The Importance of Attendance
Full engagement in mandatory activities, including attendance, is a core principle promoting the professional development of health care professions students and is in line with the expectations for students as they mature into fully-functioning, independent health care providers. Being present and engaged for faculty-led educational sessions a) positively impacts personal learning (i.e., one’s ability to learn from peers, faculty, and staff), b) strengthens team dynamics (e.g., group participation and interactions) and the learning environment for all, and c) fosters the development of sound work ethic and habits expected of physicians. In accordance with this philosophy, all students are expected to adhere to the following policies.
Professionalism Concerns
Students may be subject to changes in their academic standing by the Academic Performance Committee (APC) for disruptive or unprofessional behavior, repeated absences, or significant tardiness for course sessions. Demonstration of exemplary or poor professionalism may also be reflected in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), per recommendations by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
For any absence, the Course Chair(s) or Course Coordinator will determine how missed coursework can be remediated to fulfill course requirements.
Excused Absences
For absences of an urgent nature, please contact the Course Director and Course Coordinator to let them know you will not be in attendance. Scenarios for which students will be excused for absence include the following:
Unexcused Absences
Unexcused absence(s) during the course will be reviewed by the Course Chairs and may result in the submission of a Professionalism Concern Reporting Form. If a student needs to miss a mandatory session for any reason, the student must contact the Course Director and Course Coordinator before the session begins. Failure to notify the Course Director and Curricular Affairs (ca@mednet.ucla.edu ) in advance of the missed session will likely result in an unexcused absence.
Forgetting to sign-in to a mandatory session once will result in a warning. Forgetting to sign-in a second time, will result in an unexcused absence and will be reported the Course Director and may result in the submission of a Professionalism Concern Reporting Form.
The FoMS curriculum is focused on making the vast majority of in-person learning activities interactive. This means that old-fashioned lectures have been minimized in the curriculum. In addition, there will be a significant amount of “asynchronous content” for students to view on their own and at their own pace. This content (along with lectures) will give students the baseline knowledge to actively participate in the interactive in-class sessions.
Some sessions with optional attendance will be available via livestream which will enable students to view them off-site. Those sessions include:
For all other sessions, attendance is expected. Faculty are preparing to have interactive discussions or perform hands-on activities with students during all of these sessions. Because of the interactive nature of these sessions, they will not be podcast. In the rare case that you need to miss one of these expected sessions for personal reasons, please complete the FOMS Absence Notification form at least 7 days prior to your absence. Failure to notify the Curricular Affairs Office at least 7 days prior to missing an expected session for any reason other than a medical need or personal emergency will result in an unexcused absence and a Professionalism Concern Report will be issued. Please see the Professionalism Policy for further details. Should a student miss a session with expected attendance, it is their responsibility to learn the content covered in that session. Faculty are not required to contact a student who has missed an expected attendance session, but makeup work may be assigned at the discretion of FoMS leadership. Attendance at expected attendance sessions will be tracked and reviewed by the Academic Performance Committee following each Pit Stop week. Please note that this requirement is different from situations where students need to unexpectedly miss a session due to illness or personal emergency as indicated below.
For absences of an urgent nature, please contact the Course Chair(s) and Course Coordinator and the Curricular Affairs Office (CA@mednet.ucla.edu) before the session begins to let them know you will not be in attendance. Failure to notify the Curricular Affairs Office in advance of the missed session will likely result in an unexcused absence. Scenarios for which students will be excused for absence include the following:
Special Considerations for Expected Attendance Sessions:
When missing an expected attendance session, students will need to take into account the effect of their absence on the function of their small groups and the ability of their educators to provide feedback on skills and provide both informal and formal assessment. For small group activities including those in Foundations of Practice (FoP) where students are assigned a role, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate with their group to reassign roles when missing a session with expected attendance. Given the nature of the Early Authentic Clinical Experience (EACE) visits that are missed must be made up during the two EACE makeup visits at the end of the first year. Please note that for clinical rotations there is less flexibility in attendance since your teams and your patients depend upon you to be present.
*This is a new pilot program for DGSOM attendance and is subject to change should absences affect the ability to deliver a year one curriculum that meets the stated objectives of the FoMS course.
Revised August 2021
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For absences of an urgent nature, please contact the Course Chair and Course Coordinator to let them know you will not be in attendance. Scenarios for which students will be excused for absence include the following:
Please note that if a student is absent for three or more consecutive days, the student must submit a note from a clinician or the Clearance to Return to the Curriculum Form to the Student Affairs Office (dgsomsao@mednet.ucla.edu) attesting to the student’s ability to resume participation in the curriculum.
Please note that it is the student’s responsibility to also notify their Society Dean for absences related to a personal emergency.
Unexcused absence(s) during the course will be reviewed by the Academic Performance Committee and may result in a failing grade for the student in the course. A failing grade in a course results in the need for the course to be repeated. Since these courses are only offered once per academic year, this will result in a delay in graduation.
If a student needs to miss a mandatory session for any reason, the student must contact the Curricular Affairs Office (CA@mednet.ucla.edu) before the session begins. Failure to notify the Curricular Affairs Office in advance of the missed session will likely result in an unexcused absence.
Forgetting to sign-in to a mandatory session once will result in a warning. Forgetting to sign-in a second time, will result in an unexcused absence and a professionalism concern will be documented.
Personal Days
As medical students and future physicians, students are expected to attend mandatory class sessions. Mandatory sessions are noted on the Gryphon calendar. The Curricular Affairs Office does, however, recognize there may be occasional conflicts between a student’s professional and personal responsibilities. In order to allow for these circumstances, students may request up to four personal days per academic year, subject to the following limitations:
To request a personal day, please submit the HB&D Pre-Clerkship Absence Notification Form as early as possible, and absolutely no later than seven days prior to the first date of absence. Once the form has been submitted, the Curricular Affairs Office will respond within 1-3 business days to approve/deny your request. The decision to approve/deny is made by the Curricular Affairs Office staff and is based solely on meeting the criteria noted above. Students are responsible for completing remediation work assigned by faculty for sessions that are missed.
Professional Development Days
All professional development activities (e.g., conferences, presentations) require pre-approval by a Society Dean. Permission for professional development days is not guaranteed and takes into consideration a student’s current academic standing and attendance record. DGSOM is committed to supporting professional endeavors and will allow students to request up to two professional development days per academic year, subject to the following limitations:
To request a professional development day, please submit the HB&D Pre-Clerkship Absence Notification Form as early as possible, and absolutely no later than seven days prior to the first date of absence. Following submission, the Society Dean will review your request, and once a decision has been made, the Curricular Affairs Office will contact the student within 1-3 business days. Students are responsible for completing remediation work assigned by faculty for sessions that are missed.
Religious Observances
Faculty and staff are committed to supporting diversity at DGSOM.
To request a religious observance day, please submit the HB&D Pre-Clerkship Absence Notification Form as early as possible, and absolutely no later than seven days prior to the first date of absence. Once the form has been submitted, the Curricular Affairs Office will respond within 1-3 business days to approve your request.
Additional deadlines apply for students whose requested observance date falls on an exam day:
Final Exam Dates
Students should plan to remain available for curricular activities until 5:00pm on Wednesday of finals week, regardless of their designated exam times. Exceptions may apply if alternative exam dates have been pre-approved due to religious observances.
Jury Duty
For information regarding Jury Duty, please navigate to the Registrar’s website here.
Vacation
All medical students in the pre-clerkship are excused from curricular responsibilities during Winter Break and Summer Break (See Academic Calendar at https://medschool.ucla.edu/current-student-calendars.
Revised July 2020
Unexcused absence(s) during the course will be reviewed by the Course Chairs and may result in a failing grade for the student in the course. A failing grade in a course results in the need for the course to be repeated. Since these courses are only offered once per academic year, this will result in a delay in graduation.
If a student needs to miss a mandatory session for any reason, the student must contact the Course Chair and Course Coordinator before the session begins. Failure to notify the Course Chair and Coordinator in advance of the missed session will likely result in an unexcused absence.
Personal Days and Professional Days – Not Applicable
Students may not take Personal Days or Professional Days during these courses. As such, absences for non-emergent events (e.g., academic conferences, weddings, etc.) will not be excused. Students are expected to review the academic calendar in advance and plan accordingly.
For issues of an urgent nature, please contact the Course Chair and Course Coordinator to request permission for an absence. Scenarios for which students will be excused for absence include the following:
Unexcused absence(s) during the clerkship may result in automatic failure requiring the student to repeat the clerkship rotation.
If a student needs to miss clerkship activities for any reason, the student must contact the clinical team, the Clerkship Chair, and the Coordinator before the session begins. Failure to notify these individuals in advance of the missed session will likely result in an unexcused absence.
The DGSOM at UCLA allows for the observance of religious holidays; however, students are required to make up missed time. Medical students are professionals with a responsibility for patient care that may require them to work on religious holidays. Students must request approval from the Clerkship Chair at least one month prior to the start of the clerkship. Attempts will be made to adjust the student’s schedule to allow for the use of a day off on the requested religious holiday.
The Clerkship Chair will notify the Site Director and Clerkship Coordinator of any approved absences. Should the requested number of religious holidays exceed the maximum days off for the clerkship (one day per week, averaged over the course of the clerkship), requests for time off for religious holidays and observances must be discussed with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs to ensure that clerkship requirements are fulfilled.
For information regarding Jury Duty, please navigate to our Registrar’s website here.
Days Off
According to the DGSOM Duty Hour Policy for the Clinical Years, students must be scheduled for a minimum of one day free of duty per week when averaged over the course of the clerkship or elective. Systems-based Health Care and Preceptorship days are not counted towards days off.
Schedule Requests
It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Clerkship Chair/Coordinator and Site Director/Coordinator at least one month in advance of the clerkship to request an adjustment to scheduled days off.
University Holidays
All medical students on core clerkships are excused from clinical duties on Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week. Students are required to be present on all other holidays and holiday observations if the clinical service is operational.
All medical students on core clerkships are excused from clinical responsibilities during Winter Break and Summer Break (See Academic Calendar at https://medschool.ucla.edu/current-student-calendars.
Please not that if a student is absent for three or more consecutive days, the student must submit a note from a clinician or the Clearance to Return to the Curriculum Form to the Student Affairs Office (dgsomsao@mednet.ucla.edu) attesting to the student’s ability to resume participation in the curriculum.
An unexcused absence may result in automatic failure, requiring the student to repeat the course.
If a student needs to miss clinical time or mandatory course sessions for any reason, the student must contact the clinical team, the Course Chair, and the Coordinator as soon as possible. Failure to notify these individuals will likely result in an unexcused absence.
The DGSOM at UCLA allows for the observance of religious holidays; however, students are required to make up missed time. Medical students are professionals with a responsibility for patient care that may require them to work on religious holidays. Students must request approval from the Course Chair at least one month prior to the start of the elective. Attempts will be made to adjust the student’s schedule to allow for the use of a day off on the requested religious holiday.
The Course Chair will notify the coordinator and clinical team of any approved absences. Should the requested number of religious holidays exceed the maximum days off for the elective, then these requests must be discussed with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs to ensure that course requirements are fulfilled.
All medical students are excused from clinical duties on Thanksgiving Day. Students are required to be present on all other holidays and holiday observances if the clinical service is operational.
For any absence, the Course Chair(s) will determine how missed time will be made up in order to fulfill course requirements.
Days Off Policy for the MS-4 Year:
According to the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) Duty Hours Policy for the Clinical Years, students must have 1 day off per week, averaged over the course of the elective.
For electives in which students have no duties scheduled on weekends:
For electives in which students have weekend duties:
Policy for Scheduling Residency Interviews:
Attendance Policy for ICU Requirement
