Beginning in March, our research, academic and clinical operations underwent significant ramp-downs and transformations to ensure the safety and health of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. While a portion of our workforce has continued to work onsite to fulfill essential functions, most underwent a rapid transition to remote teaching, learning and working.
While many team members will continue to operate remotely until January 4, others (primarily in research and the clinical learning environment) have already begun to resume onsite activities, or are preparing to ramp up in coming months, such as Educational Affairs. As each area ramps up (or down) onsite operations, ensuring the safety and well-being of our staff, faculty, trainees and community remains our number-one priority.
For this reason, compliance with our COVID-19 safety and operational policies and protocols remains critical to mitigating a resurgence, protecting our hospitals from exceeding capacity and progressing in our phased onsite re-entry plan. Thank you for your flexibility and collaboration, and for your continued commitment to our mission and each other.
Per campus guidance, those of you who are currently successfully working from home should plan to continue to do so until January 4, 2021.
DGSOM’s proposed ramp-up roadmap for Educational Affairs, including plans for fall instruction, is under review by the UCLA Future Planning Task Force.
As the work of this task force progresses, we wanted to share the latest information available in some key areas.
Clinical ramp-up plans pertaining to residents and fellows is underway. We have developed surge plans, established PPE supply chains, confirmed PPE availability, defined personal and patient safety standards, worked to align practices with our affiliates, and transformed ambulatory care through the implementation of telehealth. We are now defining “the new normal” as clinical care ramps up and continuing to achieve educational goals while physical distancing.
The DGSOM is currently implementing Phase 2 of UCLA Vice Chancellor for Research Roger Wakimoto’s campus-wide guidelines for a phased approach to ramping up research operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. See our ramp-up FAQs page and the Research page for more information and resources. Review the complete guidelines document →
Highlights include:
If you are working on campus to perform essential functions or for any other reason.
You are required to monitor yourself for symptoms of the coronavirus and receive a clearance certificate before beginning work each day.
In addition, third-party employees and contractors are also required to follow a specific symptom protocol and survey.
Essential visitors also have a separate protocol.
If you are at UCLA, fabric face coverings must be worn on campus (indoor and outdoor) whenever you are not in prolonged isolation.
All personnel are required to maintain at least six feet of distance from each other.
As part of the larger UCLA campus, which sits within an even larger UC and state-managed ecosystem, decisions regarding COVID-19 planning, policies and guidelines are made at differing (and often multiple) levels. This means that our medical school’s planning efforts are often contingent upon campus and UC guidelines, which the Dean’s Office interprets and communicates with you as soon as they are available.
For example, ramp-up plans pertaining to research activities are governed by the Office of UCLA Vice Chancellor for Research Roger Wakimoto and the IRB. Plans for ramping up educational affairs are under the oversight of the UCLA Future Planning Task Force, which Dean Kelsey Martin is a member of. Operational activities in the clinical arena are determined by leadership at the UCLA health system and at affiliate institutions. Resident and fellow involvement in the clinical learning environment is coordinated by the DGSOM Office of Graduate Medical Education.
To help clarify some of these decision-making processes, and where they reside, please see our COVID-19 policies page.
