University Honor System.
  4. Failure of a Student to complete any missed assessments, assignments, quizzes, or examinations will result in a 0 (zero) for that assessment.
  5. Missed assignments, quizzes, examinations, or other assessments due to a Tardy or Unexcused Absence will result in the Student meeting with the Director for Preclinical Education, the Course Director, and the Student’s academic advisor. The Student may also be referred to the Student Progress Committee for professionalism and/or academic concerns. Possibility for remediation and retesting will be discussed at that meeting.

Definitions

Absence: Missing a scheduled day of classes or missing any single class session, lab session, or class event for any course in the Preclinical Phase of the Program.

Course Director: The Program faculty member listed on a course’s syllabus as the faculty of record.

Excused Absence: An Absence that is approved by the Program.

Full Day: One full day of class of four (4) or more hours. This can be comprised of a combination of Partial Day Absences as well, totaling at least four (4 )hours of class time missed.

Partial Day: Portion of a day of class (at least 1 hour, but less than 4 hours)

Preclinical Phase: The first year of the Program’s curriculum encompassing both didactic and experiential learning. The Preclinical Phase consists of three semesters designed to provide foundational medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism and cultural humility, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and self-assessment skills that prepare Students for the Clinical Phase of the curriculum.

Repeat Tardiness: Occurrence of a Student being Tardy more than once.

Tardy: Late arrival to a class session, lab session, or class event by more than fifteen (15) minutes.

Unexcused Absence: Absence that is not approved by the Program.

Related Requirements

External Regulations

Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures

 

 

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Administrative Support Specialist

Telephone: 919-962-8008

Email: paprogram@unc.edu

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