Students scheduled for clinic rotations a minimum of two days per week will qualify for 1 clinic day of personal leave during that semester. Personal leave will be defined as any single day taken in relation to illness, child or family care, quarantine/isolation procedures, personal reasons, etc. If utilized during the semester, it does not supersede or waive clinical paperwork obligations, which still must be completed by deadlines identified in the course syllabus. Additionally, students may not receive these hours “back” after the conclusion of the semester’s available make-up time as a means of making up deficits in clinical paperwork or other assignments. The 1 clinic day allotment does not rollover from semester to semester nor can it be used from future semesters’ allotment. Additionally, leave taken for religious holidays or reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities is governed by a separate policy. Students must notify the Clinic Coordinator AND the clinic site of the absence prior to the scheduled time of their rotation. Absence from a clinic rotation occurs when a student misses any portion of a scheduled clinic rotation. Email communication of absences is required to the clinical coordinator. Clinic sites/preceptors should be contacted by phone and a voice message left if staff is not available. If the Clinic Coordinator and the clinic site/preceptor are not notified about the absence, a Zerograde will be issued without a warning and the student will be required to make up the missed time. When absences are known in advance, the student should provide advance notification.
The 1 clinic day of personal leave only applies to time in the clinic site during scheduled clinic hours. It cannot be used to miss clinic discussion, seminars, practice laboratories, etc. When absences occur for clinic discussion, seminars, and practice laboratories, or when the student misses clinic time beyond the 1 clinic day of personal leave, then the absence must be made up with equivalent time and similar a missed activity. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for make-up with the Clinic Coordinator in advance of completing any make-up time or activities. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in a Zerograde that could impact the final clinic course grade.
It is up to the discretion of the Program Director and Clinic Coordinator to offer an incomplete grade (“I”) if the student misses a considerable amount of time that cannot be made up prior to the deadline identified in the course syllabus. The incomplete grade will allow the student to make the missed time up between academic semesters. When possible, the student should begin making up missed time before the next semester begins. In some instances, due to the sequential nature of the MIRS curriculum, students may not be able to progress at the normal pace if they miss more clinic time than can be made up between academic semesters, regardless of reason. In this case, the curriculum delay may postpone the student’s graduation date.
If the student has missed clinic time that cannot be made up during the regular semester (or between semesters), the student will earn one Zerograde reduction to the final course grade for each occurrence of clinic absence that cannot be made up.
Make-up time is not required if a student has been authorized to be absent for attendance at an approved professional meeting. The student must fulfill all requirements specified in advance by the faculty for attendance at the meeting in order to be exempt from make-up of clinic time.
When absence from clinic assignments is authorized by the Clinic Coordinator in the final months of the program for employment interviews and similar activities, students are not required to make-up the missed clinic time. The maximum number of hours that may be excused for this purpose is 8 hours. Absences exceeding this limit must be made-up according to department policy.
