Attendance Policy

Excerpt from SSOM Academic Policy Manual

Section on Attendance, No Class Days, Absences

Year 3 and Year 4

Attendance is mandatory in Patient Centered Medicine courses, clinical clerkships, and any other courses or course components where attendance is announced as required. (Note “No Class Days” and “Absences” sections below.)

Students are eligible for regularly scheduled vacation periods according to the official academic calendar.
Additional discretionary time may also be possible within the student's schedule as stipulated in the published policies of the clerkship track system.
M3 and M4 students must file an Application for Discretionary Time with the Office of Registration and Records in advance for approval of any one week period during which they wish to not be enrolled in full-time courses.
Complete policies governing availability of discretionary time in Year 3 and Year 4 are published in the Elective Course Catalog.

Absences

Any length of absence from any required activity or course/clerkship component may need to be made up at the discretion of the Course Director according to the form and/or format specified by the department (see additional information below).

Unexpected/Emergency Absences

During years three and four, any unexpected absence due to illness or other serious emergency requires prompt notification by the student to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designate and to the clerkship/elective director. This notification constitutes a request for an excused absence due to a legitimate extenuating reason. Student Affairs will alert the clerkship or elective department of the absence if the student is unable to do so.

Examinations or other required academic activities that are missed may be made up only if the Associate Dean for Student Affairs has granted permission for the absence. Illness requires written documentation from the Student Health Service and/or the student’s physician.

Non-Emergent Absences

Attendance is mandatory and petitions for approved absences for non-emergent reasons are reviewed and a decision is made to approve the request or not. A student must have a serious reason for an excused absence in years three and four (e.g. wedding of a sibling, research presentation, etc). Should a student have a serious reason for wishing to take a day or two off, a written petition must be submitted at least one month prior to the start of the clerkship or elective in which the absence would occur. The petition detailing the nature of the conflict should be sent to all of the following individuals: 1) clerkship or elective director, 2) the clerkship staff coordinator (if it is during a required clerkship/subinternship) and 3) the associate dean for student affairs or designate. Any available supporting documentation should be attached (such as a copy of a jury summons, invitation to present a poster, etc). A petition for permission to be absent is a request and requires review and is not automatically approved simply by submission. By notifying the relevant school offices at least one month in advance, the student's clerkship specialty service and call schedule can be considered or adjusted to minimize the affect of any days off. The student will be notified if permission has been granted. Non-emergency absences not requested at least a month in advance of the start of the clinical course cannot be accommodated.

No Class Days

Students should refer to the official academic calendar for the dates that these holidays are scheduled at Stritch for a particular year. Students are excused from courses, clerkships, and electives, except as noted below, on the following days. Weekends following or preceding a "No Class" holiday are not usually excused or free days for clinical students except as noted in the No Class Day entries or Exceptions section below.

Match Day (M4 students only)
Good Friday* through Easter Sunday inclusive
Memorial Day*
July 4^th Independence Day*
Labor Day*
Thanksgiving** (including the Friday after designated as "President's Day" and the weekend that follows)
Loyola's "President's Day" (which is the day after Thanksgiving and the weekend that follows)

*If a clinical student is on call the day prior, he/she is excused by 10:00 pm.

** Clinical students will not be on call on the prior Wednesday.

Exceptions

Clinical students could be on duty or on call on the Saturday and Sunday that precedes or follows no class days listed above except as follow:

Students registered in required clerkships and electives at Loyola University Hospital or affiliated sites will not be on duty or on call on the Saturday and Sunday that immediately follow Good Friday and Thanksgiving.
Except for Thanksgiving Day, students on required subinternships at Loyola University Hospital or affiliated sites could be on call on No Class Days if it is their scheduled turn on call and, in the opinion of the Course Director, taking call is in the best interest of patient care and educational intent.

Special notes:

St. Luke's Day is celebrated in October on a date announced in the official academic calendar. Class schedules on this day may be modified to permit special events that mark this Loyola tradition.

On holidays designated by the Veterans Administration Hospital (Columbus Day, US Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day), students must attend with their assigned service.

Students who need additional interpretation of this policy are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Affairs.

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