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

Unit Policy

Title

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

Introduction

Purpose

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

Scope

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

Policy

Policy Statement

The professional standards and expectations of the Program are similar to clinical practice expectations. Attendance of clinical shifts and required course activities is a full-time commitment while enrolled in the Program and is a measure of a Student’s professionalism and ability to meet the professional standards of the Program. All Students enrolled in the Program are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions, lab sessions, shifts/clinical assignments, and examinations. Students are expected to make every effort to attend scheduled activities. They are encouraged to use their time outside of Program requirements to fulfill all personal activities.

Absences

Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPEs)

  1. Clinical phase Students are allowed up to two (2) Full Day Excused Absences per SCPE. Students are required to submit all Absences to the Director for Clinical Education through the appropriate channels (see Procedure for Clinical Phase Absence Requests). Absences should be submitted with as much advanced notice as possible. Should the Absence be unscheduled, the Student must notify the Director for Clinical Education as soon as possible.
  2. Approval for Absences must be made by the Director for Clinical Education; Preceptors may not approve absences.
  3. Students with more than two (2) Excused Absences in one SCPE may be required to complete additional assignments, clinical shifts, or repeat the SCPE to ensure the Student has met the learning outcomes of the SCPE. This is at the discretion of the Director for Clinical Education, who will review the Student’s clinical experience, including hours worked, progress towards meeting the SCPE’s learning outcomes, and, if appropriate, discuss the matter with the Student’s Preceptor.
  4. Students may not have more than a total of five (5) Excused Full Day Absences from SCPEs while in the Clinical Phase, for any reason. The five (5) Full Day 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).
  5. Any request for a prolonged period of Absence (>2 consecutive days) from SCPEs may result in the Student being considered for a Leave of Absence. Should this occur, the Director for Clinical Education and the Student’s faculty advisor will discuss with the Student. Please see the Program’s Leave of Absence Policy for more information.

Clinical Phase Didactic Courses

  1. Students are expected to attend all required sessions of these courses.
  2. Included in these courses are semester summative assessments. Attendance to these end-of-semester final exams is mandatory.
  3. Students must submit an anticipated absence from any of the didactic courses in the Clinical Phase to the Director for Clinical Education utilizing the appropriate process for approval.
  4. Should the absence be approved, the Student is expected to make up any missed sessions or work. Some sessions are experiential in nature and may not be able to be replicated at a later date.
  5. Absences that occur during semester summative assessments will be excused only if the Director for Clinical Education is able to provide appropriate make up experiences. Students who do not make up the summative assessments will receive a grade of a zero (0) for that assessment, which could result in a final course grade of a Fail. This could adversely affect the Student’s progress in the Program.

Tardiness - Clinical Phase

The following apply to Didactic Courses and SCPEs during the Clinical Phase:

  1. Students who anticipate being tardy to a didactic class session or SCPE clinical shift should notify the Director for Clinical Education as soon as possible.
  2. Tardiness due to routine circumstances, such as transportation, personal scheduling conflicts, or misunderstanding of attendance expectations, will be excused at the discretion of the Director for Clinical Education. Repeat Tardiness during the Clinical 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 clinical experiences.

Unexcused or Excessive Absences - Clinical Phase (SCPEs & Didactic Courses)

The following apply to Didactic Courses and SCPEs during the Clinical Phase:

  1. Students with more than two (2) Excused Absences in one SCPE may be required to complete additional assignments, clinical shifts, or repeat the SCPE to ensure the Student has met the learning outcomes of the SCPE. This is at the discretion of the Director for Clinical Education, who will review the Student’s clinical experience, including hours worked, progress towards meeting the SCPE’s learning outcomes, and, if appropriate, after discussion with the Preceptor.
  2. Students with more than five (5) Excused Absences from SCPEs will be referred to the Student Progress Committee. Excessive absences limit Student exposure to patient encounters necessary to achieve learning outcomes for SCPEs.
  3. Unexcused Absences are not allowed during the Clinical Phase in SCPEs or in Didactic Courses. Students with Unexcused Absences will be referred to the Student Progress Committee for professionalism concerns.

Procedure

Absence Request

  1. Students requesting a planned Absence must email the Director for Clinical Education as far in advance as possible.
    1. In the event the Director for Clinical Education is out of office, and it is an unplanned Absence, the Student should email the Clinical Coordinator and the Program Director.
  2. Once approval of the planned Absence is given by the Director for Clinical Education, the Student should notify their Preceptor if the Absence will be from the current rotation. If the Absence will occur at a future rotation, the Student must notify the Preceptor of the approved Absence in their introduction email.
  3. All Students with approved Absences must complete the time off request form in the online clinical education tracking system utilized by the Program.
  4. In the event of an unplanned Absence, Students should contact the Director for Clinical Education, followed by their preceptor, as soon as possible, to notify them of the Absence. Students must also complete the time off request form in the online clinical education tracking system utilized by the Program.

Absence Request Appeal

  1. In the event that an absence request is denied by the Director for Clinical Education, the Student may appeal.
  2. Appeals must be submitted via email to the Program Director no later than twenty (20) calendar days of the decision for further consideration. The Program Director will review the request, appeal, and may seek additional information from the Student, Director for Clinical Education, and the Preceptor, as applicable.

Definitions

Absence: Missing any portion of a scheduled clinical shift (an hour up to a full day).

Clinical Phase: The second phase of the Program’s curriculum following a Student’s successful completion of the Preclinical Phase. The Clinical Phase consists of supervised clinical rotations in a variety of healthcare settings and emphasizes the application of the medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism and cultural humility, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and self-assessment skills acquired during the Preclinical Phase with the overall goal of preparing Students for entry into the PA profession.

Clinical Phase Didactic Courses: The three didactic courses in the Clinical Phase are Clinical Seminar I, II, and III (PASC 820-822, respectively).

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

Full Day: One consecutive scheduled clinical shift of 6 or more hours on any Supervised Clinical Practice Experience.

Partial Day: Portion of a scheduled clinical shift (≥1 hour but <6 hours) on any Supervised Clinical Practice Experience.

Preceptor: Any instructional faculty member who provides student supervision during supervised clinical practice experiences. Also referred to as the preceptor of record. Trainees may not be preceptors.

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

Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE): Supervised student encounters with patients, either in-person or by telemedicine, that include comprehensive patient assessment, involvement in patient care decision-making, and result in a detailed plan for patient management.

Tardy: Late arrival, up to one hour, to a scheduled clinical shift on any Supervised Clinical Practice Experience or any Clinical Phase didactic session.

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

Related Requirements

External Regulations

Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures

  • Department of Health Sciences, Physician Assistant Program Policy on Leave of Absence

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Administrative Support Specialist

Telephone: 919-962-8008

Email: paprogram@unc.edu

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