MS2 Clerkships Attendance & Work Hours

Attendance Policy and Procedures for Intersessions

  1. Intersessions Attendance Policy

    1. (1a) All learning activities for Intersessions are required. See students’ course calendars or communication from course chairs or course coordinators for more details for each session.
      Site-specific onboarding activities (e.g., Live Scan, obtaining your badge, completing paperwork or training modules, etc.) should be completed outside of in-person sessions during the course.  You will not be excused from required in-person sessions/activities during Intersessions to complete these onboarding activities.
    2. (1b) Attendance, including arrival time, will be recorded for all required learning activities during Intersessions.
    3. (1c) For any absence, the Course Chair(s), Executive Clerkship Coordinator, or Course Specialist will determine how and by when missed coursework can be remediated to fulfill course requirements. Students are responsible to remediate material they miss due to an absence.
    4. (1d) In the event a student needs to report an absence of an urgent nature, students are required to submit an Absence Request Form. For students with an emergency, the Absence Request Form should be submitted as soon as this is feasible in the setting of the underlying circumstances.
    5. (1e) Students are expected to attend required sessions on their assigned date and time. Students are expected to attend for the entire duration of the session.
      1. (1e.1) Students must inform the Curricular Affairs Office, course specialist, and course director if they anticipate the rare event of arriving late and/or leaving a required session early.
      2. (1e.2) Students who arrive 10 or more minutes late and/or students who leave a session early who do not inform the Curricular Affairs Office, course coordinator, and course director beforehand (or as soon as possible in the setting of an emergency that makes communication prior to a session impossible or the setting or an unanticipated urgent issue that arises during a session) will receive an Unexcused Absence Notification. 
    6. (1f) Students are considered in attendance at a required session when they are in the classroom and their attendance is accounted for by the means determined by the Curricular Affairs Office and course leadership. No other proof of attendance will be accepted.
      1. (1f.1) If attendance is taken utilizing badge scanners, students are expected to attempt scanning their badge twice if the first attempt fails. If the student still cannot badge in, the student must immediately email Curricular Affairs at CA@mednet.ucla.edu to alert them of the technical issue and of their attendance at the session.

  2. Intersessions Absences

    1. (2a) Unexcused absence(s) during the course will result in an Unexcused Absence Notification, which may be referred to the Academic Performance Committee and may lead to a change in student academic standing.
    2. (2b) If a student needs to miss a required session for any reason, the student must contact the Curricular Affairs Office, Course Director, and Course Specialist before the session begins or as soon as feasible for students with an unanticipated emergency that makes communication ahead of time impossible.
    3. (3c) Failure to notify the Curricular Affairs Office, Course Director, and Course Specialist as specified in above will result in an unexcused absence.
    4. (3d) Forgetting to sign in to a required session once will result in a warning. Forgetting to sign in a second time will result in an unexcused absence.
    5. (3e) Because each Intersessions Course is only one to two week(s) in length, attendance for the entirety of the course is critical to maximizing the educational experience. As such, absences for non-emergency events (e.g., academic conferences, weddings, etc.) will not be excused. Students are expected to review the academic calendar in advance and plan accordingly.

  3. Intersessions Procedures

    • (3a) Due to all Intersession activities being required, absences may not be excused unless they are of an urgent nature specified in the Universal Attendance Excused Absence Policy.
    • (3b) Students must submit a notification of an absence due to illness, health care for which appointments cannot be rescheduled, or personal emergency using the Absence Request Form
    • (3c) In submitting the notification, it is the student’s professional responsibility to notify the course chair, the course specialist and (where relevant) the course faculty, such as core educators, of the absence due to illness, healthcare for which appointments cannot be rescheduled, or personal emergency.

Updated by DGSOM Dean's Office September 2023

Attendance Policy and Procedures for Core Clerkships

  1. Attendance Policy for Core Clerkships Overview

    1. (1a) Students are expected to be physically present and actively participating in every scheduled day of clinical training and required related content to achieve the objectives of each course and clerkship. 
    2. (1b) The medical student work hour policy regarding the amount of time students spend in required activities, including the total required hours spent in clinical and educational activities during clinical rotations, is based on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) general guidelines. All clinical courses are committed to and responsible for promoting patient safety while promoting medical student well-being and providing a supportive educational environment. Clinical courses must ensure that faculty provide appropriate supervision of medical students in patient care activities.

  2. Work Hours for Clerkships

    1. (2a) Maximum Hours of Work per Week
      Duty hours must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over the course of the rotation, inclusive of all in-house call, clinical and formal educational activities. These hours do not take into account studying done by students outside of required activities.
    2. (2b) Maximum Duty Period Length
      Duty periods for students must not exceed 28 hours of continuous scheduled duty.
    3. (2c) Minimum Time Off between Scheduled Duty
      Students must have at least 8 hours free of clinical work and required education between clinical shifts and/or required educational sessions. After 24 hours of continuous call, students must have at least 14 hours free of clinical work and/or required education.
    4. (2d) Maximum In-House On-Call Frequency
      Students must be scheduled for in-house calls no more frequently than every third night when averaged over the course of the rotation. No overnight call is permitted before exams.
    5. (2e) Mandatory Time Free of Duty
      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.
      Violations of the Duty Hour Policy are automatically sent to the Clerkship Chair and Assistant Dean for Clinical Education. Students should feel free to contact the Clerkship Chair and Assistant Dean for Clinical Education with any additional concerns.
    6. (2f) Required Reporting of Duty Hours
      Regular reporting of duty hours is required in all core clerkships. In addition, violations of the Duty Hour Policy should be reported to the Site Director, Clerkship Chair, and/or the Dean’s Office.
    7. (2g) DGSOM Technical Standards
      Students are encouraged to thoroughly review DGSOM Technical Standards. Any student with an existing disability, or who develops a disability (permanent or temporary), and wishes to seek an accommodation must notify the Director for DGSOM Disability Services (an extension of the UCLA Center for Accessible Education) in writing via the private online application process. The UCLA Center for Accessible Education will consult with the School of Medicine to notify them of a student’s request and recommended accommodations. For more information about DGSOM Disability Services, review their webpage.  

  3. Clerkship Make-up Days

    1. (3a) Students will need to complete a commensurate number of clinical make-up days for any excused absences that exceed two (2) total days on any given clerkship.
      1. (3a.1) The aforementioned two (2) total days on any given clerkship may only be used for Excused Absences described in Section 1a of the Universal Attendance and Absence Policies: (1) illness, (2) health care appointments which cannot be rescheduled, and (3) personal emergencies.
    2. (3b) Make-up days will be determined by the Clerkship Chair(s) and may need to be completed at a future time if there are insufficient make-up days that can be scheduled during the clerkship.
    3. (3c) For any absence, the Course Chair(s) or Course Coordinator will determine how missed coursework can be remediated to fulfill course requirements.

  4. Clerkship Excused Absences

    1. (4a) For absences of an urgent nature, as described in section 1a of the Universal Attendance and Absence Policy, please contact the Site Director, Clerkship Chair, Executive Clerkship Coordinator and your clinical team to let them know you will not be in attendance.
    2. (4b) In the event a student needs to report an absence of an urgent nature, email the Curricular Affairs Office at CA@mednet.ucla.edu. All absences will require submission of an Absence Request Form. For students with an emergency, the Absence Request Form should be submitted as soon as this is feasible in the setting of the underlying circumstances.

  5. Clerkship Unexcused Absences

    1. (5a) Unexcused absence(s) during the clerkship may result in automatic failure requiring the student to repeat the clerkship rotation.
    2. (5b) 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.
    3. (5c) Failure to notify these individuals in advance of the missed session will result in an unexcused absence.

  6. Clerkship Schedule Requests

    1. (6a) It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Clerkship Chair/Coordinator and Site Director/Coordinator at least 30-days in advance of the clerkship to request an adjustment to scheduled days off.
    2. (6b) Submitting the Required Clerkship Schedule Absence Request Form does not guarantee that a request can be accommodated. Due to the importance of the required clerkship education and the complexity of clerkship scheduling, it may not always be possible to grant a request.
    3. (6c) All schedule request submissions will be reviewed by the Clerkship Chairs(s) who will make a final determination.

  7. Health Care Appointment Absence for Clerkships

    Students must submit a notification of an absence due to illness, health care for which appointments cannot be rescheduled, or personal emergency using the Absence Request Form. 

    1. (7a) Unanticipated absences due to illness, health care appointments that cannot be rescheduled, or personal emergencies are excused absences. 
    2. (7b) To ensure all students receive continuity of learning and achievement of required objectives for the curriculum, unanticipated absences will be tracked to ensure the student does not exceed the attendance threshold.  

    3. (7c) Absence due to Health Care Appointment for Clerkships

      All medical students have the right to be excused from course work to attend health care appointments. 

      1. (2c.1) Students should not be asked and do not need to disclose the reason for the medical appointment.
      2. (2c.2) If a student will miss 4 hours or more of clinical duties on a given day or if they miss a required education activity, the student must submit the Absence Request Form.
      3. (2c.3) Students are responsible for exercising professional judgment when scheduling appointments to minimize time away from clinical duties or required education activities, and whenever possible, to schedule appointments that do not conflict with required education activities. 
      4. (2c.4) The student must notify the appropriate Curriculum Specialist/Clinical Coordinator, site coordinator, course director, site director, and, where appropriate, supervising faculty and clinical team or scheduled appointments as soon as possible and arrangements should be made at that time regarding required make-up work. 
      5. (2c.5) Students may be asked to make-up course work or clinical time for any absence(s) due to health care if the student’s total absences exceed the course absence limit.  

  8. Religious Observances during Clerkships

    1. (8a) Faculty and staff are committed to supporting diversity at DGSOM. 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.
    2. (8b) Students must request approval for absence for the observance of religious holidays from the Clerkship Chair at least 30-days 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.
    3. (8c) 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.

  9. Clerkship Days Off

    1. (9a) 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.

  10. University Holidays during Clerkships

    1. (10a) All medical students on core clerkships are excused from clinical duties on Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week.
    2. (10b) Students are required to be present on all other holidays and holiday observations if the clinical service is operational.

  11. Vacation during Clerkships

    1. (11a) All medical students on core clerkships are excused from clinical responsibilities during Winter Break. See the Calendars site for dates.

  12. Clerkship Procedures

    1. (12a) Absences on core clerkships may not be excused unless they are of an urgent nature specified in the Universal Attendance Excused Absence Policy.
    2. (12b) In the event that a student has an absence on a core clerkship, students must submit a notification of the absence due to illness or personal emergency using the Absence Request Form
      1. (12b.1) In submitting the notification, it is the student’s professional responsibility to notify the clerkship chair, executive clerkship coordinator, and their clinical team
    3. (12c) It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Clerkship Chair/Coordinator and Site Director/Coordinator at least 30-days in advance of the clerkship to request an adjustment to scheduled days off via the Absence Request Form
      1. (12c.1) All schedule request submissions will be reviewed by the Clerkship Chairs(s) who will make a final determination within 5 business days of submission.
      2. (12c.2) Student submission of the form does not guarantee approval of the request of an adjustment to scheduled days off. Due to the importance of the required clerkship education and the complexity of clerkship scheduling, it may not always be possible to grant a request.

Updated by DGSOM Dean's Office September 2023