Career Launch Attendance Policy
Purpose
To outline the attendance policy for each of the components of Career Launch (clinical and classroom-based), including how to give notice of an absence (either in advance or emergently), and what make-up work is expected for absences.
NOTE: Students requesting an absence from classroom-based components of Career Launch (IDS 119: Introduction to Career Launch, IDS 120: Designing and Conducting Research, ARCH weeks 7&8, and IDS 115: Coda), should submit their request here. For clinical components of Career Launch, students should discuss any absence requests with their clerkship director and/or clinical team.
Overview
Career Launch is the final, highly individualized phase of the Bridges curriculum, lasting 61 weeks. Students have dedicated time to complete scholarly projects while they pursue advanced clinical training (Advanced Core Skills, Advanced Electives, and a longitudinal outpatient preceptorship or SPAN). In this phase of the curriculum, students will become central providers of care in their sub-internships and their SPAN outpatient preceptorship, as well as pursue electives that will enhance their clinical skills. They will form learning communities with their inquiry advisor, complete the IDS 120 (DCR), IDS 119 (ICL), and IDS 115 (Coda) courses, as well as participate in learning and assessment activities in ARCH weeks 7&8. Most students will also be finalizing their career choices and interviewing for residency positions.
To fulfill these important responsibilities, attendance, punctuality and time management continue to be markers for the core competency of professionalism. It is recognized there will be circumstances that will require students to miss entire days or parts of days.
Principles
- The primary responsibility of students during the Career Launch (CL) phase of the curriculum is to successfully complete CL requirements in preparation for their chosen career pathway.
- Student professional development and wellbeing are interdependent with competency development and professional identity formation.
- Learning to optimize and manage personal health within the confines of the learning and clinical care environments is a critical aspect of professional identify formation and patient care skills.
- Allocating time and managing planned absences are important skills that students must learn to deploy to successfully fulfill both curricular goals and personal career planning.
- Institutionally sanctioned accommodations should be respected in the CL learning environments.
Policy
- The primary responsibilities of the students during the Career Launch phase of the curriculum are to successfully master the material required to earn passing grades in all clinical rotations (Advanced Core, Elective Skills, SPAN), the curricular components, (IDS 119 or ICL, IDS 120 or DCR and IDS 115 or Coda) and ARCH Weeks. Students are also required to meet the inquiry project requirements.
- Students’ professional development and well-being will require planned absences including absences for interviews, meetings, and scheduled health care appointments. In addition, unexpected absences may be necessary. These absences will be accommodated within reason to support students’ needs, mindful of the importance of continuity of learning, achievement of required competencies for the curriculum and minimizing disruption to patients and the clinical care delivery team.
- Students will be responsible to manage their personal schedules and health care needs to fit within the confines of their learning environments and to comply with the reporting requirements.
- Course and rotation directors will respect Institutional sanctioned accommodations to the extent desired by the student.
Accountable Dean or Director: Associate Dean for Curriculum
Procedures
Classroom Based Activities
1. Students are required to attend all ICL sessions in person.
2. Students are required to attend all small group DCR sessions.
3. Students are required to attend Coda small group meetings, workshops, Kanbar sessions, and boot camp sessions in person.
4. For all excused or emergent absences from required classroom-based components of CL, students will be required to submit an absence request form via the Qualtrics survey found here. For classroom-based activities (IDS 119, IDS 120, IDS 115 and ARCH), students are not expected to directly inform the course leadership.
5. For planned absences from classroom-based sessions, the absence request form must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the session.
a. This request will be automatically routed to the appropriate course or director and administrator to inform them of this request.
b. The data will also be saved in a central database to track students’ absences over time in order to identify any truancy patterns and to provide verification for absences should the record impact the completion of a course or clerkship.
c. In the case of emergent absences, the Associate Deans for Curriculum or Students may submit the form on behalf of the student.
Clinical Rotations
1. Students are required to complete 12 half-day SPAN sessions.
2. Students will be allowed 1 day per 2 weeks during an Advanced Core or Elective Skills rotation for interviews. For Advanced Core rotations, students may not miss the first day of the rotation because attendance at orientation is required. Individual clerkships may have additional requirements around which days students are allowed to miss for interviews and students are advised to work with rotation faculty and administrators for clarification. Students who need more time off for interviews than allowed will need to drop the rotation and reschedule. Additional non-interview absences during Elective Skills rotations may be permitted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Elective Skills rotation director. Review specific Medicine Acting Internship (Med 140.01) Attendance Policy.
3. For all clinical absences (planned or emergent), students are responsible for notifying their direct clinical supervisor.
4. Students do not submit absence requests for clinical rotation absences.
Inquiry
Students may schedule residency interviews during one block of Deep Explore only. Students will be responsible for communicating about interview time directly with their project team and should indicate on the scheduling form in LabSpot how they will accomplish full-time research while interviewing.
General
1. All course and clinical rotation directors will reiterate the attendance policy at the beginning of each course or clinical rotation during the Career Launch phase.
2. All course, clinical rotation directors, and administrators will make themselves available to guide the students when planning their excused absences when they are known in advance (e.g., to interview, to attend an educational conference).
3. All notifications for planned absences should be made 8-weeks before the absence. It is recognized that absences related to residency interviews are more fluid and this may not be possible.
4. Make-up activities will be assigned by the course or clinical rotation director on a case-by-case basis. Should make-up activities be required following an absence, students are required to speak with the course or clinical rotation director.
Related Policies
Foundations 1 Attendance Policy
Foundations 2 Attendance Policy
Approval Date and Governing Body: January 8, 2019, Executive Committee
Last Updated: May 31, 2019
