- Academic Standards, Guidelines, and Requirements
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Academic Standards, Guidelines, and Requirements: OMS I and OMS II Students
Attendance
Required attendance activities are denoted on the student calendar. Students are encouraged to attend all academic activities to optimize their learning. ATSU-KCOM offers 3 personal days and 3 conference presentation days annually for DO students.
Students may also request an excused absence for a medical reason.
All absence requests for first and second year students should be made on the appropriate electronic form via the ATSU-KCOM app (under student success). For absences greater than five days, see the Excused Absence Policy in the ATSU Policies section of this catalog. Questions about attendance can be directed to the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs via email at kcomabsences@atsu.edu.
Personal Days
Students are allowed up to 3 personal days per academic year where scheduled required activities may be made up (if the exercise is reproducible). Any portion of a day requested as a personal day will count as an entire day off. Personal day use for high-stake exams (e.g., section exams, practicals, finals) will be limited and require advance approval by the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. Each student is responsible for their own academic progress.
Examples of personal day use include:
- Religious observations
- Wellness exams
- Elective medical procedures
- ATSU/ATSU-KCOM club representation at regional/national meetings
- Weddings
Examples of absences that may not be counted as personal days:
- Medical excused absences (with proper documentation)
- Absences to attend funerals
- Absences for required activities as a result of school sanctioned leadership positions (e.g. SGA president, KOAA board representative, etc.)
- Absences for reasons beyond the control of students (e.g., weather, flight cancellations) may be considered. If approved, a personal day will not be used.
Make-up for excused absences
If a first or second year student’s absence is determined to be excused, appropriate individuals within the college will be notified that the student is authorized for make-up. A make-up is offered for all major examinations. Either the Medical Education and/or Osteopathic Medical Manipulation department representative or other appointed individual will contact the student to make notification of the make-up schedule.
Some courses or activities have built-in leeway for missing class or assessment and no make-up is offered, even if the absence is excused. Finally, sometimes a make-up is not possible due to the nature of the activity even if the student was granted an excused absence.
Conference Presentations
Students may be approved for an excused absence for up to three days to travel to and attend a meeting or conference during which the student is making a scholarly presentation. The student may be required to submit proof of acceptance to present.
Academic Standards, Guidelines, and Requirements: OMS III and OMS IV Students
Attendance
Students are required to make appropriate and timely notification if they will be absent. Students must notify preceptors if they will be away expectedly or unexpectedly. The following are descriptions of each type of absence.
Excused absences
Third and fourth year students should submit absence request forms to their Regional Assistant/Associate Dean (RAD) or Director of Student Medical Education (DSME). The form can be found in the ATSU-KCOM Student Manual. Students are also responsible for notifying their region site coordinator and preceptor immediately for an excused absence to be approved. For absences greater than five days, see the Excused Absence Policy in the ATSU Policies section of this catalog and contact the RAD/DSME or regional coordinator directly or the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at KCOMabsences@atsu.edu with questions.
Personal/Conference Day/Medical
Students are allowed up to 3 personal days per academic year. Personal days must be approved in advance by the RAD/DSME, cannot be used consecutively without prior approval of the RAD/DSME, and cannot be carried over from the third year to the fourth year. In the case of an urgent absence, students must notify their regional coordinator immediately who will then submit the request to the RAD/DSME for review.
Students are allowed up to 3 days per academic year to attend qualifying conferences. Conference days must be approved in advance by the RAD/DSME. Conference days cannot be carried over from the third year to the fourth year.
Medical excused absences must be approved by the RAD/DSME. Whenever possible medical excused absences should be approved in advance.
Post Graduate Interviews
For post graduate interviews students must complete the required excused absence form and discuss with and obtain approval by the RAD/DSME and regional coordinator prior to the absence. Students are encouraged to schedule interviews for postgraduate programs during vacation, personal days, etc. and to limit time off during clinical rotations.
The RAD/DSME along with the preceptor will determine the scope of any work that needs to be addressed or completed as a result of absences related to travel for interviews.
Vacations
Vacations are scheduled in conjunction with the regional site coordinator to accommodate the rotation schedule.
- OMS III - Winter Break is scheduled for all third year students to commence in mid to late December and lasts for 2 weeks.
- OMS IV - Three weeks of vacation is scheduled by the student and approved by the region. All vacations must be taken between rotations unless special permission is granted by the RAD/DSME.
Cumulative Absences
Students should not be will be absent for more than 2 days for any 2-week period. Absences beyond the 2 days will be evaluated with potential make-up time scheduled, as appropriate.
Management of Illnesses during Years 3 and 4
If a student contracts an illness, he/she should contact the RAD/DSME and regional coordinator to notify them of the medical status. The attending preceptor should also be contacted by the student or appropriate regional representative should the student be incapacitated. Students should follow the CDC recommendations that people with illness remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100 degrees F) or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. Should further guidelines related to illness be established by the facility to which the student is assigned, the student should also follow the facility guidelines. Once the student has recovered, an individualized plan for makeup will be developed. If an extended absence is required, please contact the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at KCOMAbsences@atsu.edu.
Hours of Duty
Although a regional coordinator may provide a tentative daily schedule for a clinical rotation, the student is responsible to their assigned preceptor during clinical duty hours on each rotation. The student is required to keep the hours expected by the preceptor. A ‘typical’ student clinical day begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. but will be confirmed by the preceptor or designee.
The student should not be involved in patient care for greater than 24 continuous hours or required to attend patient hand-offs or didactic sessions for more than an additional 6 continuous hours (30 hours total). A student may be required to work weekends, however should have two weekends per month free. Students may also be required to work overnights and be ‘on call.’ It is expected that students will work no more than 60 hours per week, on average.
Supervision
All students must be supervised during their clinical training period. Supervision is defined as the responsible licensed healthcare professional being immediately and directly present with the student when and where patient care is rendered by the student. Supervision further provides that the responsible licensed healthcare professional will review and authorize all such care and services performed by the student. It is expected that all patients seen by a student must also be evaluated by a licensed healthcare professional, all procedures must be supervised by the preceptor or designee, and students should not write orders or prescriptions. All notes written by students must be reviewed and co-signed by the attending physician.
The preceptor of record must be a board certified (BC) or board eligible (BE) physician. Clinical experiences completed with non-physician professionals must be indirectly supervised by a BC/BE physician. These experiences must be coordinated by the preceptor of record and feedback regarding the student’s performance must be communicated to the preceptor by the non-physician professional. The student is expected to comply with this policy and the general rules and regulations established by the preceptor, regional site, or any other individuals/facilities associated with the rotation.
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