Phase 2 Clerkships Attendance

Intersessions Attendance 

  1. Attendance Expectations

    1. (1a)All learning activities during Intersessions are mandatory. Students should refer to their course calendars or communications from Course Chairs or Course Coordinators for session-specific details.
      Note: Site-specific onboarding activities (e.g., Live Scan, badge pickup, paperwork, training modules) must be completed outside of scheduled in-person sessions. Students will not be excused from required sessions to complete these tasks.
    2. (1b) Attendance, including arrival time, will be recorded for all required sessions.
    3. (1c) If a student is absent, the Course Chair(s), Executive Clerkship Coordinator, or Course Specialist will determine how and by when the missed material must be remediated. Students are responsible for completing all missed content.
    4. (1d) For urgent absences, students must submit an Absence Notification Form. In emergencies, the form should be submitted as soon as reasonably possible given the circumstances.
    5. (1e) Students are expected to attend all required sessions on their assigned date and time, and to remain for the entire duration.
      1. (1e.1) If a student anticipates arriving late or needing to leave early, they must notify the Curricular Affairs Office, Course Specialist, and Course Director in advance.
      2. (1e.2) Students who arrive 10 or more minutes late or leave early without prior communication (or as soon as possible in the case of an emergency) will receive an AWOC Notification.
    6. (1f) A student is considered present only when physically in the classroom and their attendance is verified by the method designated by the Curricular Affairs Office and course leadership. No alternative proof of attendance will be accepted.
      1. (1f.1) If badge scanners are used, students must attempt to scan their badge twice. If unsuccessful, they must immediately email CA@mednet.ucla.edu to report the issue and confirm their attendance.

  2. Absences during Intersessions

    1. (2a) Any absence without prior communication will be classified as an Absence Without Communication (AWOC) and will result in an AWOC Notification. This may be referred to the Academic Performance Committee and could impact the student’s academic standing.
    2. (2b) If a student must miss a required session for any reason, they must notify the Curricular Affairs Office, Course Director, and Course Specialist before the session begins, or as soon as feasible in the case of an emergency.
    3. (2c) Failure to notify the appropriate parties as outlined above will result in the absence being recorded as an AWOC.
    4. (2d) Forgetting to sign in once will result in a warning. A second occurrence will result in an AWOC.
    5. (2e) Due to the short duration of Intersessions (typically 1–2 weeks), full attendance is essential. Absences for non-emergency events (e.g., conferences, weddings) will not be excused. Students are expected to plan accordingly using the academic calendar.

  3. Absence Procedures

    • (3a) Absences may only be excused for urgent circumstances as defined in the Universal Attendance Excused Absence Policy.
    • (3b) Students must submit an Absence Notification Form for absences due to illness, non-reschedulable healthcare appointments, or personal emergencies.
    • (3c) It is the student’s professional responsibility to notify the Course Chair, Course Specialist, and any relevant course faculty (e.g., core educators) of their absence.

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 engaged in all scheduled clinical training days and required educational activities to meet the objectives of each clerkship.
    2. (1b) Student work hours during clinical rotations follow the ACGME guidelines, ensuring a balance between educational needs, patient safety, and student well-being. Faculty must provide appropriate supervision during all patient care activities.

  2. Clerkship Make-up Days (Effective October 2025)

    1. (2a) Students must complete a corresponding number of clinical make-up days for any absences during a clerkship.
    2. (2b) Make-up days will be scheduled by the Clerkship Chair(s) and may need to occur after the clerkship ends if time is limited.
    3. (2c) The Course Chair(s) or Course Coordinator will determine how missed coursework (e.g., didactics, simulations) must be remediated.

  3. Clerkship Make-up Days (Through September 2025)

    1. (3a) Students must complete make-up days for any absences that exceed two (2) total days per 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 scheduled by the Clerkship Chair(s) and may extend beyond the clerkship period if necessary.
    3. (3c) Missed coursework will be remediated as determined by the Course Chair(s) or Coordinator.
      Approved by Clerkship Curriculum Committee March 2025

  4. Clerkship Excused Absences

    1. (4a) For urgent absences, students must notify the Site Director, Clerkship Chair, Executive Clerkship Coordinator, and their clinical team.
    2. (4b) Students must also submit an Absence Notification Form as soon as feasible.

  5. Clerkship Absence Without Communication (AWOC)

    1. (5a) An Absence Without Communication (AWOC) may result in automatic failure of the clerkship and require the student to repeat the rotation.
    2. (5b) Students must notify the clinical team, Clerkship Chair, and Coordinator before missing any clerkship activity.
    3. (5c) Failure to notify these individuals in advance (or as soon as possible in the case of an emergency) will result in an AWOC.

  6. Clerkship Schedule Requests

    1. (6a) Students must contact the Clerkship Chair/Coordinator and Site Director/Coordinator at least 30 days in advance to request schedule adjustments.
    2. (6b) Submitting a Required Clerkship Schedule Absence Request Form does not guarantee approval. Due to the complexity of clerkship scheduling, not all requests can be accommodated.
    3. (6c) All requests will be reviewed by the Clerkship Chair(s), who will make the final decision.

  7. Health Care Appointment Absences

    1. (7a) Students must submit an Absence Notification Form for absences due to illness, non-reschedulable health care appointments, or personal emergencies.
    2. (7b) These are considered Excused Absences.
    3. (7c) Absences will be tracked to ensure students do not exceed the attendance threshold.
    4. (7d) Students are not required to disclose the reason for a medical appointment.
    5. (7e) If a student will miss 4 or more hours of clinical duties or a required educational activity, they must submit the Absence Request Form.
    6. (7f) Students must use professional judgment to minimize time away and schedule appointments outside of required activities when possible.
    7. (7g) Students must notify all relevant parties (e.g., Curriculum Specialist, Site Coordinator, Course Director, Clinical Team) as soon as possible and arrange any required make-up work.
    8. (7h) Students may be required to make up missed time if their total absences exceed the course limit.

  8. Religious Observances 

    1. (8a) Students may request time off for religious observances but must make up missed time.
    2. (8b) Requests must be submitted to the Clerkship Chair at least 30 days prior to the start of the clerkship.
    3. (8c) If the number of requested days exceeds the allowed time off (one day per week, averaged), the request must be reviewed by the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.

  9. Clerkship Days Off

    1. (9a) Per the DGSOM Duty Hour Policy, students must receive one day off per week, averaged over the clerkship.

  10. University Holidays during Clerkships

    1. (11a) Students on Core Clerkships are excused from clinical duties on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday.
    2. (11b) Students are expected to attend clinical duties on all other holidays if the service is operational.

  11. Vacation during Clerkships

    1. (12a) Students are excused from clinical responsibilities during Winter Break. Dates are available on the Calendars site.

  12. Clerkship Procedures

    1. (12a) Absences during core clerkships will only be excused if they are of an urgent nature, as defined in the Universal Attendance Excused Absence Policy (e.g., illness, non-reschedulable healthcare, or personal emergencies).
    2. (12b) If a student experiences an absence during a core clerkship, they must submit an Absence Notification Form to report the absence due to illness or personal emergency.
      1. (12b.1) It is the student’s professional responsibility to notify the Clerkship Chair, Executive Clerkship Coordinator, and their clinical team of the absence.
    3. (12c) To request an adjustment to scheduled days off, students must contact the Clerkship Chair/Coordinator and Site Director/Coordinator at least 30 days in advance of the clerkship start date and submit the Absence Request Form
      1. (12c.1) All schedule requests will be reviewed by the Clerkship Chair(s), who will provide a final decision within 5 business days of submission.
      2. (12c.2) Submission of the form does not guarantee approval. Due to the essential nature of clerkship education and the complexity of scheduling, not all requests can be accommodated.

Policy Responsibility and References

  1. RESPONSIBILITY
    Executive Clerkship Coordinators
    Clerkship Chairs
    Curricular Affairs Office
  2. REFERENCES
  3. POLICY OWNER
    Medical Education Committee
  4. REVIEWED BY
    Medical Education Committee
    Clerkship Curriculum Committee
    Curricular Affairs Office
    Student Affairs Office
    Academic Performance Committee
  5. REVIEWED DATE and REVIEW CYCLE 
    August 2024, 3-year review cycle