Academic Policies

Academic Progress

The Higher Education Amendments that govern Title IV Federal Financial Assistance Programs state a student shall be entitled to receive federal student assistance benefits only if that student is maintaining progress in the course of study he/she is pursuing, according to the standards and practices of the institution.

LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine’s Policy Academic Progress requires a student to complete the medical curriculum by meeting both a qualitative (grade requirement) and a quantitative (work completed) requirement as prescribed by the faculty. All students must complete the curriculum of each year and receive a grade of “P” or better in all required courses before proceeding to the next year or graduating. Students also must complete the graduation requirements by the time of regular spring graduation during the sixth year following the first enrollment.

The Student Promotions Committee makes the determination for Academic Progress. The committee is responsible for reviewing the progress of students at the end of each course or clerkship and at the end of an academic year. Continued enrollment, remedial work and/or repeat of one or more courses, must be approved by the Student Promotions Committee.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Federal Student Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy differs from other institutional academic policies, but is consistent with the minimum graduation requirements in place prior to the start of the effective school year. The Financial Aid SAP policy considers only an “F” grade as a failing grade, whereas, the academic programs consider “D” and “F” grades as failing grades. The Financial Aid SAP policy does not monitor the number of “C” or “D” grades received by a student. The academic departments, however, limits the number of “C” and “D” grades that students can receive while enrolled in their current academic programs. Revisions to this policy and implementation, thereof, may not coincide with changes to mid-year academic program policy. A student who has an academic dismissal recommendation overridden by the Dean is not automatically eligible for financial aid. The student is still required to meet Financial Aid SAP requirements or appeal successfully to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. It is possible for a student to be in good academic standing with their academic program and be ineligible for financial aid because of the student’s failure to meet the Financial Aid SAP requirements.

Aid applicants and recipients will be assigned one of the following statuses after SAP evaluations: Good Standing, Financial Aid Warning, Financial Aid Probation, Academic Plan, and Unsatisfactory. Refer to the Financial Aid Academic Requirements for more information.

Confidentiality of Student Education Records

Purpose

Policy for disclosure of student records to a member of the faculty or administration who have legitimate educational interest.

Overview

It is the purpose of this policy to provide reasonable interpretations of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and to protect the student’s right of privacy as guaranteed therein. The policy is designed to ensure that student educational records are available only to faculty and administration who are permitted to review them in accordance with FERPA.

Policy

Students may request in writing for any individual to be granted access to their student records. Access is provided by extracting and securely transmitting the requested records. Access is not granted directly to the electronic records system.

Faculty and Administrative Access to Student Information System

All students enrolled at the LSUHSC-S School of Medicine are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Students’ rights include the right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

At the School of Medicine, student education records are confidential and available only to those members of the faculty and administration with a legitimate educational interest, unless released by the student or as otherwise governed by laws concerning confidentiality.

The following medical school officials, based on a legitimate educational interest, have access to the education record without student consent.

• Dean
• Provost
• Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
• Associate Dean for Student Affairs
• Associate Dean for Diversity
• Director for Student Affairs
• Coordinator for Student Affairs
• Office of the Registrar staff members
• Student Promotions Committee members
• Student Professionalism Committee members
• PhD and MD/PhD Program Director (for students in the PhD and MD/PhD Programs)
• Administrative Coordinator involved in preparation of the MSPE

The following medical school officials, based on a legitimate educational interest, have access without student consent only to the portion of the education record that contains grades.

• Module Directors
• Course and Clerkship Directors
• Career Advisors
• Office of Academic Affairs staff members
• Office of Information Technology staff members

Medical school officials and faculty members not listed above may request access to a student’s education record via the Permission to Release Education record form and are granted access to the record only with the student’s written permission. This request must contain the names of the parties who have requested access and the legitimate interest of the party requesting that information. The record of requests will be maintained by the Office of the Registrar and may be inspected by the student under the same procedures by which the record itself may be inspected.

References to Regulations and/or Other Related Policies:

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
LCME Element 11.5: Confidentiality of Student Educational Records

Attendance/Absence Policy

Pre-Clinical Curriculum (Years 1 & 2)

An essential element of a medical student’s professional development is the consistent demonstration of a mature sense of dependability and accountability. While the preclinical curriculum offers a great deal of flexibility, as learners have the option to participate in many classes in person or remotely through lecture capture. However, some sessions do have required attendance, including scheduled examinations, clinical assignments, small groups, Standardized Patient interactions, and patient presentations, etc. All mandatory sessions and activities will be identified by the Course and/or Module Directors and listed in the course syllabus or course schedule.

Requesting an Excused Absence from Mandatory Activities:

• To request an excused absence, a student must complete the online Medical Student Absence Request form at least 14 days in advance. Requests must fulfill one of the following criteria:
  • Needed medical diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic health services
  • An anticipated significant family event that requires the student’s attendance. (NOTE: Weddings are NOT an excused absence)
  • Presentation of scholarly work at an academic conference
  • Serving as an official representative of the university
  • Attendance or participation related to a University sanctioned event
  • An anticipated religious ceremony or observation
  • Absence for military service obligations
• A student is allowed no more than four (4) excused absences per academic year.
• Completion of Medical Student Absence Request will generate an email to the Office of Student Affairs and to the appropriate course director, who will in-turn verify student eligibility based upon academic standing and prior number of excused absences.
• Each request is considered individually. Requests will be reviewed by the Office of Student Affairs and approved by the course director(s).
• The course director(s) will notify the student if the request is approved.
• Approval for planned absences may not be granted if they impact key, required course components or if they create undue hardship for the course, at the discretion of the course director. Examples: teaching sessions with patients, laboratory teaching sessions, cadaver dissection or other structured teaching experiences.
• Some sessions cannot be rescheduled and an equivalent makeup assignment may not be feasible due to the nature of the educational experience. Accordingly, in some cases, absence may be granted with loss of points for the session, at the discretion of the course director.
• Students with an Approved Absence from a required teaching session may be required to submit makeup assignments for the session and should discuss this with the course /clerkship director.

Needed medical diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic health services

Students who request and receive an excused absences related to needed routine medical diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic health services should obtain a medical excuse after the visit(s) and submit it to Office of Student Affairs. The respective course and clerkship directors are notified by the Office of Student Affairs. Students should attempt to schedule routine care outside of required clinical activities if possible.

Chronic illnesses/Ongoing Need for Medical or Mental Health Care

Students who are scheduled for ongoing, recurring appointments, or who have other ongoing medical or mental health appointments during a clerkship must follow the process for requesting accommodation as outlined in the catalog. Students should contact the Office of Student Affairs at least 4 weeks prior to the start of the course/clerkship, if accommodation is needed. If the request for accommodation is approved, the Director of Student Affairs will subsequently inform the student, the course/clerkship directors, and help accommodate the student’s needs while maintaining the student’s privacy.

Presentation of research or scholarly work at a national or regional conference

Students will be allowed to use up to 2 excused absence days per year to attend a national or regional conference at which they are presenting. The day(s) should be used only for the day of the conference they are presenting (not the entire conference) and travel time. Students must submit documentation that they are presenting at the conference in order to qualify for the non-personal day(s).

Unanticipated Absences

Absences for a required educational activity due to a personal illness or an unanticipated crisis are to be reported as soon as possible to the course director(s), and the Office for Student Affairs. In case of emergency with limited time for notification, the Office of Student Affairs can be notified at (318) 675-6570 and/or by sending a detailed shvstudentaffairs@lsuhsc.edu . Any verbal communication must be followed up with written communication from the student to the course director(s) and the Office of Student Affairs.

Acute Illnesses

Students who become acutely ill during a course/clerkship should notify the course/clerkship director, and complete the excused absence request form. Students missing more than 48 hours of school must provide documentation from a licensed health care provider in support of student having an excused absence due to illness/health condition.

Family Illness/Emergency/Death

Students will routinely be granted an excused absence for family illness, emergency or death. Students should inform the course/clerkship director and the Director for Student Affairs. The Office for Student Affairs will be available to provide support as needed. Both the school and individual course/clerkship director will work with the student upon their return to assess any possible need for make-up time, if appropriate.

Unexcused Absences

Any student who is absent from a required educational activity and has not been granted an excused absence by responsible faculty/staff will receive an unexcused absence and the student will receive a ZERO for any scheduled academic activity that is missed. The student may still be required to complete the scheduled learning activity or an alternate learning activity without receiving a grade, if deemed necessary by the course director in order to proceed through the remainder of the course. An example might include an important SP clinic interaction that is required to ensure competent future practice or completion of a presentation required to achieve the learning objectives for the course.

Clinical Curriculum

MSIII

Students are expected to attend all aspects of every clerkship. Make-up requirements for all absences are at the discretion of the clerkship director. Students may take up to 8 personal days per MSIII academic year to be limited to no more than 4 days in the fall semester and 4 days in the spring semester during the course of the third year. Students may also use their personal days for planned wellness days. To request an excused absence, a student must complete the online Medical Student Absence Request. See the MSIII Absentee Policy for more details.

MS IV

During the main interview months of October 1 through January 31, a student will be allowed one excused absence per week of instruction. This applies to two week courses and four week courses. In all other blocks, a student is allowed one excused absence for every two weeks of instruction; in two week rotations, one day is allowed and in four week rotations, two days are allowed; Make-up requirements for (types of assignments -clinical assignment or presentation, locations -clinics or wards, dates- weekends or evenings, etc., are at the discretion of the course director.

Tracking of Student Absences:

Attendance data will be tracked longitudinally for all preclinical courses, and this data will be monitored by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs in collaboration with the Office of Academic Affairs. An absence will be recorded even when makeup work for a missed session is completed. Students for which a concerning pattern of absences is identified will be required to meet with the associate dean for student affairs. Students for which a professionalism concern is identified may be referred to the Student Professionalism Committee for possible disciplinary action.

Grading System

Student performance is evaluated by the course director(s) and teaching faculty of each course. Final grades are based on a composite score derived from written, oral, and practical examination scores, and the score from other required activities. The course director(s) is responsible for final determination of each student’s final grade.

Recorded grades for all MSI; MSII and MSIV courses will be P (Pass)/F(Fail). 

• The grading scale is:
  • Pass for overall performance greater than or equal to 70%
  • Fail for overall performance less than 70%

Recorded grades for all courses in the MSIII year are based on Honors (H), High Pass(HP), P (Pass)/F (Fail).

• The grading scale is:
  • Honors for overall performance greater than, or equal to 89.5%,
  • High Pass for overall performance greater than or equal to 79.5%, but less than 89.5%
  • Pass for overall performance greater than or equal to 69.5%, but less than 79.5%
  • Fail for overall performance less than 69.5%

For all students, the grade of I (Incomplete) is recorded for a student whose academic work is incomplete at the time grades are recorded. Failure to complete academic work by the specified time will result in the grade of F.

A passing grade or the successful remediation of a failing grade must be earned in all courses for a student to be promoted and to graduate. The earned grade of F is not removed from the transcript or calculation of class rank, although successful remediation is noted. Course directors and teaching faculty determine the remediation plan and assessment instrument.

The grade of W (Withdraw) is recorded for a student who officially withdraws from a course in progress.

Grading of MSIII Courses

The grade in a MSIII Course is based on the student’s overall performance in the educational program objectives.

• A mid-course assessment for each student is required for all core courses (not elective courses). The student’s performance must be reviewed in a face-to-face meeting with a clinical teacher, and the student and clinical teacher must sign the Mid-Course Assessment form prior to the course midpoint. The signed forms must be stored and available for review.
• The final grade will be determined based on a composite score derived from the clinical score, exam score, and the score from other required activities.
• The student will fail the course if he/she:
  • receives a failing score on their clinical performance evaluation,
  • receives a failing score on their professionalism performance evaluation
  • fails the final exam retake, or
  • receives a total course score of less than 70% (fail).
• Course Directors will report final grades to the Registrar within four (4) weeks of the end of the course.
• The Incomplete designation may be assigned by the Course Director if: 
  • The student has not completed all required activities.
  • The student has passed clinically but has failed the final examination and not yet completed the retake.
• A grade to replace an Incomplete will be posted within two (2) weeks after receipt of the following:
  • Evaluation from the course preceptors.
  • Completion of the required activities.
  • Receipt of the score on the retake of the final exam.
• A student who retakes an examination due to failure on the first attempt is not eligible for a final Course grade of H (Honors) or HP (High Pass).
• A student who fails a course final exam on the first attempt must schedule a retake and successfully complete the exam within the semester of the failed attempt. A student will fail the course if he/she fails the final exam retake. 

Formative Assessment and Feedback

Policy Statement

LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) ensures that each medical student is assessed and provided with formative feedback that allows progress in learning to be monitored. Feedback must be provided early enough to allow sufficient time for remediation at the approximate midpoint of a module, course, or clerkship.

Responsibilities

Course and clerkship directors are responsible for ensuring that students receive formative assessment in each required course or clerkship.

The Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for compliance oversight and non-compliance follow-up.

Procedures

Required Pre-clerkship Courses

• Students will receive formative assessment by at least the mid-point of each required pre-clerkship course.
• Students must have access to course or module directors (or their faculty designees) throughout the course or module to solicit additional feedback regarding their performance.
• Formative assessment includes, but is not limited to, quizzes, practice questions, and verbal feedback.

Required Clerkships

• A mid-clerkship review meeting must occur by approximately the midpoint of each required clerkship with the clerkship director (or their faculty designee).
• Each clerkship director (or faculty designee), will provide mid-clerkship feedback in person to each medical student on the rotation at the midpoint for that clerkship.
• A mid-clerkship evaluation form should be used for both student self-assessment prior to the meeting and by the clerkship/site director for formative evaluation incorporating feedback from faculty members and residents.
• In addition, the mid-clerkship review should include a review of the student’s clinical log to ensure that the student is on track to meet all required diagnoses and procedures for that clerkship. If deficiencies are found, a plan will be developed with the student to ensure all requirements are met by the end of the clerkship.
• The clerkship director (or faculty designee) and student will sign the mid-clerkship review form at the end of the meeting.
• Students must have access to clerkship directors (or their faculty designees) throughout the clerkship to solicit additional feedback regarding their performance.

Monitoring

The Curriculum Evaluation Committee, a sub-committee of the Medical Curriculum Council, monitors module, course, and clerkship assessment methods annually to ensure students are provided with sufficient feedback on their performance.

The Office of Academic Affairs monitors clerkships for compliance on mid-clerkship and end-of-clerkship evaluation to ensure compliance with this policy.

Non-compliance is reported to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for action.

Relevant LCME Element(s): 9.7 Formative Assessment and Feedback

Grade Notification Policy

Medical students should be provided with fair and timely assessment of their achievement in each course and clerkship. The purpose of this policy is to describe the procedures that should be followed to ensure that the final grades are available within six weeks of the end of a course or clerkship in accordance with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) element 9.8.

Given this requirement, departments are asked to report final grades for clerkships and electives within 4 weeks of the course ending and within 14 calendar days for pre-clerkship courses. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that no grade is delayed beyond 6 weeks from the end of the course/clerkship/elective/sub-internship, as mandated by our accrediting body.

Pre-Clerkship Policy

The Registrar is responsible for monitoring and reporting that all grades for pre-clerkship courses are submitted in the learning management system within 14 calendar days of the course ending. The process outlined below will be followed in all instances when course directors fail to meet this expectation:

• If grades are not submitted by the 14th calendar day, the Registrar will notify the course director via email requesting grades within three calendar days or an explanation why grades cannot be submitted. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will be copied on this email.
• If the grades or an explanation is not received within three (3) calendar days, the Registrar will notify the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who will directly address the concern with the course director.
• For instances in which extenuating circumstances prevent the submission of grades within 14 calendar days, the Medical School Registrar will collaborate with the course director and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to determine an appropriate deadline and will ensure the grade is recorded in the learning management system within six weeks of the end of the course.

Clerkship Policy

The Registrar is responsible for monitoring and reporting that all clerkship and elective grades are submitted within four weeks of the course ending. The process outlined below will be followed in all instances when clerkship and elective directors fail to meet this expectation:

• If grades are not submitted by the end of the fourth week, the Registrar will notify the clerkship or elective director and the clerkship coordinator via email requesting grades within three (3) calendar days of notification or an explanation why the grades cannot be submitted. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will be copied on this email.
• If the grade or an explanation is not received within three (3) calendar days of notification, the Registrar will notify the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who will directly address the concern with the course or clerkship director.
• For instances in which extenuating circumstances prevent the submission of grades within four weeks, the Registrar will collaborate with the clerkship or elective director and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to determine an appropriate deadline and will ensure the grade is recorded in the learning management system within six weeks of the end of the course or clerkship.
• Course, clerkship or elective directors who fail to submit 100% of grades within six weeks of the end of a course, clerkship or elective will meet with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs with notification to the relevant department chair or designee.

Guidelines

• The grade notification policy should be shared with course, clerkship and elective directors at least annually. All course, clerkship and elective directors should be encouraged to create a streamlined process for the completion and integration of student evaluations in order to meet grade submission deadlines.
• Central monitoring will occur in the office of the Registrar. Monitoring should include review of grade reports quarterly to identify missing grades as well as documentation extenuating circumstances, and trends of non-compliance. Data will be shared and made available to the Office of Academic Affairs for collaboration efforts and office function. Grade reporting data will be shared quarterly with the appropriate curriculum committee(s).

Remediation Policy

The Course or Clerkship Director will notify students of their need to remediate a course no later than one (1) week after course/clerkship grades have been posted. This email will be cc’d to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Schedule:

• The student must respond to the course director within one week after the notification. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule the remediation process with the course director.
• Students are required to make their first attempt at remediation prior to the next semester. Under certain circumstances, remediation may be delayed with prior permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
• All remediations must be completed before a student may move on to the next semester.

Process:

• Students requiring remediation must meet with the director of the course to be remediated. If, during this conversation, the student identifies a non-academic contributor to their poor performance (i.e., something medical or social), this should be brought to the attention of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
• The process for remediation, as determined by the course director, should be tailored to the individual student through the identification and correction of specific areas of deficiency. Retaking the entire course should only be necessary if the student’s performance in all major content areas is unsatisfactory.
• The course director will provide the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Registrar, a record of the remediation process for each student. This record will outline the format of the remediation, the dates on which it occurred, and whether the student successfully remediated on that date. If the student was unsuccessful on an attempt at remediation, the course director will briefly outline how they were unsuccessful. This will be part of the student’s record.
• Students may remediate the grade of F in one course; however, should a student earn two Fs (in spite of one being a successfully remediated F), he/she shall be dismissed.
• Likewise, a student who receives an F on an attempted remediation of a failed course shall be considered to have received two Fs and be dismissed.

To more readily identify students in academic difficulty and offer them additional support services in a timely fashion, students who need to remediate a course will be provided with information on receiving a learning assessment, the results of which may trigger further support services that may help the student avoid the need to remediate additional courses.

Remediation of MSIII Courses

• If a student fails an end of clerkship NBME exam, the student will be required to remediate the exam. If a student successfully remediates the NBME exam on the second attempt, they will receive a grade of P (70%) in the clerkship. A student who receives an F on an attempted remediation of a failed exam will receive a grade of F in the clerkship.
• A student who fails a clerkship NBME exam in a second course BEFORE remediating the first failure must stop his/her academic progress and meet with the Student Promotions Committee to agree upon a plan for the student to complete the Retake Exams. If a student must schedule multiple Retake Exams, she/he must pass all of them before resuming his/her clinical training. All retake examinations must be completed before the final day of the semester in which the initial failed exam was taken.
• A student who fails a final exam in a second course AFTER remediating the first failure must meet with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
• A student who fails a final exam in a third course (even if the first two failed exams were successfully remediated) will be required to repeat the entire MSIII Year of medical school.
• All MSIII Courses must be successfully completed before progressing to the MSIV Year.

Final Grade Appeals

Faculty are best qualified to judge the performance and capabilities of students in the courses/clerkships here at LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport. Course directors have the responsibility for their respective courses/clerkships and associated learning activities. These individuals are responsible for the evaluation of students within their respective courses/clerkships, according to the published guidelines for those respective courses/clerkships. Course directors establish the mechanisms for the ongoing evaluation of students within their courses/clerkships in accordance with the evaluation policies set forth by the School of Medicine’s Medical Curriculum Council (MCC).

A student who believes that his or her final course/clerkship grade or evaluation is unjust or inaccurate may appeal that decision formally. The student is responsible for initiating the appeals process for a final course grade within 10 working days after the grade is posted with the Registrar. This appeals process is for final course grades only; students who wish to appeal grades received for examinations, quizzes, or laboratories, must resolve their appeals with the course/clerkship directors. The instructor of record will have the final authority for assignment of grades in all courses.

There are two levels of appeal, one to the administrative course director, and the second to the school’s administration.

The first level of appeal is to the course director for that course/clerkship.

1. The student should submit a letter of appeal to the course/clerkship director who assigned the grade within 10 working days of the date the official grade was posted. The appeal written by the student must clearly state the specific basis for the student’s dissatisfaction (e.g. why the grade is unjust, unfair, or was derived via a method different from that used to calculate other students’ grades) and the specific reparation sought.
2. After receiving a written appeal from the student stating the basis of his/her dissatisfaction and the reparation sought, the course director shall have ten (10) working days to do the following: review the appeal, meet with the student and with relevant faculty (if deemed necessary by the course director), formulate and deliver a written response to the student.
3. If a solution is reached between the student and course/clerkship director and it requires changing a final grade in an official LSU System record, the faculty member must comply with all University System regulations and procedures necessary to accomplish the grade change.

If the student remains dissatisfied with the grade or evaluation after receiving the response to his/her appeal from the course director, the student will have five working days from the receipt of that response to make a final appeal in writing to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

1. The written request should be submitted to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs within 5 working days from the receipt of that response of the course/clerkship director’s decision.
2. The written request must clearly state the specific basis for the student’s dissatisfaction (e.g. why the grade is unjust, unfair, or inaccurate).
3. The written request must explain what the student believes is an acceptable outcome and the reparation sought.

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall arrange a meeting with the student and the course/clerkship director within 10 working days from the date of receipt of the request to discuss the matter.

During the meeting the Associate Dean will seek to determine: 1) whether or not the evaluation or grading procedure used in the case of the student was essentially the same as that used for all other students in the course/clerkship, 2) whether or not there is evidence of capricious, unjust or erroneous evaluation or grading sufficient to warrant referral of the case back to the department for reassessment of the student’s competence.

The Associate Dean will render a decision within 10 working days of the meeting. Using these criteria described above, the Dean will either accept the original grade or evaluation as valid or refer the case back to the course director for reevaluation and/or grading of the student.

If the decision reached requires changes in an official university record, the faculty of the department or course/clerkship must comply with all university regulations and procedures necessary to accomplish the change.

If the student is not satisfied with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs’ decision, the student may appeal to the Dean of the School of Medicine.

• The student’s appeal must be in writing and must contain all documentation of the appeal to that point.
• The written request must explain what the student believes is an acceptable outcome (i.e. what the student wants the Dean to do).

Upon receipt of the request, the Dean will forward copies of the request for an appeal to the, course/clerkship director concerned and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

• The Dean will review the appeal from all levels.
• The Dean may choose to meet with any or all parties involved.

The Dean will render a decision based on the written appeal and his/her review of all documentation and investigation.

The decision of the appeal reached by the Dean, represents the final level of due process for appeal of a final course/clerkship grade in the School of Medicine.

Promotions Committees

There is a Pre-clinical Sciences Promotions Committee which considers the academic problems of students enrolled in years one and two of the curriculum. This committee consists of the faculty members of the Medical Curriculum Council and is chaired by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Individual MSIII and MSIV year Promotions Committees consider academic problems of students enrolled in years three and four. These committees consist of the course directors and representative faculty of each course in the year represented. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs may be present to act, if needed, as the student’s advocate.

Promotions committees have the responsibility for final action relating to student promotions. They also have an obligation to conduct a comprehensive review of the records of students who have acquired deficiencies, using all pertinent data available from any appropriate source, such as student files, and associated information from the Office of Student Affairs. In order to assure that the committee has adequate information for making a proper decision, it may be indicated to seek comments from a student’s faculty advisor, or any other faculty member designated by the student.

In reaching a decision on action to be taken in connection with a student who has incurred deficiencies, the committee shall give due consideration to the nature, extent, and significance of the deficiencies manifested. It shall take into account the relationship of the activity and time required for completion of the measures for removal of deficiency specified by the departments involved. It shall also evaluate the influence of other factors which relate to the best interest of the student and the School. The committee may designate an appropriate course of action as described below:

1. Promotion after removal of all deficiencies as specified.
2. Permission to repeat the year taking the entire course work of that year on probation
3. Dismissal for failure to meet the requirements in a satisfactory manner
4. Special procedure, which may be indicated in exceptional cases

In the event that a student fails to remove a deficiency, the committee shall decide which of the remaining alternatives stated above is to be followed. When a student is given permission to repeat a year, previously earned grades will not be changed.

Should a member of a promotions committee be the course or clerkship director who assigned a student’s failing course grade or be directly involved in the process leading to the student’s review by that promotions committee, that committee member may be present at the meeting to discuss the factors leading to the promotions committee review, but will recuse him or herself from the final vote. 

Calculation of Quintile Rank

Class rank for a given academic year (MSI, MSII, MSIII) is based on course scores received during that year. All course scores are included in the calculation of class rank. When a course must be repeated due to a failing score, the initial score received, rather than the remediation score, is used in the calculation, to be fair to students who successfully completed all courses the first time.

Cumulative class rank is based on performance in all courses of all years completed to date of calculation. As described above for yearly class rank, all course scores, including failing scores, are used in this calculation. To determine class rank, weighted score averages are calculated for each student. The averages are calculated by multiplying the credit hours for each course by the percentage score received in the course, and dividing the sum of the products for all courses by the total credit hours. Transfer students accepted into Advanced Standing are not included in the final cumulative class ranking.

Grades are recorded on a student’s official record (transcript) as P (Pass/ F (Fail) for MSI and MSII courses. These grades are derived from numerical course scores, which will be used to generate quintile rank for each student at the completion of the MSI, MSII and MSIII academic years.

Leave of Absence

LSU Health students are expected to proceed through the medical school curriculum in a continuous, uninterrupted fashion. In the event of extenuating circumstances that necessitate a temporary period of non-enrollment, students may request a leave of absence (LOA). Requests for a leave may be granted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or his/her designee or when recommended by a faculty committee. A leave may be granted, if deemed appropriate, for health, personal, or family reasons, or for special academic study. A leave of absence is granted for a finite period, not to exceed twelve (12) months.

If for any reason the leave extends beyond one year, an extension may be granted for unusual circumstances if the student requests an extension in writing at least thirty days (30) before the expected reentry date.

The School of Medicine reports all leaves/interruption of medical education in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE).

Requesting a Leave of Absence

All students requesting a leave must:

• Complete and submit a signed Leave of Absence Request Form to the Office for Student Affairs.
• Meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or his/her designee. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will meet and advise the student regarding the request for a leave of absence. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will make a recommendation on the student’s behalf to the Office of Academic Affairs who may approve or deny the request for a leave of absence. All decisions by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs are final, subject to a student appeal to the Dean of the Medical School.
• Meet with the School of Medicine Registrar and Associate Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships (if the student receives financial aid), and
• Receive a letter from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or his/her designee approving the leave

If the request is approved, a time period for the leave and any conditions that need to be met before a return to active enrollment will be determined. Students who begin a leave of absence while enrolled in a course before its end date will receive a grade of WP (withdrawn passing) or WF (withdrawn failing) as determined by the course director.

Students returning from a leave of absence may be required to document that they have met previously established conditions in order to resume active enrollment status. Students not returning to active status at the end of their leave of absence and who have not been approved for an extension will be considered as having resigned from the School of Medicine.

Involuntary Leave of Absence: Students may be placed on an Involuntary Leave of Absence for academic reasons by the Student Promotions Committee (pre-clinical or clinical). This committee will determine the educational requirements needed for the student to continue in medical school (i.e., remediation, a repeat of coursework), and may determine the length of the leave of absence and the conditions to be fulfilled prior to a return from leave. All decisions by the promotions committee are final, subject to a student appeal to the Dean of the Medical School.

Students on Leaves of Absence are not registered at LSU Health Sciences Center, and therefore do not have the rights and privileges of registered students. Students on leave may not participate in extracurricular activities including holding student organization leadership position. They cannot fulfill any official department or University requirements during the leave period.

Medical Student Supervision

Medical students should be provided with appropriate levels of supervision as they progress through their education towards a career in patient care. A supervising preceptor will ensure that medical students are provided with opportunities to learn that are progressive and commensurate with the student’s level of learning. The purpose of this policy is to describe the procedures that should be followed by supervising physicians to ensure that the school adheres to expectations that protect patient and student safety in accordance with LCME Element 9.3:

A medical school ensures that medical students in clinical learning situations involving patient care are appropriately supervised at all times in order to ensure patient and student safety, that the level of responsibility delegated to the student is appropriate to his or her level of training, and that the activities supervised are within the scope of practice of the supervising health professional.

Scope: This policy applies to students in all courses at all training sites.

Definitions

• Supervising Physician - An attending physician with a LSUHSC-S faculty appointment; a resident or fellow physician training in a graduate medical education program at, or affiliated with, the School of Medicine.
• Healthcare Provider - Including but not limited to: anesthesia assistants, dieticians, emergency medical technicians, medical sonographers, medical technologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, occupational therapists, paramedics, pharmacologists, physical therapists, physician assistants, psychologists, radiographers, respiratory therapists, social workers, speech language pathologists, and surgical technicians.

Policy

• Medical students cannot provide unsupervised patient care. Clinical decisions and orders are never created or enacted by medical students without a supervising physician’s input and approval. A supervising physician has the medical and legal responsibility for patient care at all times.

Student may be supervised at one of two broad levels as determined by the supervisor:

• Direct Supervision - the supervising physician is physically present with the medical student and patient.
• Indirect Supervision - the supervising physician is physically within the hospital or other site of patient care, and is immediately available to provide direct supervision.

Determination of appropriate level of supervision is made by the supervisor, based on many factors, including:

• complexity of the situation or procedure
• acuity of activity and level of risk to patient
• medical student’s level of training, demonstrated competence, maturity, and responsibility.

It is the faculty supervisor’s role to ensure that any non-physicians who are engaged in clinical teaching for supervising any student are acting within their scope of practice.

The course/clerkship director is responsible for communicating policies and procedures related to supervision to faculty and students participating in their curriculum, and for monitoring compliance with the policies and procedures.

Medical students are expected to maintain self-awareness of their own competence and seek assistance/advice when clarification is needed; inform patients and/or family members of their status as a medical student and the name of the supervising physician under whom they are working; proactively inform the supervising physician or course director of concerns about levels of supervision (excessive or sub-standard). 

Reporting Concerns

Individuals who have experienced or witnessed a lapse in medical student supervision must report the incident to the course/clerkship director as follows

Students are encouraged to relay instances in which they feel they have not received appropriate supervision as soon as possible to the course/clerkship director.

• Students will be asked at each mid-clerkship evaluation about any instances in which they were concerned about the level of their supervision.
• Students may also anonymously report lapses in medical student supervision in the course evaluation.

Expressions of concern will be held in strict confidence if possible. However, this may not be possible in situations where student or patient safety may be compromised, illegal activities may have occurred, or other situations needing immediate contact with reporting individuals.

Course directors are to inform the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of instances in which student concerns are raised

Monitoring

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs reviews all reports of inappropriate supervision and ensures adequate and timely resolution in cooperation with the relevant clerkship director(s).

The Medical Curriculum Council receives a summary of all such occurrences annually to identify and act upon recurrent concerns. It also reviews the Annual Clerkship Director’s Report to ensure that adequate procedures are in place to ensure appropriate supervision.

Non-Involvement of Healthcare Provider in Student Assessment

Clinicians (faculty/fellows/residents)and other non-faculty instructors & supervisors serve major roles in both teaching and clinical care. From time to time, medical students, by virtue of illness or learning difficulties, may need to seek advice, assessment, and/or clinical care from faculty who teach in the medical school. When a student seeks care from a faculty member in the institution in which the student is enrolled, a conflict of interest may be created. This policy is established to address the potential conflict of interests, either real or perceived, that arise in these circumstances, in order to:

• Maintain student’s right to confidentiality with treating providers.
• Avoid the potential that assignments, assessments, grading, and progress could be impacted by a faculty member’s knowledge of a student’s illness or disability status.
• Minimize concerns about favoritism related to special relationships between a faculty and a student.
• Ensure compliance with LCME standards, specifically standard 12.5: Non-Involvement of Providers of Student Health Services in Student Assessment/Location of Student Health Records

Policy Statement

A LSUHSC-S faculty or staff member who has provided medical or psychological services for a medical student will not serve in an evaluative capacity for the student or supervise educational activities that result in evaluation or assessment. They specifically must not supervise the student in the clinical setting, provide an academic assessment of the student, participate in assigning grades for that student or participate in making decisions about academic advancement or lack thereof for that student.

In the event that no other faculty member is available to supervise a relevant clinical experience that a student requests, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs must review the circumstances and may provide a limited waiver to this policy. 

In addition, if an assigned assessor cannot provide an objective assessment of a student due to a personal or familial relationship, then they will not serve in an evaluative capacity for the student or supervise educational activities that result in evaluation or assessment.

A faculty or staff member who has provided medical or psychological services may function as a large group classroom teacher for that student at any time, and may function as a small group teacher for that student as long as they do not participate in assessment or grading activities and may provide general support for classroom-based learning experiences for that student that requires their expertise.

LSUHSC-S faculty who have participated in supervision, assessment, grading, and academic advancement decisions for a student:

• Must not solicit that student as a patient in their clinical practice.
• May accept a student request for medical care with the understanding that they will adhere to the directives in the policy statement as described above.
• Faculty may not provide medical advice or care to their students while they are supervising that student.

LSUHSC-S Faculty and Staff with Familial or Intimate Relationships with an Enrolled Student

• Must not serve in any academic supervisory role for that student. They must not supervise the student in the clinical setting, lead small group sessions involving the student, provide an academic assessment of the student, participate in assigning grades for that student or participate in making decisions about academic advancement or lack thereof for that student.
• May serve in a mentoring capacity for situations that do not formally contribute to decisions about academic progress.

Procedures

• Students must complete a Disclosure of Potential Conflict of Interest to verify their understanding of this policy prior to starting their courses/clerkships. Student will be asked to disclose any prior clinical or familial/intimate relationship with LSUHSC-S faculty members.
• If a student realizes they have been assigned a role with an individual faculty member that is prohibited by a current or prior clinical or familial/intimate relationship with that faculty member, the student should notify the course or clerkship director and ask to be reassigned. The reason given for the reassignment is potential conflict of interest; the nature of the potential conflict of interest need not be identified. 
• In the event that a faculty member realizes that they have been assigned a role with an individual student that is prohibited by their current or prior clinical or familial/intimate relationship with that student, the course or clerkship director should be notified and reassignment requested. The reason given for the reassignment is conflict of interest; neither the specific conflict of interest situation need not be identified. 

Policy Limitations

This policy is not intended to prevent the timely intervention by a qualified clinician in case of a medical emergency. Once the student has been stabilized or transferred to the appropriate care site, the faculty member with a conflict of interest should relinquish care.

Requesting Alternate Assignments

Purpose

To outline responsibility of and the process of assignment of students to learning experiences and responding to requests for change.

This policy ensures that the Undergraduate Medical Education program meets or exceeds the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation standards:

10.9 A medical school assumes ultimate responsibility for the selection and assignment of medical students to each location and/or parallel curriculum (i.e., alternative curricular track) and uses a centralized process to fulfill this responsibility. The medical school considers the preferences of students and uses a fair process in determining the initial placement. A process exists whereby a medical student with an appropriate rationale can request an alternative assignment when circumstances allow for it.

Overview

The School of Medicine manages students’ selection of and assignment to learning experiences. Medical students with appropriate rationale may request an alternative assignment when circumstances allow for it.

Principles

• Assignment to learning experiences will be done consistently and fairly, allowing students to express preferences in the order and sites at which they complete their clerkships
• The School of Medicine is committed to ensuring a transparent approach to the assignment of medical students to geographically distributed sites and rotation assignments.
• LSUHSC-S medical students are given priority over visiting students requests.

Procedure

Students will receive notification of the change procedure via (a) e-mail distribution messages to the entire Class; (b) discussion of this topic at the pertinent Class pre-registration meeting, conducted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Registrar’s Office, and (c) individual meetings with students when planning his/her clinical schedule.

The procedure to allow students to formally request an alternate educational site or curriculum assignment during the clinical years is managed as follows:

• Any student who believes that he/she has circumstances that would warrant an alternate educational site or curriculum assignment during the clinical years can make a request directly to the Office of Academic Affairs prior to MSIII registration.
• Student requests can cover all or part of his/her schedule for an academic year and can include requests for course sequence, course sites, or both.
• Any individual making a request must provide the Office of Academic Affairs with an email narrative, outlining the specific reasons and details of the request.
• Each change request will be evaluated on the nature of the request, impact on other students, and available options. Requests based on conflicts of interest, accommodations, compliance issues, and mistreatment will be given priority. All requests for changes will be reviewed by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or his/her designee) with the final determination being made by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

USMLE Step I Policy and Promotion to the MSIII Year

At the end of the MS II year, students will be enrolled in a Basic Science Review Course to prepare for USMLE Step 1. Students are required to take USMLE Step 1 before the end of the Review Course block. The Student Affairs Office will establish a specific deadline date and publicized to all sophomore students.

Sophomore students satisfactorily completing all course work for the MS II year may begin the junior (MS III) year on a provisional basis pending receipt of the results of their initial USMLE Step 1 attempt and upon completion of Junior Orientation.

Students who receive a failing score on Step I on the first attempt will immediately be placed in a Special Topics/Independent study course for a period not to exceed eight (8) total weeks. Students are allowed a maximum of 5 weeks of study and preparation to retake Step I and 3 weeks for the results to be received.

Students who receive a passing score on USMLE Step 1 on their second attempt will qualify for promotion and may resume their MS III year on the next available block. A passing score on the repeated attempt must be received before a student can return to the MS III year and begin clinical work. 

No MS III student will be allowed to miss more than eight weeks, including time spent in independent study, without being required to repeat the MSIII year. Students who have failed the USMLE Step 1 examination three times will be dismissed from the School of Medicine.

Student Workload Policy

The School of Medicine has the responsibility to develop and implement workload/duty hour policies for medical students in all phases of the curriculum, in accordance with LCME Element 8.8, Monitoring Student Workload. These policies should promote student health, maximize student learning time and opportunities for unstructured, independent and self-directed learning.

Pre-Clinical Curriculum

The pre-clinical curriculum is designed to provide students with learning experiences that include active learning experiences and time for self-directed learning. Learners are encouraged to attend all activities and are required to attend specific activities such as small group sessions, simulation activities and patient presentations, as defined in the Pre-Clinical Attendance Policy

On average pre-clinical students should expect approximately 20 hours of face-to-face didactics per week. Students should be scheduled for no more than 10 additional hours of organized learning activities, such as small group sessions, clinical skills training or other activities as defined in course syllabi.

Monitoring

Pre-Clinical Curriculum: The Medical Curriculum Council (MCC) will review course schedules prior to the beginning of each semester to ensure that the workload guidelines are being followed. Student perceptions of workload will be evaluated on course evaluations and reported to the Curriculum Evaluation Committee and the MCC after each course.

Clinical Curriculum

On average clinical students should expect to be scheduled for on-call time, patient-care activities and formal didactic sessions not to exceed an average of 80 hours per week over a 4-week period.

• Students must be provided with 1 day in 7, free from all required educational activities and clinical responsibility averaged over a 4-week period, inclusive of call.
• Adequate time for rest and personal activities must be promoted. Students should have 10 hours, and must have 8 hours, free of duty between scheduled duty periods and after in-house call.
• Continuous on-site call duty should not exceed 24 consecutive hours, however, students may remain on duty for up to six additional hours to participate in didactic activities, transfer care of patients, conduct outpatient clinics, and maintain continuity of medical and surgical care. No new patients may be accepted after 24 hours of continuous duty.

Students must immediately communicate any deviation of the duty hour policy to their Clerkship Director, Clerkship Coordinator, and/or to their Attending Physician. Students can report concerns anonymously by using the Grievance/Complaint Procedure.

It is anticipated that student attendance at clerkship seminars, conferences, and other didactic sessions will be facilitated by this policy and that provisions in this policy are not the basis for missing these sessions. Requests for excused absences from these sessions should be submitted as per the Student Attendance Policy

Monitoring

Clinical Curriculum: Clerkship Directors and Coordinators will be responsible for ensuring that individual student schedules adhere to the duty hour policy. Students will report on duty hours on Clerkship evaluations, which will be analyzed during regular clerkship reviews performed by the Curriculum Evaluation Committee. An annual report on levels of adherence to this policy will be presented to the Medical Curriculum Council.

Variances from this policy must be approved by the Medical Curriculum Council.

Requirements for Graduation

• Satisfactory completion of all course work and requirements specified in the curriculum.
• Enrollment as a student in the School of Medicine while completing at least the final two academic years of course work unless extraordinary circumstances have arisen. Specifically, third and fourth year rotations must be taken on campus or, with departmental approval, at affiliated institutions. The curricular requirements of the School of Medicine shall be adhered to in all cases.
• Approval by promotions committee and recommendation by the faculty of the School of Medicine for conferring of the degree, Doctor of Medicine.
• Satisfactory status concerning financial obligations to institution.
• Certification that all materials issued as returnable items have been accounted for in an acceptable manner.
• Successfully complete Step 1 of USMLE.
• Health Sciences Center policy requires that all work toward a degree be completed within six calendar years. The time granted a student for a leave of absence will not be included in the maximum time period for completion of the program.
• Sit for USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge prior to graduation.
• Attend Commencement, unless excused in writing, by the Dean.