Summary
The purpose of this Procedure is to outline steps for students to follow when using absence days in the Foundation Phase and steps for notification of Student Affairs Leadership, the Committee on Professionalism Education (CoPE), and the Student Progress Committee in the event of non-compliance.
Body
Unit Procedure
Title
School of Medicine: Procedure for Translational Education at Carolina (TEC) 2.0 Foundation Phase Attendance and Personal Leave
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this Procedure is to outline steps for students to follow when using absence days in the Foundation Phase and steps for notification of Student Affairs Leadership, the Committee on Professionalism Education (CoPE), and the Student Progress Committee in the event of non-compliance.
Scope
This Procedure is applicable to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (University) School of Medicine (SOM) Medical Doctorate students currently in the Foundation Phase. This Procedure does not apply to students in the clinical phases (Application and Individualization Phase) of the curriculum.
Procedure
Documentation of Absence Days
- Requests for absences should be submitted as early as the absence is planned via the Qualtrics absence reporting form or as soon as the need becomes apparent and not later than the start of the first class session that will be missed that day.
- Students will receive an email confirmation of their absence request(s) and are responsible for monitoring their use of absences and for not exceeding the allotted number.
- When a student completes the Qualtrics absence form, the instructors or facilitators for each missed session will receive an emailed copy of the form, but it is the responsibility of the student to communicate with them regarding makeup work.
- If a student is absent and unaccounted for due to not submitting an absence form, Student Affairs will initiate a health and safety check. If for any reason a student does not submit an absence form, the absence will still be counted as one of the four permitted per semester.
- A student cannot use an absence during an exam or major assignment in any course or during resource-intensive sessions such as patient encounters, clinical skills examinations (CSEs), and labs. The only exception to this rule is for Peer Accelerated Learning (PALS) quizzes, which may be made up if they are missed during an absence day. Students may not request absences during resource-intensive sessions.
- Resource-intensive sessions will be scheduled on the Canvas calendar three or more months in advance.
- A student who misses an exam (other than a PALS quiz) will have an absence deducted from their “bank”.
- If a student is ill during an exam, major assignment, or resource-intensive session, they should still submit a Qualtrics form to report their absence so that they are known to be safe and accounted for, as well as email SALeadership@listserv.med.unc.edu with a brief explanation of the absence.
- Clinical Skills Exams (CSEs) in the Patient Centered Care course are scheduled at the beginning of each semester and are also considered highly resource intensive; absences will not be permitted. Students are requested to hold the entire week until the date of their exam is confirmed. Students may only swap exam times with other members of their tutor group. A student who misses the CSE at the appointed time will garner an absence and will be required to schedule a makeup.
- If a student needs to take time off beyond the allotted four absences, the student must email SALeadership@listserv.med.unc.edu as soon as they become aware of the need for time away from class.
- At the discretion of Student Affairs, a student who experiences an emergency health crisis or urgent family matter will not have their absence(s) deducted from their “bank”. Students must report their concern as soon as possible to SALeadership@listserv.med.unc.edu and complete the Qualtrics form at their earliest convenience.
Conference Attendance
- In addition to the four absences permitted each semester, Foundation Phase students are permitted up to two (2) full-day absences per academic year (Year 1: August-May; Year 2: August-December) to travel and participate in a conference.
- To be granted permission to use a conference absence, a student must be listed in the conference agenda as a presenter.
- Students must email SALeadership@listserv.med.unc.edu with a copy of the conference program/agenda or email acceptance of their presentation and the date(s) on which they will be absent.
- Conference absences may be granted during a resource-intensive session.
- If a student requires additional days to travel or attend the conference, they may use excused absence days from their bank.
When the conference is approved by Student Affairs, the student must forward the approval email to Foundphaseattendance@med.unc.edu and complete the Qualtrics form indicating the projected dates of absence.
Religious Observances
- The School of Medicine (SOM) follows the University’s Religious Accommodations Policy for religious observance. Students with approved religious observance accommodations will not need to deduct excused absences from their semester allotment. To apply for a religious accommodation, fill out the form for review by the Equal Opportunity and Compliance office (EOC) at least 10 business days before the accommodation/absence is needed (per university policy). Once approved, forward the notice from the EOC to SALeadership@listserv.med.unc.edu and FoundPhaseAttendance@med.unc.edu. Students must still complete the Qualtrics form indicating the projected date(s) of absence to facilitate notification of all instructors.
- Students are expected to make up any missed work (including but not limited to assignments, labs, quizzes, exams) in a timely manner and should arrange with their instructor plans for alternative completion deadlines.
Documentation for different classes
- Students will badge into all required curricular sessions including large-group PALS sessions, case-based learning (CBL), SHS, and PCC meetings, class meetings, and anatomy/micro labs.
- If your individual badge will not scan after two attempts, students should send an email to Foundphaseattendance@med.unc.edu to document their attendance at each class until the badge issue is resolved. In the event of a complete system failure, attendance will not be taken for that session.
- Please remember that it is a violation of the Foundation Phase Professionalism Standards as well as the UNC Honor Code to badge into a session and leave or to misrepresent your attendance or any classmate’s attendance in any way.
Illness
- If a student is ill and cannot come to class, they should use an absence day. This includes time needed for mental health.
- Students should report via Qualtrics form that they are using an absence day no later than the beginning of the class they will miss.
- If a student is ill during an exam, major assignment, or resource-intensive session, they should still submit a Qualtrics form to report their absence so that they are known to be safe and accounted for, as well as email SALeadership@listserv.med.unc.edu with a brief explanation of the absence.
- Any time missed due to isolation while awaiting test results should be submitted as an absence day.
- A student with an acute illness or injury that spans more than two days will only have one day deducted from their bank, but should continue to fill out the Qualtrics form for each day they are absent.
Make-up of work
- A student who misses a curricular obligation due to planned or unplanned circumstances will incur the deduction of one absence from their “bank.” If the missed content requires the student to schedule a make-up, the absence will not be restored to the student’s bank.
- CBL: Students will be required to review the case and submit written responses to the “high-yield discussion questions” and other questions embedded within the case to their CBL facilitator.
- PALS: Students must make up missed PALS quizzes if they use an absence day. Following submission of the indicating that a PALS session will be missed, students will be approved to take the make-up quiz at the next scheduled make-up date, as shown on the Canvas calendar. Students are only allowed to make up a quiz if they have used an absence day for PALS that day or have received permission from Student Affairs due to extenuating circumstances.
- SHS, PCC, Microbiology, Anatomy and any other sessions: Students must communicate directly with their facilitator/tutor/instructor and agree on a make-up assignment. Students are expected to complete the makeup assignment defined by the instructor on the agreed upon timeline.
- Exams: Students who miss an exam will receive an email from the NBME Chief Proctor who will arrange a makeup exam date. Please see the TEC 2.0 Foundation Phase Exam and Quiz Policy for a complete outline of exam makeup policies.
Non-compliance with Policy
- When there arises a concern about a student’s health and/or well-being, or when a student has not followed attendance procedures, the Associate Dean, Assistant Deans, or Senior Director of Student Affairs may conduct a wellness check-in with the student to offer support, provide information on available resources (e.g., Taking Care of Our Own, CAPS, Accessibility Resources and Service), and/or ensure that the student has a clear understanding of the attendance policy.
- If a student evidences there are underlying barriers to professional behavior regarding attendance that are not health or emergency-related, the student may be reported to the Committee on Professionalism Education (CoPE) and will be required to follow through with any expectations set by the committee.
- Students who demonstrate significant professionalism concerns following a referral to CoPE will be reported to the Student Progress Committee to determine whether a student has the professional demeanor necessary to continue at the SOM.
- At the discretion of Student Affairs, a student who experiences an emergency health crisis or urgent family matter will not have their absence(s) deducted from their “bank.” Students must report their concern as soon as possible to SALeadership@listserv.med.unc.edu and complete the Qualtrics form at their earliest convenience.
- The Office of Medical Student Education (OMSE) has the discretion to grant additional excused days for extenuating circumstances and/or to engage students in discussion of longer leaves as needed.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Alice Chuang, MD, Med, FACOG, Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Email: alice_chuang@med.unc.edu