University of California San Francisco
UCSF School of Medicine UCSF Medical Center

Foundations 1 Policy on Assessment Absence and Rescheduling

Purpose

To specify the expectations and requirements for rescheduling Bridges Curriculum Foundations 1 assessments and viewings for individual students; including written, online, laboratory, and oral examinations, and direct patient care skills assessments.

Overview

The Foundations 1 (F1) phase of the Bridges Curriculum evaluates student competency and progress through a range of assessments, a number of which involve complex logistics for faculty, staff, and facilities. This policy takes into account:

  • The desire to provide flexibility where possible for students with personal exigent life events (e.g., religious observance, family obligations, professional commitment) that coincide with scheduled assessments.
  • Consideration of students' need for assessment preparation.
  • The availability of faculty, staff, and facilities for assessments.
  • The importance of maintenance of assessment security.

Related LCME Standards

9.4: Assessment System

9.5: Narrative Assessment

Principles

  1. Timely participation in assessment activities is crucial for student progression toward F1 phase milestones.
  2. Because predictable and unpredictable personal and professional events can arise for individual students that conflict with scheduled assessments, students should have the ability to request rescheduling of an assessment.
  3. Students are accountable for communicating in a timely, detailed, and professional manner about the perceived need to reschedule an assessment, completing all required assessments, and maintaining flexibility regarding timing of rescheduled assessment.
  4. The decision whether to approve a request to reschedule an assessment should be grounded in considerations of fairness, consistency, and equity across students and the F1 curriculum, and in feasibility from the curricular standpoint.

Policy

  1. Requests to reschedule an assessment are considered on a case-by-case basis and decisions made based on precedent, circumstances unique to the student, the time point in the curriculum, the logistics of the assessment, and curricular feasibility.
  2. A student who does not feel they are able to complete an assessment because of an illness or personal/family emergency must notify the block/element director and course coordinator as soon as possible prior to the assessment using the contact information available on the Bridges Faculty page.
  3. Requests to reschedule an assessment for any other reason must be submitted at least 28 days prior to the scheduled assessment. Requests submitted within 28 days for non-emergent reasons will not be considered.
  4. Rescheduled assessments will be substantively identical to the original assessment.
  5. Most rescheduled assessments will be scheduled according to predetermined schedule of dates.
  6. Having already made travel arrangements will not impact approval or denial of a request.
  7. CMC clinical skills standardized patient examinations generally cannot be rescheduled. 
  8. A student with a pattern of recurrent assessment rescheduling requests inconsistent with the principles of this policy may be counseled by a faculty member, and if appropriate, may receive a Physicianship evaluation.

Procedure

To request the rescheduling of an F1 assessment activity for non-emergency reasons:

  1. Students must submit an assessment rescheduling request form as early as possible and at least 28 days in advance of the assessment start date.
    • An assessment rescheduling committee will review your request and respond within 7 business days.
    • Requests submitted after the deadline will not be considered except for emergency circumstances (see below).
  2. Some assessments in the CMC are generally not eligible and/or have limited slots for rescheduling due to the logistical complexity.
  3. For students in good standing who submit a request at least 28 days prior to the date of their scheduled assessment, circumstances most likely to be approved for a reschedule of a F1 assessment are unique immoveable events in which the requestor has a significant role or relationship, including: 
    • sacred practices (e.g. observation of major religious holidays)
    • weddings or funeral services for people of significance in the requestor’s life
    • attendance at a professional meeting to present work or formally represent UCSF as an elected delegate or voting member of a committee

      Other personal events are considered if felt by the student to be equivalent to the activities described above. Approvals will not be given to accommodate travel cost preferences or as a result of travel arrangements that are made prior to assessment rescheduling approval.
  4. The date(s) at which a rescheduled assessment can occur will be limited to a predetermined schedule of dates that do not conflict with curricular sessions, provided by the School of Medicine. A student who declines the alternative date and time offered for their rescheduled assessment will be required to complete their assessment as originally scheduled. Students will receive an incomplete grade for the assessment until it is successfully completed, and expectations are met.

To request the rescheduling of an F1 assessment activity for emergent reasons (e.g., acute illness, unanticipated family emergency):

  1. Students should NOT submit an assessment rescheduling request form.
  2. Rather, students must contact, by email, as soon as possible:
    1. the Student Experience Team Pre-Clinical Student Programs Manager
    2. the block/element director and course coordinator using the contact information available on the Bridges Faculty page

Both non-emergency and emergency student assessment reschedule requests and approvals throughout F1 will be tracked by the ACE Administrative team.

Open Ended Question (OEQ) exam viewings
At the discretion of the block leadership team, individualized OEQ exam viewings may be scheduled for students who experience an unavoidable exigent conflict  at the time of the scheduled viewing. Under these circumstances, students can submit a request to the block leadership team for an individualized viewing by emailing the course coordinator. Students who do not meet expectations on an exam should attend scheduled viewings, and will also have an additional opportunity to view their exam privately with a block director.
 

Accountable Dean or Director: Associate Dean for Assessment, Improvement, and Accreditation

Related Policies

  1. UCSF Bridges Curriculum Foundations 1 Policy on Attendance and Participation
  2. UCSF Physicianship

Approval Date and Governing Body:   April 8, 2025, CCEP/Executive Committee