Keck School of Medicine Medical Student Attendance, Absence, and Compliance with Make-Up Assignments Policy

Policy Statement

The Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) expects KSOM students to demonstrate professional behaviors consistent with those expected of physicians, including attendance at all required activities and appropriate communication when a need to be absent arises. Students are accountable for all missed content as a result of being absent whether the absence is due to anticipated conflicts or as the result of unanticipated events (e.g., illness or personal or family emergencies).

Excessive absences may be grounds for receipt of an incomplete or failing grade in a course or clerkship, or result in other disciplinary action, regardless of final exam scores or clinical performance ratings. Students with confidential issues should discuss any needs for absences with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee. Specific make-up activities, if any, will be determined by the course or clerkship director in collaboration with the Office of Curriculum. Any make-up activities must be completed before a passing grade for the course or clerkship can be assigned.  A physician note may be requested for prolonged absences attributed to illness. Travel arrangements resulting in absences should not be made if in excess of the number of allocated absences.

Pre-Clerkship Phase Process

1. Students may take up to three absences total each semester at their discretion and/or need. Absences may be used for research presentations, personal wellness days, illness, personal or family emergency, and significant life events.
2. There are a maximum of three allocated absences per semester and students may not roll over unused absences to another semester.
3. Students are considered in attendance of a session when they are in the classroom and their attendance is accounted for by the means determined by the Curriculum Office. No other proof of attendance will be accepted.
4. Students who miss the QR code or sign-in sheet for attendance will be marked as absent.
5. Students who mark themselves as present and leave a session early without prior approval will be marked as absent and referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.
6. Students who mark themselves as present but who are not actually present at the time the QR code is visible in the classroom will be marked as absent and referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.
7. Falsifying attendance records or aiding in the falsification of another student’s attendance records will result in a referral to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.
8. Students may not be absent more than two days from the same longitudinal course (ICM, HJSC, EPIC) during a semester. More than two absences may result in an incomplete or fail in the course and may prevent promotion to the subsequent semester.
9. Students must submit an online absence notification in Elentra when they plan to be, or are, absent.
10. Students must also notify the instructor of a longitudinal course (ICM, EPIC, HJSC) if the absence occurs in those courses.
11. The Curriculum Office Director will coordinate notification and tracking of make-up activities and establish a due date in consultation with the Associate/Assistant Dean(s) for Curriculum as needed. The Curriculum Office monitors compliance with completion of make-up assignments. Failure to satisfactorily complete make-up assignments by the due date is considered a lapse in professionalism and will result in an incomplete for the course and may result in failure of the course.
12. Students who accrue more absences than allowed must meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee and may need to appear before the Student Performance Committee.
13. See the Examination Administration Policy to address absence on an examination day.

Clerkship & Post-Clerkship Phases

There is not a specific number of absences allowable during the clerkship and post-clerkship phases, including time-off for residency interviews for which discretionary time must be used. A KSOM priority during the clerkship and post-clerkship phases is ensuring that KSOM students are physically present and actively participating in clinical training and related content to achieve the objectives of each course. KSOM’s approach for managing when students need time away during the clerkship and post-clerkship phases focuses on avoiding absences during clinical rotations if feasible by having students make up their clinical assignments on those days when they are able to be present. In addition, in-person student attendance is required at the Transition to Clinical Practice, Intersession, Transition to Residency, HJSC Seminar, and Senior Seminar courses, and being absent for 20% or more of the sessions within a course may result in an incomplete or a fail in that course and a need to retake the course when next delivered, or additional in-person make-up assignments to achieve the objectives of the course. Completing make-up assignments for missed in-person sessions does not count as having been in attendance.

Clerkship Phase Process

1. Student submits an absence request form, and the notification goes to absences@usc.edu with a copy to the Clerkship Director and clerkship staff, and the Office of Student Affairs.
   • For anticipated absences, requests must be submitted 6 weeks in advance of the date of the start of the clerkship. The Clerkship Director will attempt to accommodate the request to avoid an absence. If an absence can be avoided through a schedule adjustment, the absence request will be cancelled.
2. Student should inform their preceptor/team (or Course Director) that they will be absent whether the absence is anticipated and approved or unanticipated.
3. Absences will be approved or not approved by the Office of Student Affairs. The Clerkship/Course staff will be copied on these notices.
4. Students are considered in attendance of a session when they are in the classroom and their attendance is accounted for by the means determined by the Curriculum Office or the Clerkship Coordinator. No other proof of attendance will be accepted.
5. Students who miss a QR code or sign-in sheet to document their attendance (e.g., during TCP, Intersession, etc.) will be marked as absent.  Students who mark themselves as present and leave a session early without prior approval will be marked as absent and referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee. Students who mark themselves as present but who are not actually present at the time the QR code is visible in the classroom will be marked as absent and referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee. Falsifying attendance records or aiding in the falsification of another student’s attendance records will result in a referral to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.
6. Absences must be made up as required and the student may be required to complete additional assignments to pass the clerkship including additional clinical days to remediate missed time. Students may receive an Incomplete, or Fail the course, if they do not complete make up assignments or missed time.
7. If an absence is not approved, the student will receive an email explaining the reason the absence was not approved and to follow up with the Office of Student Affairs.
8. Students who do not submit an absence request form within the designated timeframe will be referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee and may be required to appear before the Student Performance Committee.

Recurring Time Off From Clerkships

The school fully expects that when assigned to clerkships, you can participate in healthcare appointments at an appropriate frequency as determined by you and your healthcare provider. This process to request recurring time off from clerkships should be used by students who have ongoing and recurrent healthcare needs such as psychotherapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or other appointments that occur on a regular basis. Students must initiate the process of requesting recurring time off as soon as possible so that there is adequate time to accommodate this need. Read more here.

Post-Clerkship Phase Process

1. Student submits online absence request form, and the notification goes to absences@usc.edu with a copy to the Office of Student Affairs.
2. Student must also inform their preceptor/team, or Course Director, that they will be absent whether the absence is anticipated and approved or unanticipated.
3. Absence will be approved or not approved by the Office of Student Affairs.
4. Students are considered in attendance for a session when they are in the classroom and their attendance is accounted for by the means determined by the Curriculum Office or the Clerkship Coordinator. No other proof of attendance will be accepted.
5. Students who miss a QR code or sign-in sheet to document their attendance (e.g., during HJSC Seminar, TTR, etc.) will be marked as absent. 
6. Students who mark themselves as present but who are not actually present at the time the QR code is visible in the classroom will be marked as absent and referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.
7. Students who mark themselves as present and leave a session early without prior approval will be marked as absent and referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.
8. Falsifying attendance records or aiding in the falsification of another student’s attendance records will result in a referral to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.
9. The student may be required to complete additional assignments as required, including being assigned additional clinical days to remediate the missed time to pass the course.
10. The student may petition for a late drop of the course.
    • The student may receive an Incomplete or Fail the course if they do not complete make up assignments or missed time.
    • The student may petition to receive partial credit for work already completed (excludes required courses).
11. If an absence is not approved, student will receive an email explaining the reason why the absence was not approved and to follow up with the Office of Student Affairs.
12. Students who do not submit an absence request form within the designated timeframe will be referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee and may be required to appear before the Student Performance Committee.

Additional Information

Personal circumstances – Personal circumstances may include, but are not limited to, significant family or personal events (e.g., a wedding, significant transportation issues, etc.) that disrupt the student’s ability to attend to mandatory course responsibilities.

Personal wellness (health care maintenance, illness, injury, or disability) – In the case of a student’s own wellness, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate parties, including the site and the course directors are informed of the absence in a timely manner. If the student is seriously ill, a family member or friend can inform the appropriate parties.

Presentation at a professional conference or leadership activity (e.g., as an AMSA committee member) on behalf of the COM-P, the number of days excused will be determined by the Office of Student Affairs with consideration of the student’s role and duties at the conference and the requirements and experiences of the course that would need to be remediated.

Residency interview and application related activities – It is expected that students use discretionary time to schedule interviews and applicant visit days. An interview or visit requiring an absence may be unavoidable, particularly during the months of November, December, and January. It is the student’s responsibility to notify appropriate parties, including the course and site director so that appropriate remediation may be determined.

Thanksgiving Holiday

All required clerkships at all sites will excuse all students for the Thursday and Friday of the Thanksgiving Holiday. The Saturday and Sunday student schedules of Thanksgiving week are clerkship dependent and may include clinical assignments.

State, National or University Holidays

State, national or university holidays are not necessarily automatic days off except for Thanksgiving and any holidays occurring during Winter Recess. Students should check with the Office of Curriculum, course or clerkship director prior to the course start date to confirm holiday schedules.

Religious Observance

Students will be excused from educational activities to observe holy day(s). An absence notification or request form must be submitted in accordance with the anticipated absence process. Additional information on the University’s process for observance for students can be found on the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life’s website.

Match Day

All KSOM students entered in the Match each year are excused from all KSOM assignments or activities for the entire calendar day designated as, “Match Day.”

BLS/ACLS Training

BLS/ACLS training is not justification for absence if pursued separate to what is offered as part of the KSOM curriculum. BLS/ACLS training must be taken during discretionary time if not taken as part of the KSOM curriculum.

 

Reviewed and Approved:  March 21, 2024

Medical Education Curriculum Committee