Body
Unit Policy
Title
Offices of Medical Student Education: Policy on Application Phase Clinical Log
Introduction
Purpose
This Policy outlines the purpose and expectations of the Clinical Log required during the Application Phase.
Scope
This Policy applies to students in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine’s (SOM) Medical Doctorate (MD) degree program during the Application Phase (“Students”). This Policy also applies to course directors and coordinators, members of the Course Grading Committee, and staff of the Offices of Medical Student Education (OMSE).
Policy
Policy Statement
Per Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation standards, the SOM has established a Clinical Log that Students are required to complete by the end of the Application Phase. Students are informed of the Clinical Log’s required clinical encounters and skills during the Transition to Application Phase (TAP) course and during orientation for each clinical course. All Students must complete a Clinical Log in its entirety by the conclusion of the Application Phase. The Clinical Log approved by the Education Committee is attached to this Policy as Appendix A. The Clinical Log is reviewed annually, and any changes from the Education Committee’s review will be included in Appendix A.
Students must track the completion of their Clinical Log within the SOM’s evaluation system, One45. Students are required to document Clinical Log items in One45 when they encounter them. If students do not encounter an item during a specified course, they are required to document the Alternative Activity assigned by their course director to address the unencountered item.
Monitoring Student Progress
Course directors must review a Student’s Clinical Logs at the time of the Student’s midcourse feedback meeting and direct Students to Alternative Activities to address outstanding Clinical Log items as needed.
Course coordinators must contact Students with outstanding Clinical Log items at the conclusion of a course and direct them to Alternative Activities to address any outstanding items. Alternative Activities include simulations in SOM’s clinical skills center, computer-based modules, and additional clinical experiences. Staff must track the completion of Alternative Activities.
Policy Violations
Student Clinical Logs are audited by the Course Grading Committee to evaluate for falsification. Falsification can result in a Student’s loss of Professionalism Points, ineligibility for Honors, and/or referral to the Student Progress Committee (SPC).
Definitions
Application Phase: Following the Foundation Phase, the thirteen (13)-month phase of the medical school curriculum dedicated to core clinical experiences, beginning in March and ending in February of the following year consisting of:
- Six (6) clinical courses:
- Community Based Primary Care
- Pediatrics
- Medicine
- Surgery
- Psychiatry
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- One (1) Conclusion of Application Phase (CAP) Course
- One (1) longitudinal course
- Social and Health Systems 4
Application Phase Clinical Log/Clinical Log: Log that specifies the types of patients and clinical conditions to be encountered, the skills to be performed, the appropriate clinical settings for such experiences, and the expected levels of Student responsibility. The Clinical Log represents a mix of patient types, conditions, and procedures based on the MD program’s objectives and informed by each course’s clinical disciplines and learning objectives. Clinical Log items are distributed across the six (6) Application Phase clinical courses where Students will most likely encounter them.
Course Grading Committees: Groups that review assessment data and determines final Student grades to ensure consistency, fairness, and adherence to program standards.
Observe: Students watch the clinical activity performed without directly participating.
Professionalism Points: Points assigned in Application Phase courses based on demonstrated competency in three areas of professionalism: attendance, communication, and timely submission of assignments.
Perform: Students are expected to independently carry out the task, procedure or clinical skill without assistance. For example, a Student completes a history or physical for a patient with COPD and develops a plan.
Participate: Students must actively engage in completing the activity or skill as part of a team or supervised setting. For example, a Student works with a preceptor to interpret spirometry data or is actively engaged while a colleague presents a patient with the clinical condition.
Alternative Activity/ies: Substitute experiences provided to a Student to meet a Clinical Log requirement when the Student does not encounter the activity during standard course sessions. For all Clinical Log items designated as a “Skill” , the Alternative Activity is a simulation assigned by the course director. For all other Clinical Log items, the Alternative Activity is one of the following: Aquifer Case, Simulation, or topic review/discussion assigned by the course director. If a Student is completing a Clinical log item via an Alternative Activity, the activity must have been assigned by their course director.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Alice Stone, Assistant Director of Curricular Affairs, Application Phase
Email: Alice_Stone@med.unc.edu
Publication Details
Issuing Officer: Heather Tarantino, Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, heather_tarantino@med.unc.edu
Effective Date: January 1, 2026
Review Cycle: The Application Phase Committee and Education Committee will review this Policy annually
Next Review Date: December 31, 2026