YEAR FOUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

(Class of 2011)

1.0

PURPOSE OF THE ELECTIVE PROGRAM

1.1

The purpose of the Elective Program is to provide students with a diverse range of experiences through which they can appropriately explore their various medical interests, strengthen areas of identified weakness in knowledge, clinical skills, and/or clinical reasoning, and broaden their preparation for postgraduate training and practice.

2.0

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS FOR YEAR FOUR

2.1

There is a 4-week required Neurology Clerkship in Year Four. Additionally, two weeks have been reserved for the Doctoring Medical Humanities Clerkship, The Physician and Society.

2.1.1

Students will select their Neurology Clerkship rotation using a lottery system. NOTE: No absences or interviewing allowed during Neurology Clerkship rotations.

2.1.2

All students will take Doctoring Year Four, Medical Humanities Clerkship at the same time. NOTE: No absences or interviewing allowed during this time.

2.1.3

Additional Doctoring Curriculum requirements include the Year Four/Year Two Mentoring Program, the Year Four Geriatrics Program, and seminars to help students prepare for their role as teachers in residency.

2.2

Students must complete 30 weeks of elective credit for graduation.

2.2.1

Core Clinical Requirement: Students must have a minimum of 4 weeks each in 3 of the following clinical departments: Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery.

2.2.2

Requirement for Intensive Clinical Experience: A consecutive four-week Intensive Clinical experience (on the order of a Sub-Internship) must be completed during Year Four under the supervision of SIU faculty. The focus must be on the student functioning with increased responsibility for patient care; the faculty who is responsible for the continuity of teaching and assessment must remain the same during the entire 4-week experience. A list of approved Intensive Clinical Electives is included in the Year Four Elective Catalog. This four-week experience can count toward the Core Clinical Requirement detailed in 2.2.1 above.

2.2.3

Requirement for Basic Science Electives: Students must complete at least four weeks of Basic Science Electives. A list of approved courses can be found in the Year Four Elective Catalog under the heading Basic Science Electives.

2.2.4

Residency Requirement: On-campus credit is awarded for electives in which the student's course activities are under the immediate direction and supervision of, and evaluation by, SIU faculty (full-time, part-time, or adjunct). At least 20 weeks of electives must be taken under the supervision of SIU School of Medicine faculty. Students with military obligations may petition to have their requirement reduced to 14 weeks if it creates undue difficulty. Petitions should be submitted to Nancy McCann-Stone, Years Three and Four Coordinator, and are reviewed by the Chair of the Year Four Curriculum Committee.

2.3

All Year Four students are required to complete the Clinical Competency Examination (CCX).

2.3.1

The computer will automatically reserve on your schedule the week during which you will take the two-day Clinical Competency Examination.

2.3.2

Elective courses of two or more weeks may be taken concurrently with the CCX, but you must have the permission of the course faculty in writing before the beginning of the elective. Faculty may require that elective course time missed due to the CCX be made up by the student.

2.3.3

CCX results are reported to the Student Progress Committee (SPC).  In the event a student fails the CCX exam, the SPC will oblige a student to adjust his/her elective schedule to accommodate any recommended coursework to address the deficiencies exhibited.

2.4

All students must record a passing score on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), Step 1 and record a score for Step 2 (Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Skills). Students who do not receive a passing score for USMLE Step 1 may qualify for and receive elective credit for the Basic Science Review course up to a maximum of 7 weeks, provided all paperwork is accomplished prior to the course start date (see elective catalog description listed within the Department of Medical Education).

2.5

It is the student's responsibility to make sure s/he meets graduation requirements by the end of Year Four. Students are encouraged to avail themselves of the assistance offered by faculty advisors, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Year Four Curriculum Director, Y3/Y4 Curriculum Coordinator, and the Y3/Y4 Registrar in the Office of Education and Curriculum.

3.0

GENERAL CREDIT POLICIES

3.1

Elective courses can be full-time, half-time (mornings or afternoons), or in 5-week blocks of consecutive Thursday afternoons (Extended Electives).

3.2

Credit hours are determined by the length of the course. One credit hour (1.0) is awarded for each week of full-time approved academic activity. One-half credit hour (0.5) is awarded for each week of half-time approved academic activity and for each block (5 weeks) of extended elective time.

3.3

Full-time and half-time electives range in length from 1 to 8 weeks. Activities will not be scheduled for Thursday afternoons during full- and half-time electives so that students may participate in extended electives. Any exceptions to this policy are so noted in the course description.

3.4

Extended Elective courses range in length from 1 to 6 blocks (5 to 30 Thursday afternoons).

3.5

Elective courses begin on Mondays and end on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays, at the discretion of the faculty. Holiday time falling during elective courses is also granted at the discretion of the faculty.

3.6

Elective credit will not be awarded for any activities considered to be remediation and/or required for the satisfactory completion of a department's clerkship requirements.

3.7

Students are encouraged to successfully complete all Year Three Clerkship requirements early in Year Four to ensure both graduation requirements and any prerequisites for elective coursework are met.

3.8

Three 2-Week Option Periods have been added to the Year Three Calendar to allow Y3 students to schedule vacation, remediation, and electives. Except in special circumstances (special student status, leave of absence, or approved clerkship deferral), students may not defer Year Three clerkships to take elective courses. Clerkships must be taken as scheduled in the regular rotation.

3.9

Students may take up to four weeks of elective credit in courses under the supervision of family members.

3.11

The following filing deadlines apply to the elective program:

• Elective Registration Form: April 23, 2010
• Add/Drop Forms for all electives: ONE (1) week before course begins
• Individually-Designed Electives: THREE (3) weeks before course begins
• Extramural Electives: THREE (3) weeks before course begins

3.12

Students will not receive credit for an elective course unless they are formally enrolled before the starting date of the course.

3.13

Students are not allowed to drop an elective after it has already begun.

3.14

Requests for policy exceptions or special consideration must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Year Four Curriculum Committee no later than TWO (2) weeks prior to its expected occurrence.

3.15

Students may appeal decisions made by the Chair of the Year Four Curriculum Committee to the full Committee. Appeals must be submitted in writing no later than TWO (2) weeks prior to the meeting of the Committee. Contact Nancy McCann-Stone, Y3/Y4 Curriculum Coordinator, if you are considering submission of an appeal.

4.0

EXTENDED ELECTIVES

4.1

In order to provide time for students to engage in academic activities that require an extended period of time, Thursday afternoons during elective courses are reserved for "Extended Elective" courses.

4.2

Extended electives are offered in blocks of 5 consecutive Thursday afternoons. Credit is earned at the rate of .1 credit per afternoon. The minimum number of weeks for an extended elective is 5 weeks (1 block). Credit can only be awarded for one extended elective at a time.

4.3

Students must be on or near the Springfield campus during the time they are enrolled in an extended elective.

4.4

The Thursday afternoon release policy applies only to students enrolled in and attending an extended elective course. It does not apply to extramural electives, deferred Y3 Clerkships, Y4 Clerkships, CCX, or any other required part of the curriculum. There are some electives that do not allow Thursday afternoon release time because of clinic scheduling. These exceptions are noted in the course description. It is your responsibility to make sure your schedule does not have conflictive courses.

5.0

SPECIALTY PATHWAYS

5.1

Year Four students have the opportunity to select from a variety of residency-preparation tracks or Specialty Pathways. These models were developed by the clinical departments to assist in the student advisement process thus ensuring students have the appropriate knowledge and skill levels to begin residency programs in their fields of choice. Pathways are offered for students interested in: Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Population Health and Preventive Medicine, Psychiatry, and Surgery (including subspecialties of General Surgery, Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Plastic Surgery).

5.2

For students who have not yet selected a specialty, or who modify their chosen field of study, an 'Undeclared' path may be preferred. Students in this model will work with their Elective Advisors to develop schedules of broad-based undergraduate coursework fine-tuning clinical skills, addressing areas identified as weaknesses, and securing a comprehensive experience for residency preparedness.

5.3

When registering for initial coursework during the latter part of Year Three, students may, in concert with their Elective Advisor, choose a Pathway from which their schedule will be crafted. Pathways address some, but not all of the requirements of Year Four, so students must work closely with their Elective Advisor to ensure their schedule meets ALL Graduation Requirements.

5.4

Should a student redefine her/his career goals during the year, the previously selected Pathway may be dropped and a different specialty Pathway may be selected or the student may elect to follow the Undeclared Pathway.

5.5

With more than 200 Elective offerings from which to choose, students can explore learning experiences in a wide variety of disciplines. Elective Advisors can provide valuable counsel as students select the coursework best suited to strengthening areas of weaknesses and/or focusing on career goals.

6.0

INDIVIDUALLY-DESIGNED ELECTIVES

6.1

The Individually-Designed (ID) elective option is available to students who are interested in a course or topic for which a regular elective does not exist. The ID elective procedure is also used for elective experiences with non-SIU faculty, or at a military or other health care setting.

6.2

A student must be in good academic standing (determined by Student Progress Committee) to enroll in an elective experience with any non-SIU faculty.

6.3

You must submit a completed Approval Request for Individually-Designed or Extramural Elective form (blue) together with your proposal. The completed request and proposal must be turned in to the Y3/Y4 Registrar AT LEAST THREE (3) WEEKS prior to the start of the elective. ID Elective proposals are reviewed for approval on a case-by-case basis by the Y3/4 Coordinator and the Chair of the Year Four Curriculum Committee, and are granted elective credit if approved.

6.4

Approval Process: The signatures of the course faculty, department Elective Coordinator, and your Elective Advisor must be obtained before submitting the course proposal and signature page to Y3/Y4 Registrar, Office of Education and Curriculum. The faculty who will directly supervise and evaluate you must sign as responsible faculty. A list of the department Elective Advisors is posted on the web-site. You must provide a complete course description to the faculty, Elective Advisor, and departmental Elective Coordinator when requesting their approval. Correspondence via email directly from the faculty stating her/his approval to Y3/Y4 Registrar, Cherie Forsyth, will suffice.

6.5

The following format should be used when preparing a proposal for an Individually‑Designed elective.

Title: Choose an appropriate name for the elective.

Description: Provide a brief but detailed narrative describing the purpose, content area, activities planned, and logistics of your proposed elective experience. Include any special information or arrangements (e.g., if the experience is designed in conjunction with other experiences, community agencies or other departments, etc.) that will help us understand what you propose to do. If there is a clinical component to the course, please describe the patient care activities you will undertake and indicate the proportion of course time this will involve.

Objectives: Outline the specific learning objectives you plan to accomplish. Be realistic and practical. This section and the course description section create the information base upon which your proposal will be evaluated.

Evaluation: Describe the method(s) faculty will use to evaluate your performance (observation, written exam, oral exams, discussion with faculty, etc.). This section should parallel your activities and objectives. A minimum two-page reflective report describing what you learned and experienced during the elective is required. If this is a research elective, your report should include a project summary and abstract. If you are writing a paper for the course, you should submit that instead of a report. If there is a clinical component, you will be required to maintain and submit a patient log as well as a minimum one-page reflective report describing what you learned and experienced during the elective. The log must document the dates worked and the patients you saw. You may use the online form to maintain the patient log (See Forms -- Y4 website).

Faculty: Name of the faculty member who has agreed to supervise you in the elective. If the elective is with non-SIU faculty, provide complete mailing address, email address, and telephone number of faculty.

Dates: Indicate the length (number of weeks) of the experience and the dates when the elective will be taken.

Credits: 1 credit hour is given for each week of full-time elective activity. Indicate whether or not the experience will have a clinical component.

6.6

Individually-Designed electives with SIU faculty (full-time, part-time, or adjunct) will receive on-campus credit. An ID elective with a community preceptor who is not SIU faculty will receive off-campus credit. See Section 2.2 of these policies for information relative to the residency requirement for graduation.

6.7

Attendance and participation in professional association meetings may be eligible for elective credit depending on the academic activities/conferences involved. An Individually‑Designed Elective course proposal must be completed and submitted before the conference, and must include meeting information and schedules.

6.8

If a research elective is to involve a personal stipend, the proposal must be reviewed by the Chair of the Research Policy Committee (or Chair's designee) in addition to the Chair of the Year Four Curriculum Committee.

6.9

Individually-Designed research elective proposals for more than 12 weeks of elective credit must follow the guidelines delineated in the Medical Student Research Policy, revised January 2006. (See SIU/SOM Student Handbook).

6.10

Students MUST adhere to the deadline in submitting the appropriate documentation. Lack of attention to this detail will result in denial or reduction of course credit.

7.0

EXTRAMURAL ELECTIVES

7.1

Extramural electives are those taken at another LCME accredited medical school. A student must be in good academic standing to take an extramural elective. Academic standing is determined by the Student Progress Committee.

7.2

Prior to seeking approval for an extramural elective, the student should consult with her/his Elective Advisor for verification that the proposed elective experience is consistent with the student's career orientation and SIU policy requirements.

7.3

Approval Process: The student must submit the following items to Y3/Y4 Registrar, AT LEAST THREE (3) WEEKS prior to the course:

* A current written description of the elective (from host institution's catalog or web page), including specific learning objectives and the method of evaluation that will be used.

* A completed Approval Request for Individually-Designed or Extramural Elective form (blue) with the signatures of the appropriate department Elective Coordinator and your Elective Advisor. This form is available online or from the Y3/Y4 Registrar in the Office of Education and Curriculum. Printed e-mail verification from the faculty is acceptable in place of his/her signature.

* A letter of acceptance from the host medical school.

7.4

Evaluation -- In addition to evaluation measures designated in the course description, students are required to adhere to the following SIUSOM requirements:

A minimum two-page reflective report describing what you learned and experienced during the elective is required. If the elective has a clinical component, a one-page reflective report and patient log is required. The report should detail the experience and describe what you learned; the patient log must document the dates worked and the patients you saw. You may use the online log form (See Forms -- Year Four Website). If this is a research elective, your report should include a project summary and abstract. If you are writing a paper for the course, you should submit that instead of a report.

7.5

Students are responsible for providing sufficient information about the course activities to allow a decision to be made by the Elective Advisor, the Elective Coordinator for the department in which you are seeking credit, and the Year Four Curriculum Coordinator and Year Four Curriculum Director.

7.6

The Medical Library has a web page listing Off-Campus Medical Electives. Additionally, the Library maintains links to all the available Online Elective Catalogs.

7.7

SIU School of Medicine currently has an institutional agreement for a standing clinical elective exchange program with several foreign universities. For more information regarding participating universities, please contact Jennifer Langley, Registrar, Office of Student Affairs.

7.8

Students MUST adhere to the deadline in submitting the appropriate documentation. Lack of attention to this detail will result in denial or reduction of course credit.

8.0

ELECTIVE ADVISORS

8.1

Faculty are appointed by each clinical department to serve as Elective Advisors. Each student must select an Advisor from this list and arrange a meeting to discuss and plan his/her program of electives. Subsequent meetings should be scheduled at the discretion of the student and/or the advisor.

8.2

Elective Advisors will assist students in developing elective programs that reflect personal goals, career choices, and educational needs and interests. Although students are allowed to choose any Advisor on the list, each Clinical Department offering a Pathway has multiple Elective Advisors available to counsel students seeking advice within that professional arena.

8.3

Elective registration forms must be discussed with, and approved and signed by your Elective Advisor. These forms must be filed with Y3/Y4 Registrar, Office of Education and Curriculum, by April 23, 2010.

8.4

Advisors may view their students' schedules any time online (to access use email user name and password). Schedules are updated daily.

8.5

Although Elective Advisors, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Year Four Director, Y3/Y4 Curriculum Coordinator and the Y3/Y4 Registrar in the Office of Education and Curriculum should be consulted for assistance, students are responsible for making sure their elective coursework meets all graduation requirements.

9.0

MD/JD DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

9.1

Students in the MD/JD Dual Degree Program must take at least 14 weeks (credit hours) of the elective coursework specifically designated for this program.

9.2

The MD/JD Dual Degree Program candidates may select from a broad array of electives to allow students to select coursework consistent with their personal interests.

9.3

MD/JD students must have their electives program approved by Mr. Ross Silverman as their MD/JD Dual Degree Program advisor, in addition to their Elective Advisor.

9.4

MD/JD courses are open only to students in the MD/JD Dual Degree Program.

10.0

ELECTIVE ENROLLMENT POLICIES

10.1

Students must be officially enrolled in an elective course PRIOR to its starting date in order to receive elective credit.

10.2

Under no circumstance will credit be awarded for activities completed prior to the official enrollment date.

10.3

Students MUST follow elective enrollment policies or procedures, including completing required documentation and fulfilling course prerequisites. Lack of attention to this detail will result in denial or reduction of course credit.

10.5

A student CANNOT enroll in more than the equivalent of 1 full-time and 1 extended elective course at any one time.

10.6

Extended electives CANNOT be taken during Year Three or Year Four clerkships or other required curriculum segments in Year Four.

10.7

An elective course may be repeated for credit with the approval of the course faculty and the student's Elective Advisor, provided that the student's schedule is projected to meet all graduation requirements. Any student on the waiting list to take that course will be given first consideration.

10.8

In order to extend the duration of an Individually-Designed elective, the student must submit a report justifying the extension and describing which objectives and activities will be continued. The course faculty, Elective Advisor, and the Chair of the Year Four Curriculum Committee must approve the extension. The request must be submitted two (2) weeks prior to the date said extension would begin.

10.9

Students may appeal decisions made by the Chair of the Year Four Curriculum Committee to the full Committee. Appeals must be submitted in writing no later than two (2) weeks prior to the meeting of the Committee. Contact Nancy McCann-Stone, Years Three and Four Coordinator, for assistance if you wish to submit an appeal.

11.0

ELECTIVE ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES

11.1

The elective period for Year Four begins July 6, 2010 and continues until Graduation, May 21, 2011. If necessary for completion of graduation requirements, students may continue with elective coursework past Graduation Day (until July 31).

11.2

Students will select an Elective Advisor from the list and meet with her/him by early April of their third year to begin planning their Y4 elective program.

11.3

To complete the elective registration form, students should first identify their Neurology Clerkship rotation, then all experiences requiring specific time assignments, such as remedial clerkship requirements, Extramural Electives, Individually-Designed Electives, and desired vacation weeks. These are given priority in the student's schedule. Keep in mind that the more specific time assignments you request, the less flexibility the computer will have for scheduling your other courses.

11.4

Students are advised to leave the week prior to Graduation clear so that an additional week of credit can be added at a later time, if necessary, to meet graduation requirements.

11.5

Students should then indicate elective course choices IN ORDER OF PRIORITY. Priority refers to the importance of the elective to the student, not the calendar order in which they will be taken. Electives are scheduled by computer as available by matching a student's priority listing with the weeks in which those courses are offered, until all weeks in a student's schedule are assigned. Some electives may be unavailable due to over-subscription or scheduling conflicts. Therefore, a student should give careful consideration to his/her priority listing to ensure maximum success in the matching process.

11.6

To avoid overlap of courses, uniform start times have been established for electives. Generally, the following will apply:

11.7

Your Elective Advisor must approve and sign your completed registration form. Completed and approved forms must be received in the Office of Education and Curriculum, by Cherie Forsyth, Y3/Y4 Registrar, no later than April 23, 2010.

11.8

After the computer generates the schedules, the Y3/Y4 Registrar will work with you to resolve conflicts and make any necessary schedule revisions prior to the start of the elective period.

12.0

SCHEDULE CHANGE (ADD/DROP) DURING YEAR FOUR

12.1

A student should consult with her/his Elective Advisor prior to making any significant schedule change in order to verify that the proposed revision is educationally sound and consistent with graduation requirements.

12.2

It is strongly recommended that students begin the schedule change process at least one month in advance of the course date out of consideration for faculty time and effort and to ensure that necessary faculty consent and paperwork can be completed and filed on time.

12.3

Students may change their schedules by filing a signed Add/Drop form (see forms section) with the Y3/Y4 Registrar, Office of Education and Curriculum. The Add/Drop form requires the signed agreement of the faculty for the course(s) being added and/or dropped. The student is responsible for collecting these signatures. An email approval from faculty will also suffice.

12.4

A student is not officially enrolled in a course unless an Add/Drop form, complete with all required signatures, or an e-mail approval from the faculty, is filed with the Y3/Y4 Registrar, Office of Education and Curriculum, by 8:00 AM on the Monday prior to the elective start date.

12.5

Students must complete the appropriate documentation by the deadline in order to be officially enrolled in a course. Lack of attention to this detail will result in denial or reduction of course credit.

12.6

Students may not drop an elective after it has begun.

13.0

ATTENDANCE

13.1

Attendance is required at all scheduled course activities unless they are specifically designated as optional. The Policy for Student Work Hours During Elective Coursework shall apply to all electives taken in Years Three and Four.

13.2

Only students enrolled in an extended elective course will be released on Thursday afternoon to participate in extended elective course activities. Extended elective sessions will be held ONLY on Thursday afternoon. It is the student's responsibility to inform faculty that s/he is enrolled in an extended elective and arrange schedules accordingly to be released on Thursday afternoon. There are some courses, which do not grant time off on Thursday afternoon, and this is so noted in the course description. This policy applies to elective courses in or near Springfield only, and does not apply to required courses or activities (Deferred Y3 Clerkships, Doctoring and Neurology Clerkships, CCX), clerkship remediations, or extramural electives.

13.3

Ample time has been built into the elective year to allow students to arrange interviews for residency programs without interfering with their elective course work. It is expected that students will schedule their residency interviews during vacation weeks.

13.4

Elective course faculty may approve brief absences during their elective, but are not required to do so. Any request must be made in advance, and with as much notice as possible. At the discretion of the faculty, students may be required to make up any missed work and/or be assigned additional work in order to receive credit for the elective.

13.5

Unexcused absences, excessive absences, or failure to complete required make-up work may result in an unsatisfactory grade or reduced credit for the course.

13.6

No interviews can be scheduled during CCX or required Clerkships (Neurology and Doctoring Medical Humanities).

14.0

EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE

14.1

Faculty will evaluate the performance of each student enrolled in their elective course(s).

14.2

The Y3/Y4 Registrar in the Office of Education and Curriculum distributes Student Performance Evaluation Forms to the responsible faculty during the final week of each elective. Faculty are expected to complete and return the evaluations to Y3/Y4 Registrar, within 6 weeks after the end of the elective. The evaluations are recorded and then placed in the student's file in the Office of Student Affairs.

14.3

Credit is given for all courses completed satisfactorily upon receipt of BOTH the Student Performance Evaluation (from faculty) AND the Student Evaluation of Elective (from student).

14.4

Any unsatisfactory grade in an elective course is referred to the Student Progress Committee for consideration. If a student disagrees with a performance evaluation submitted by the responsible faculty, s/he should, as a first step, discuss the matter with the faculty. The faculty member may submit a revised evaluation form as a result of that discussion; however, if a consensus is not reached, the student may follow the formal Grade Review Process. Students will be notified via email when an elective evaluation has been entered; this computer-generated reminder will provide a link to the Grade Review Process which delineates the procedure to be followed if s/he chooses that course of action.

14.5

Any elective that is started must be completed. Any elective not completed by the student's date of graduation will be recorded on the final transcript as "Unsatisfactory" and will remain on the student's permanent transcript. When applying for licensure in any state, the Medical School is required to submit paperwork to the state that includes information regarding any unsatisfactory ratings or behavioral concerns. Many states will require your physical presence before the licensing board to explain such ratings. On many occasions, this review process delays receipt of your license (and thus delays your ability to start residency). This could occur each time an application for licensure is made in your future career. Any application you make must also include this information. A discrepancy in what you submit and what the medical school submits may automatically trigger this process.

14.6

All elective courses taken are listed on the student's permanent transcript along with the appropriate performance evaluation: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.

15.0

COURSE FEEDBACK

15.1

Students must evaluate each elective course as a learning experience. A Student Evaluation of Elective form for this purpose can be found on the Education and Curriculum website. Follow the directions given for submission. You will not receive credit for the course until your feedback is received.

15.2

Elective feedback is compiled anonymously by the Office of Education and Curriculum. Faculty will not see the individual student feedback forms, nor will student names be released to faculty without a student's permission.

15.3

Compiled feedback reports are sent in aggregate to Elective Coordinators, responsible faculty, and Department Chairs at the end of the academic year for use in evaluating and revising their elective courses.

15.4

A copy of the compiled student course feedback is kept on reserve at the circulation desk in the library and online (password protected) for use by students in planning their elective program (See Year Four Website).

16.0

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

While faculty members offering electives are responsible for planning course activities that will enable students to meet their educational objectives, students also have responsibilities in planning and executing their elective programs.

16.1

It is ultimately the student's responsibility to make sure s/he meets graduation requirements by the end of Year Four. Assistance with this process is offered by faculty advisors, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Year Four Curriculum Director, Y3/Y4 Curriculum Coordinator, and the Y3/Y4 Registrar in the Office of Education and Curriculum.

16.2

Diplomas will not be awarded until all graduation requirements are met. Students may continue to work towards completion of graduation requirements after Graduation Day, if necessary (until July 31).

16.3

Students are expected to conduct themselves at all times according to the School of Medicine Honor Code. This code can be found in its entirety in the Student Progress System (SPS) Document.

16.4

Students are responsible for attendance at all scheduled course activities. Attendance and effort should meet or exceed faculty expectations. Approval for any needed absences should be requested from course faculty in a timely manner. Faculty are not required to approve or award credit for periods of student absence.

16.5

Students are responsible for filing all required forms and documentation by the appropriate deadlines with the Y3/Y4 Registrar. Verbal discussion of extramural plans and schedule changes with Y3/Y4 Registrar, although advisable, does not relieve you of your responsibility for the completion of all necessary paperwork on a timely basis. Lack of attention to this detail will result in denial or reduction of course credit.

16.6

Students wishing to petition the Year Four Curriculum Committee for special consideration or waiver of policy must do so in writing. Petitions should be submitted to Nancy McCann-Stone, Years Three and Four Coordinator, Office of Education and Curriculum, TWO (2) weeks PRIOR to the Committee meeting. The Year Four Curriculum Committee meets at 1:00 PM on the first Monday of every month.

17.0

MONITORING STUDENT LAPSES IN NON-COGNITIVE BEHAVIORS

To track student performance in the area of non-cognitive behaviors during electives and required curricular components during Year Four, a system for Monitoring Student Lapses in Non-Cognitive Behaviors During Electives has been adopted by the Year Four Curriculum Committee. This system is fundamentally consistent with the process established in Years One, Two and Three. The complete Policy is available for review on the Year Four website. This procedure will be followed if concerns regarding non-cognitive behaviors are observed during electives; therefore, students are encouraged to become familiar with the process as delineated in the comprehensive document and supporting forms. Please note that failure to follow the Policies and Procedures as outlined in this document may be cause for completion of an Early Concerns Note.

It is anticipated that instances requiring the implementation of an Early Concerns Note will be rare; however, if circumstances occur that merit such a level of intervention, this process is intended to identify and address these deficiencies. The overarching goal of this system will be that of assisting students to recognize and remedy areas of deficiencies in non‑cognitive behaviors prior to Graduation.