Readiness for Learning Policy
Updated On
October 11, 2023
Purpose
To support students, the School, and the Institution in situations where there are questions about a student’s readiness for learning in the curriculum and the student’s capacity to meet the School’s technical standards with or without accommodations or the student code of conduct policy.
Overview
All students must meet the technical standard requirements outlined as essential functions for enrollment in medical school. Students must also meet the behaviors outlined in the student code of conduct policy. Readiness for learning evaluations are used to determine if a student’s academic or behavioral performance is or may be affected by impairment from medical, behavioral, or substance use issues. The purpose of the readiness for learning evaluation is to determine the student’s ability to perform their academic and clinical duties responsibly and safely, and to ensure the student is not a danger to patients, colleagues, self, anyone in the learning environment, or university or health system property. The readiness for learning policy observes the procedures outlined in the UCSF Academic Senate Appendix IV Bylaws Regulations and Procedures of the School of Medicine.
Principles
- Patients and clinical teams depend on student clinicians who can fully perform their clinical responsibilities appropriate to their phase and stage in training.
- The learning environment depends on students to conduct themselves in a manner that is safe for all students, staff, faculty, colleagues, and patients and to demonstrate behaviors that adhere to institutional values and policies.
- The School will rely on the expertise from evaluators skilled in performing readiness for learning evaluations.
- Students will have access to a transparent, fair, and equitable process in determining their readiness for learning.
- The readiness for learning evaluation process should be trustworthy to all parties, balancing the privacy of student health information, patient safety, student safety, community safety, opportunities for student success, and conflicts of interest.
Policy
- In order for appropriate learning and care of patients to occur, each student must be able to perform one’s responsibilities in a safe and effective manner.
- The School may require a readiness for learning evaluation when:
- There is a report from any source to the Associate Dean for Students regarding a concern about a student that may threaten the health or safety of the student, patients, colleagues, anyone in the learning environment, or university or health system property.
- There is a report from any source to the Associate Dean for Students regarding a concern that the student is not able to meet the School’s technical standards with or without accommodations or abide by the student code of conduct policy.
- The Associate Dean for Students, the Associate Dean for Curriculum, and the Associate Dean for Competency Assessment and Professional Standards are charged with deciding the type of readiness for learning evaluation. The type of readiness to return evaluation, either from the student’s current health provider(s) or from an independent evaluator, will be based on the availability of information to make a risk determination and the level of risk the student poses to the health and safety of the student, patients, colleagues, or anyone in the learning environment.
- The Associate Dean for Students is responsible for identifying and contracting with any independent evaluators.
- Independent evaluators will be identified by expertise relevant to the student impairment. Furthermore, independent evaluators will not be in past, current, or future teaching roles with the student.
- The Associate Dean for Students is responsible for generating the specific referral questions to the evaluator that addresses the student’s ability to meet the technical standards with or without accommodations, the student’s ability to abide by the student code of conduct, recommendations, and any relevant factors for student success.
- The Associate Dean for Students is responsible for notifying the medical or mental health director of UCSF Student Health and Counseling Services who will serve as an intermediary between the evaluator, the student, and the Associate Deans in order to balance the privacy of student health information and information relevant for the Associate Deans to make an enrollment determination.
- The Associate Dean for Students, the Association Dean for Curriculum, and the Associate Dean for Assessment are charged with making the final determination of enrollment status.
- The student may be placed on an administrative leave of absence during the course of the readiness for learning evaluation process.
Procedure
- Any individual with concerns about a student’s impairment due to a medical, behavioral, or substance use issue shall report the concerns to the Associate Dean for Students.
- The Associate Dean for Students will notify the Vice Dean for Education and present the matter to the Associate Dean for Curriculum and the Associate Dean for Assessment.
- The Associate Dean for Students, the Associate Dean for Curriculum, and the Associate Dean for Assessment will review all available information and determine the evaluator best suited to conduct the evaluation.
- If there is insufficient information to make a determination of the risk the student poses to the health and safety of the student, patients, colleagues, or anyone in the learning environment, then the Associate Deans will request a readiness for learning evaluation from an independent evaluator.
- If the available information indicates that the risk the student poses is low, then the Associate Deans will request a readiness for learning evaluation from the student’s current health provider(s).
- If the available information indicates that the risk the student poses is high, then the Associate Deans will request a readiness for learning evaluation from an independent evaluator with relevant expertise to the student impairment.
- If an independent evaluator is required then the Associate Dean for Students will select the independent evaluator and ensure that there are no dualities of interest.
- The Associate Dean for Students will provide the pertinent information to the evaluator selected to perform the readiness for learning evaluation.
- The Associate Dean for Students will generate specific referral questions to the evaluator that addresses the student’s ability to meet the technical standards with or without accommodations, the student’s ability to abide by the student code of conduct, recommendations, and any relevant factors for student success.
- The student will sign a release of health information between (1) the evaluator and the relevant health providers and (2) the evaluator and UCSF Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS).
- The evaluator will meet with the student and conduct an evaluation. The evaluator will provide a written report addressed to SHCS that addresses specific questions raised by the School on the student’s ability to meet the technical standards with or without accommodations, the student’s ability to abide by the student code of conduct policy, recommendations, and any relevant factors for student success.
- The cost of the readiness for learning evaluation by an independent evaluator will be the responsibility of the School.
- When the readiness for learning evaluation report is received by SHCS, it will be reviewed by the medical or mental health director of SHCS and shared with the student. The medical or mental health director will meet with the student to discuss the findings.
- The medical or mental health director of SHCS will provide a verbal report to the Associate Dean for Students of the evaluator’s findings, balancing the privacy of student health information and relevant information necessary for the Associate Deans to make an enrollment status determination.
- The Associate Dean for Students will share this information with the Associate Dean for Curriculum and the Associate Dean for Assessment, and the three Associate Deans will make a final determination on the student’s enrollment outcome.
- Options for actions for a student who is determined not to be ready for learning by the Associate Deans include, but are not limited to: voluntary leave of absence, administrative leave of absence, withdrawal, discontinuance, dismissal, referral to the Committee on Academic Standards for dismissal proceedings, or denial of return to enrollment (i.e. for a student who has withdrawn and is seeking readmission).
- If the student returns to active enrollment, the Associate Dean for Students will ensure that the student is connected to Student Disability Services if accommodations are recommended.
- The Vice Dean for Education will communicate the final enrollment action with the student.
- A student who declines a readiness for learning evaluation will not be permitted to continue in the curriculum and may be dismissed from the School in accordance with the UCSF Academic Senate Appendix IV Bylaws Regulations and Procedures of the School of Medicine.
- The readiness for learning evaluation report will be kept in the student’s Student Health and Counseling Services health management system protected by HIPAA.
- All written records regarding the decisions and determinations of the Associate Deans will be kept in the student’s education file protected by FERPA.
- A readiness for learning evaluation report will be considered valid for up to six months after the date of the report if there are no new or continuing concerns. After six months a new evaluation may be required.
Accountable Dean or Director: Associate Dean for Students
Approval Date and Governing Body: 10/10/2023, CCEP
