General Responsibility as Clerkship Medical Students
Attendance Policy
On Call Policy
Behavioral Expectations
Professionalism
Optional Learning Opportunities
Medical students assume a dual role in their
clerkship. One is that of a student. As a medical student you are
acquiring the skills, experience, and expertise to assume the level of
clinical responsibility of a resident and, later, an attending. In the
capacity of a student you are offered various educational opportunities
(lectures, PCM-3, SPPAM, etc) that are allowed to take precedence to your
usual clinical responsibilities. It is up to you to take advantage of
these opportunities as you assume responsibility for your medical
education.
The second role in the clerkship is as a member of the treatment team in the care of patients. In this capacity, you are a professional. As a professional you have an obligation to contribute toward the optimal functioning of the treatment team in the care of the patients. This requires continual communication with your service (typically your resident) so that your availability for clinical assignments is maximized. It also may require flexibility in your personal schedule according to what is happening on your service at the time.
Attendance Policy
- Attendance 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 4th Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving** (including the Friday after designated as "President's Day" and the weekend that follows)
- Martin Luther King Day
** 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.
Students who need additional interpretation of this policy are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Affairs.
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On Call Policy
- Switching call is discouraged. If a switch in necessary, find a student willing to switch. Both students involved are required to email the clerkship coordinator aandel@lumc.edu at least ONE WEEK in advance of the call.
You must switch a Saturday or Sunday for a Saturday or Sunday. Mondays through
Fridays are exchangeable (except if it interferes with SPPAM). Remember, it is your responsibility to make sure that you have yourself covered and that you have done so in a timely manner.
- On call student attire need not be as formal as during the day, but should not be overly casual. Please use your common sense. Scrubs are not to be worn.
- A call report is to be turned in each time you are on call. These reports are helpful in determining the types and numbers of patients seen and the amount and quality of teaching done by the residents.
Turn in your call reports promptly to the Clerkship Coordinator.
- You are to remain in the hospital for the duration of your assigned call. It is not acceptable to split the call with another student. It is not acceptable to go home because “it was slow” or to be unavailable during any portion of call.
- After call if a student is too tired to safely drive home, he or she should not drive. Instead they should get a cab from American Taxi (847-671-1133).
The receipt can be brought to Amy Andel for reimbursement. If there is need to take a cab back the next day because their car was left at school, the student should also bring that receipt for reimbursement. These reimbursements will be monitored to assure appropriate use of the system. The student's safety is paramount and students are encouraged to be safe and responsible, not to tough it out.
- .Any irregularities in student reporting for on call duty or on call availability may, at the discretion of the Clerkship Director, result in making up the on call assignment and may have an effect on the student's clinical floor grade. Failure to complete the on call requirements will result in remediation of the call by the student. Failure to remediate the call will result in an incomplete clerkship and will be reported to the Dean's Office.
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Professionalism
- Patient Logs
You are advised to keep up your pocket cards daily and enter them in the computer weekly. On Friday of week three, it is required that your patient log be up to date. It will be evaluated that day to monitor your exposure to a diverse range of psychopathology. You must review your patient log (yellow card) with your supervising attending. Two weeks after the exam your log will be locked, and you will no longer be able to enter data. If you have not completed your log before that time, your clerkship competency
"professionalism" will be marked as "meets with concerns."
- Keys
The VA and Madden developed a policy that you will not pass the rotation until your keys are returned to the administrative office.
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Behavioral Expectations
- Loyola University Chicago is committed to maintaining and environment that respects the dignity of all individuals. Accordingly, the Stritch School of Medicine does not tolerate mistreatment by or of its students, faculty, and staff. Our mission requires respect among all individuals, the creation and maintenance of a positive learning environment, and a consciousness to model standards of behavior that are consistent with the Catholic and Jesuit heritage of our institution.
- To maintain a positive learning environment, the following behaviors by medical students are considered unprofessional and unacceptable:
- physical and verbal intimidation;
- lying, cheating, and fabricating information;
- sexual harassment and patterns of sexual innuendo; and
- discriminatory actions based on race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion.
- Among the faculty and house staff there is no tolerance for:
- physical or verbal intimidation;
- sexual harassment and innuendo;
- abusive comments related to personal characteristics of another (race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion);
- insulting or belittling remarks in any situation, especially when dealing with individuals who are trying to learn and may not know the answer; and
- allowing medical students and house staff under your supervision to verbally or physically intimidate, abuse, sexually harass, insult, or belittle another person.
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What should medical students do if mistreatment occurs?
Medical students may be reluctant to discuss mistreatment for fear of reprisal; yet they often desire that alleged mistreatment incidents undergo proper investigation. To address student concerns, Stritch provides informal channels through which students may discuss their concerns and receive counseling. During the psychiatry clerkship students need to bring their concerns directly to the clerkship director. Confidentiality will be respected as much as possible and serious efforts will be made to insure the student's grade is not negatively impacted by an incident. There are also formal reporting mechanisms through which complaints are investigated and appropriate remedies applied
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