COM Policies

Absences from rotations for interviews:  The College of Medicine is committed to helping you achieve competitiveness as a residency applicant.  If at all possible, schedule your interview block, time off,  or a course with more flexibility during your times of heaviest interviews. The Office of Student Services and the Course Directors understand that there may be times when scheduled interview visits conflict with class obligations.  Course Directors have been encouraged to extend some flexibility when the interview season is upon us. 

It is your responsibility to provide Course Directors with as much advance notice as possible of your need to be away for interviews.  Only a few days' notice is not sufficient.

It is recommended that your request be made in writing well in advance to the Course Director:  The use of a written request helps minimize the risk of any misunderstanding about the days you will miss and the reason for the absence.  It also is common courtesy to inform those with whom you are working most closely as well. 

Depending upon the duration of your absence, the Course Director retains the prerogative to require some “make up” accommodation for your absence.  Simply being AWOL is unacceptable and could result in a very adverse evaluation appearing on your transcript (and won’t that look nice to a prospective Program Director?).

Understand that on some rotations, particularly those with a clinic component, patients are scheduled with the understanding that students will be available to participate with their care.  Patient schedules often are made well in advance, and canceling appointments is both consuming of human resources and disruptive or inconvenient for patients.  In some circumstances, your classmates have to take up the slack for your absence, so also consider their stake in your behavior.

If you have made reasonable attempts to work with a Course Director and have encountered difficulty arranging time for interviews, please bring this to the attention of the staff in the Student Services office or to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs..

Review Specific Policies here