Download Psychiatry Clerkship BCC 7150 2004 - 2005 Course Syllabus

Psychiatry
Clerkship
BCC 7150
Lawrence Mobley, M.D., Education
Director
[email protected]
(850) 494-5939
2004 - 2005 Course Syllabus
Course Description
The Psychiatry Clerkship is a six week clinical course that provides students with a solid
foundation in the fundamentals of diagnosing and treating Mental Illness. All the Major
Psychiatric Diagnostic Categories will be covered in the clerkship including the Affective
Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Psychotic Disorders and Personality Disorders. The course
will emphasize the development of the clinical skills necessary to appropriately diagnose,
treat and refer patients with mental health disorders. When appropriate, correlating clinical
science material with the basic science will be accomplished. The course will mainly be
delivered by clerkship teaching faculty in an Outpatient setting (70%). The rest will be
delivered in the Inpatient setting (30%). In the outpatient setting students will not only
observe, but be directly involved in patient care under the direct supervision of a clerkship
faculty member. Students will also follow some patients in the Inpatient setting, in order to
get an appreciation for the range of the severity of mental illness, and also the treatment
options available. Clerkship directors at the regional campuses will meet with students at
least once every other week for teaching, case presentation, evaluation and feedback. In
addition a core didactic curriculum which is self study based, will cover those topics
deemed essential or topics that may not get covered in any other venue. These will
include the weekly readings as well as the self study modules designed by the education
director. In addition students will have available the DxR Clinician software as an
additional self study tool. Student's CDCS logbooks will be monitored on a regular basis
(weekly) to ensure that they are meeting the psychiatry clerkship requirements. The
criteria used in determining the final grade are the clinical evaluations and the National
Board Subject examination. See grading policy.
Course Faculty
Course Education Director: Lawrence Mobley M.D.
Eileen Venable M.D.Clerkship Director Tallahassee
Tallahassee Campus
Campus
Ellen Berkowitz M.D.
Clerkship
John Bailey M.D.
Faculty
Peter Debelius-Enemark M.D.
Rafael Gomez M.D.
Faisal Munasifi M.D.
Dennis Platt M.D.
Mark Strickland M.D.
Thu Thai M.D.
Krishna Uppu M.D.
Eileen Venable M.D.
Paul Zislis M.D.
Robert Miles M.D.
Josefina Baluga M.D.
Florida State
Leonardo Salazar
Hospital
M.D.
Sara Tirumalasetty
M.D.
Charles Meyer, Jr
Thomasville
M.D.
Faculty
Leslie Parsons M.D.
Herndon Harding M.D. Clerkship Director Orlando
Campus
Herndon Harding M.D.
Luis Allen M.D.
Orlando
Campus
Clerkship Scott Farmer M.D.
Faculty
Scott West M.D.
Segundo Imbert M.D.
Carlos Ruiz M.D.
Lawrence Mobley M.D. Clerkship Director Pensacola
Campus
Lawrence Mobley M.D.
Robin Barnett M.D.
Jacob Cruz M.D.
Pensacola
Campus
Clerkship Doug Fraser M.D.
Faculty
Chuck Iserman, M.D.
Raul Jimenez M.D.
Jose Montes M.D.
Kevin Sanders. M.D.
Course Objectives
By the completion of the Clerkship, the student will be expected to:
1. Knowledge Objectives:
a. Demonstrate knowledge of the categories of a complete history, specifically the
important aspects of the past psychiatric history, substance abuse history, developmental
history and social history.
b. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic mental status exam and basic vocabulary used to
accurately describe patient symptoms.
c. Demonstrate the criteria A knowledge of the following disorders:
Major Depression
Dysthymia
Bipolar Disorder
Adjustment Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Social Phobia
Substance Dependency
Substance Abuse
Schizophrenia
Dementia
d. Demonstrate familiarity with the basic classes and categories of psychopharmacologic
agents by summarizing the basic mechanisms of action, common side effects, drug
interactions, and contraindication for the following types of medications.
Anxiolytics
Antidepressants (and ECT)
Antipsychotic
Mood stabilizing agents
Anticholinergics
Others, including beta blockers, stimulants, and commonly used alternative and
complementary preparations (e.g., St. John's Wort).
e. Demonstrate the ability to state the indications for neuropsychiatric testing and the
usefulness of psychiatric medication monitoring (e.g. tricyclic antidepressant blood level
monitoring, appropriate use of CT, MRI, PET scans & appropriate screening and side
effect monitoring blood tests such as CBC, LFT'S, TSH, BUN/Cr,).
f. Demonstrate knowledge of the Diagnostic Statistics Manual and how to use it.
g. Demonstrate the knowledge of evidence based resources, an attitude that supports their
utilization, and an ability to use appropriate information sources to solve clinically relevant
psychiatric problems.
h. Using principles of population health and epidemiology identify common medical
conditions that may present with psychiatric illness.
i. Demonstrate knowledge of psychiatric symptoms that should in general require
immediate hospitalization, emergency room visit or psychiatric consultation.
j. Demonstrate knowledge of the top risk factors for suicidal and homicidal completion.
k. Demonstrate the knowledge of basic assessment and treatment plan factors for abuse
victims of all ages.
l. Demonstrate the knowledge of the epidemiology of the most common psychiatric
disorders seen in a primary care doctor's office.
m. Demonstrate knowledge of the three clusters of personality disorders and which
disorders go into each cluster (e.g. Clusters A, B &C).
n. Demonstrate specific knowledge and understanding of the borderline personality
disorder patient.
o. Demonstrate the knowledge of the epidemiology of the most common psychiatric
disorders in children.
p. Demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of human growth and development and how
pathologic psychiatric symptoms differ from symptoms that are developmentally
appropriate.
q. Demonstrate the knowledge of the epidemiology of the most common psychiatric
disorders in the elderly.
r. Identify resources in the community and indicate how patients may be referred and what
the referral criteria are.
s. Demonstrate knowledge of barriers to psychiatric care in Florida and across the U.S.
t. Demonstrate important and relevant ethical and legal considerations when dealing with
individuals who may not be competent or be able to make appropriate decisions for them.
u. Identifying important cultural and ethnic differences in Major Psychiatric Disorders that
have evidence based differences in either identification or treatment.
2. Skills
a. Demonstrate the ability to conduct an interview and exam on a patient with psychiatric
symptoms in an empathetic and efficient manner.
b. Demonstrate the appropriate verbal and written communication skills to discuss mental
status exam results with a colleague or other health professional.
c. Demonstrate skills in collecting symptoms and using the DSM to make an appropriate
diagnosis.
d. Demonstrate the ability to discuss with a colleague or other health professional, or a
patient on the importance of psychotropic and or/ psychotherapy in a patients well being.
e. Demonstrate the ability to discuss with a colleague ethical issues and/or considerations
(i.e. DNR's, Withdrawal of Care, and Involuntary Treatment) regarding patient care.
f. Demonstrate skills in assessing patients and formulating appropriate treatment plans for
patients with psychiatric illness.
g. Demonstrate through written and oral communications, either in telephone
conversation, face to face meeting or through written orders/instructions an appropriate
referral for psychiatric care.
h. Demonstrate skills in assessing these patients and formulating appropriate treatment
plans.
i. Based on interview and exam, determine if a patient has a medical problem or a
psychiatric illness.
j. Demonstrate the ability to make a mandatory reporting on a victim abuse patient.
k. Demonstrate the ability of discussing with colleagues, other health professionals and
patients the appropriate resources both online and in paper version to get evidence based
facts on psychiatry and psychiatric disorders as well as complimentary medicines used for
these conditions.
l. Demonstrate the skill of applying the knowledge of counter transference to help with
appropriate patient physician interactions.
3. Attitudes and behaviors
a. Demonstrate an appreciation of the difference between a disorder and a disease.
b. Demonstrate an attitude that supports the use of Evidence based resources for
Psychiatric Discussions.
c. Demonstrate the ability to recognize the limitations of one's ability to diagnoses and
treat mental illness, and subsequently the situations when it is necessary to make
appropriate referrals to avoid the potential to under diagnosis or sub optimally treat patients
in a primary care setting.
d. Demonstrate an understanding of the social conditions, physical limitations and
environmental situations that may limit an elderly patient's psychiatric care (e.g. including
access/treatment/& delivery).
e. Demonstrate an understanding of the biases in the health care arena, social arena and
legal arena for patient with psychiatric illness and victims of abuse.
f. Demonstrate an awareness of common attitudes to patients with psychiatric care.
Discuss the real life obstacles to patients who have been diagnosed with psychiatric
disorders, or have been hospitalized in a psychiatric unit.
g. Demonstrate the appropriate attitude to patients who may express extreme emotion to a
physician.
h. Demonstrate an attitude that shows the students understanding of the importance of why
mental status observations are used.
i. Demonstrate an ability to recognize ones own attitude regarding mental health.
Course Requirements for Required number of patients seen by diagnostic category.
A list of diagnosis and projected patient encounters were developed for the third year
psychiatry clerkship. The kinds of patients, their numbers and the kind of exposure (new
patient or follow up), were first considered on the basis of the clerkship objectives, and
objectives of the FSU-COM. The CDCS data was reviewed, and it was determined that
adequate patient numbers existed at all of our clinical sites to meet the objectives of the
clerkships. Finally, upon consultation between the Psychiatry clerkship directors at each
site, a final list was made of the patient conditions that all students would be expected to
see, and the minimum numbers of these that the student should encounter.
Appropriate exposure to various kinds of patients needed to meet clerkship objectives is
assured by scheduling patients with specific presentations/conditions for student encounters
and by the monitoring of patient encounters on a weekly basis utilizing the CDCS
electronic patient encounter system. If a targeted condition is not encountered by the
student by the end of week 4, an alternative experience will be arranged.
The list is as follows:
Diagnosis
Total Number
of Patients
Number of
New Patients
Number of
Follow-up
Patients
Major Depression/Dysthymia
10
4
6
Bipolar Disorder
4
2
2
6
3
3
Panic Disorder
2
1
1
Schizophrenia/Psychotic disorders
4
2
2
ADHD adult/child
1
0
1
Substance Disorders
3
1
2
Personality Disorders
2
0
2
Dementia
2
1
1
Generalized Anxiety
Disorder/Anxiety Disorders (OCD)
For students that are not meeting the minimum numbers any one of many plans may be
implemented to ensure that students get the appropriate experience. These plans may
include; reassigning the student to a different faculty, finding specific patients of another
faculty for the student to see, seeing a standardized patient of that type, doing a
computer(dxr) or paper based case and or/reading on a patient of that type.
Required Reading
Synopsis of Psychiatry. Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. Ninth edition, Saddock,
B.J., and Sadock V.A. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003. (electronic resource)
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR). 4th edition.
American Psychiatric Press. 2000. ISBN 0890420254
Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders Compendium 2002.
American Psychiatric Association. Washington D.C. 2002. ISBN 0-89042-321-0
Essentials of Clinical Psychiatry. 3rd edition, Hilty, D.M., Hales, R.E., and Yudofsky S.C.,
American Psychiatric Press, 1999.
The following are the specific pages and readings required during the rotation.
Week 1
DSM-IV-TR:
Pages 345-428 "Mood Disorders",
Pages 597-622, 630-644, "Sleep Disorders",
NOTES: For "Mood disorders":(Focus on the BOX's with the DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA.
Also read the text which talks about associated features, culture, age, gender, course and
differential diagnosis).
NOTES: For "Sleep disorders":(Focus on Primary insomnia, Hypersomnia, Narcolepsy,
Sleep Apnea and the Parasomnias.)
Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry,
Pages 565-572, "Pharmacotherapy of Mood Disorders"
Pages 756-781, "Sleep Disorders"
Also see link to self study modules for this week
Week 2
DSM-IV-TR:
Pages 429-484 "Anxiety Disorders"
NOTES: For "Anxiety disorders":(Focus on the BOX's with the DIAGNOSTIC
CRITERIA. Also read the text which talks about associated features, culture, age, gender,
course and differential diagnosis).
Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry,
Pages 606-609, 622-623, 634-636.
Also see link to self study modules for this week.
Week 3
DSM-IV-TR:
Pages 297-343 "Schizophrenia and Related Disorders"
NOTES: For "Schizophrenia disorders":(Focus on the BOX's with the DIAGNOSTIC
CRITERIA. Also read the text which talks about associated features, culture, age, gender,
course and differential diagnosis).
Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry,
Pages 497-502
Also see link to self study modules for this week.
Week 4
DSM-IV-TR:
Pages 192-209 "General Info on Substance Disorders"
Pages 212-223 "Specific Info on Alcohol Disorders"
Pages 135-161 "Criteria for Delirium and Dementia"
NOTES: For "Substance disorders":(Focus on the BOX's with the DIAGNOSTIC
CRITERIA for Dependence, Abuse, Withdrawal). Than focus study on ETOH. All other
drugs are similarly classified.
APA Practice Guidelines
Pages 218-220. "Etoh Withdrawal and Treatment"
Week 5
Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry,
Pages 339-341 "Delirium/Dementia"
DSM-IV-TR:
Pages 685-689 "General Personality Disorders"
Pages 706-710 "Borderline"
Pages 711-714 "Histrionic"
Pages 714-717 "Narcissistic"
Pages 721-725 "Dependant"
Pages 725-729 "Obsessive"
Pages 485-511 "Somatoform Disorders"
Pages 513-517 "Fictitious Disorder"
Pages 739 "Malingering"
NOTES: For "Personality Disorders", focus mostly on the "gestalt" of the disorder. DO
NOT MEMORIZE THE SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR EACH DISORDER.
NOTES: Boards always have 2-3 questions on the difference between Fictitious Disorder
and Malingering. The easiest way to read 5 pages, and get two board questions right.
Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry,
Page 810 "Borderline Personality Disorder"
Also see link to self study modules for this week.
Week 6
Readings: Therapy:
Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry,
Pages: 924, Table 35.1-1: p928 Table 35.1-3. Table 35.1-4,p932 Table 35.2-3, 35.2-4,
35.2-6: p935 table 35.3-1,p936 35, pp949 Table 35.5-1 p954 Table 35.6-2 pp 957 table
35.7-3 pp 959 Table 35.7
Readings: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry,
1157-1160 entire reading...look at tests to recognize what they test for..., 12271229treatment only, 1234 treatment section,1237-1238 Treatment only
Teaching and Learning Methods
COURSE COMPONENTS
Self-Study Modules: The majority of the student learning that takes place outside the
clinical experience will be in the form of self study. A set of 5-6 modules each week has
been developed by the education director. Each module takes about 10 minutes to
complete. Modules consist of fill in the blank readings, and one board style question to
complete. The self study modules are related to the content areas to be studied during the
week. Students will be responsible for identifying personal gaps in knowledge and attempt
to find the information through use of resources such as the textbooks, internet sites,
electronic textbooks and faculty.
Self Study Readings: A set of very specific readings to maximize student's understanding
and efficiency in learning the most salient features of psychiatry has been developed.
Reading assignments are broken up into weekly blocks. See reading list for details.
Clerkship Clinical Experience: This is an apprenticeship experience with one or two
psychiatric clerkship faculty. Students are expected to perform history and physical exams
on patients primarily in the outpatient setting. The student works the hours that his/her
doctor works. Two half day's a week will be reserved for the Doctoring III course
including the half-day per week students will be with their community-based longitudinal
clinical experience.
Clerkship Directors Meetings: Campus Clerkship directors will meet with students at
least once every other week. These will be case based discussion. In addition CDCS
entries will be reviewed and suggestions for learning the uncovered topics/diagnoses will
be made augmenting clinical experience and/or reading.
DxR Clinician: The Dxr Clinician program with 5 psychiatric modules will be made
available for students to work with this year. Each case takes approximately 2 hours to
complete. For the following year the modules will be recommended, but not required. The
usefulness of the teaching medium will be evaluated to determine if the modules should be
required in the future.
Call and Emergency Psychiatry
Students will be on-call at least three to four times during the clerkship. This means that he
or she will be available to see patients in an emergency setting for initial work ups and
triage. Depending on the site, this could happen at a Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital, a
Community Emergency Room, or a Community Facility where these kinds of evaluations
are performed. Students will be supervised by the Staff involved in these evaluations, and
discussions of the cases will be had with their Clerkship faculty as well as with the
Clerkship Director. Call will end at 11:00 P.M.
Examinations and Grading
Students will be provided with frequent feedback about their performance. Mid-clerkship
formative feedback will be given to the students by their clerkship faculty and local
clerkship director.
As a performance based course, all students will be expected to achieve competency.
Students who do not meet this standard will be required to remediate deficiencies before
being advanced to the fourth year curriculum. Students will be provided frequent
opportunities to assess their performance in non-graded exercises(modules) to identify
areas of strength and weakness prior to graded examinations.
The following methods will be used to assess student progress:
•
•
NBME subject exam to assess knowledge acquisition.
Clinical evaluations will be performed by the preceptors, residents and clerkship
director using a standardized FSU COM clerkship evaluation form. Clerkship
directors at each site will submit a summative evaluation which will than be
forwarded to the Education Director for review and final grading.
Grades will be based on these components:
(1) NBME shelf exam in Psychiatry– given on the last morning of the rotation.
(2) Clinical evaluations by clerkship faculty and Clerkship Directors, with a final summary
given by the Director of the Psychiatry Curriculum.
Students must pass all components to pass the course. The final grade for each student will
be based upon the same Honors, Pass, and Fail scale shared by each of the clerkships.
Honors
1) A student must meet expectations on all subcategories of the clerkship evaluation
assessment form pertaining to "Professional Behavior and Ethical Standards"; AND
2) A student must be judged to "exceed expectations" in at least 10 of the 16 remaining
subcategories on the assessment form; AND
3) A student must achieve a score on the NBME specialty shelf examination that is 1.0 SD
above the national average for clerkships of comparable length
Or
1) A student must meet expectations on all subcategories of the clerkship evaluation
assessment form pertaining to "Professional Behavior and Ethical Standards"; AND
2) He/She receives "exceeds expectations" ratings in at least 15/16 categories and
3) He/She achieves an NBME score in at least the 70th percentile when compared to the
National Mean for the Quarter they took their clerkship.
Pass
1) A student must meet expectations on all subcategories of the clerkship evaluation
assessment form pertaining to "Professional Behavior and Ethical Standards"; AND
2) A student must be judged to "meet expectations" in at least 14 of the 16remaining
subcategories on the assessment form and have no more than 2 "marginally meets
expectations" in the remaining 16 subcategories; AND
3) A student must achieve a score on the NBME specialty shelf examination that is no
more than 1.99 SD below the national average for clerkships of comparable length.
Failure
A student is at risk for failure if:
1) He/she does not meet expectations in any subcategories of the clerkship evaluation
assessment form pertaining to "Professional Behavior and Ethical Standards"; OR
2) He/she does not meet expectations in 2 or more of the remaining 16 subcategories on
the rating form; OR
3) He/she marginally meets expectations in 3 or more of the remaining subcategories; OR
4) He/she achieves a score 2.0 SD below the national average on the NBME specialty
subject examination. (Students who do not pass the NBME will be given an opportunity to
re-take the examination to achieve a passing score and a passing grade in the clerkship.
Those who do not pass on the re-take will be required to repeat the clerkship in their senior
year.)
Remediation of this course for any student receiving a failing grade will be planned and
implemented by a decision from the Evaluation and Promotion Committee, in collaboration
with the Education Director for Psychiatry.
Course Evaluation
Each student will be given the opportunity to provide constructive feed-back to the
clerkship faculty and directors using the on-line evaluation system. Numerical ratings and
student comments will be sought at the end of the clerkship. Thoughtful student feed-back
is vital to improving the quality of the clerkship learning experience.
Resource Needs
The physical resources necessary for this course are in place. At each of the regional
campuses the student learning areas are complete with computers, textbooks, and access to
videoconference equipment. Affiliation agreements with participating hospitals permitting
FSU medical students to have access to hospital based psychiatric patients are in place. An
extensive clinical faculty of high caliber has been recruited and is in place, and additional
members continue to be recruited as needed.
Knowledge Based Resources Supporting Course
Befitting a 21st century medical school, students will have complete access to electronic
versions of the literature and textbooks, personal computers, and personal digital
assistants. Hard copies of the required and suggested readings are available at each FSU
Student Regional Campus. A daily electronic log of their patients will be kept by the
students and transmitted weekly to the Clerkship Director, who will insure that appropriate
numbers of patients are being seen, and that the patient mix reflects common psychiatric
disorders, age and race.
Example of Psychiatry Clerkship
Student Template
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Saturday Sunday
7:00am Morning
9:00am Rounds
Morning
Rounds
9:00am Outpatient
clinic
12:00
Time
Monday
Continuity
preceptor
Morning
Rounds
Morning
Rounds
Morning
off
rounds
Outpatient Continuity
clinic
preceptor
Outpatient
clinic
Outpatient
clinic
Morning
Rounds
12:00- Lunch
1:00pm
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
1:00pm Outpatient
Clinic
3:00pm
Outpatient Doctoring
Clinic
III
Clerkship
director
Outpatient
Clinic
3:00pm Outpatient
Clinic
5:00pm
Outpatient Doctoring
Clinic
III
Clerkship
Seminar
Outpatient
Clinic
Lunch
5:00pm Independent On CALL Independent Independent Independent
7:00am learning
learning
learning
learning
time
time
time
time
Attendance Policy
FSU COM ATTENDANCE POLICY
COM Philosophy
We believe that:
Professionalism is a major component of our medical curriculum. We believe students
should conduct themselves appropriately in the various educational activities of the
curriculum. Thi conduct includes coming to educational activities on-time, using the laptop
computers only for course work during the educational activity, and not disrupting the class
if late. The faculty should also demonstrate professionalism, by starting and ending all
scheduled educational activities on time and providing a course schedule with clearly
explained course policies in the course syllabus. Any changes in the schedule should be
given to the students in a timely manner.
Students will be accountable and personally responsible for attending all educational
activities (small groups, labs, clinical experiences, examinations, lectures, computer
sessions, etc.).
Unexcused absences reflect negatively on the goals and objectives of the medical
curriculum and demonstrate unprofessional behavior by the respective student.
We owe it to our state legislature and the citizens of the State of Florida to provide a
quality educational program that meets the needs of our students in preparing them for the
M.D. degree.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend all scheduled activities. Students are expected to be on
time. Being on time is defined as being ready to start at the assigned time. If a student has
an emergency that prevents her/him from attending a scheduled activity, s/he is to call and
notify the Office of Student Affairs (Year 1/2) or the Regional Campus Dean (Year 3/4)
and request that they inform the supervisors/professors/clerkship faculty/education director
for that activity. If at all possible, the student should also call and at a minimum, leave a
message with one of the course/clerkship directors. It is important that students realize
that their absence or tardiness negatively impacts a number of other people. Attendance,
including tardiness, is part of the student's evaluation for professionalism. Negative
evaluations may result in decreased grades and in severe cases, referral to the Student
Evaluation and Promotion Committee.
Procedure for Notification of Absence
Year 3/4
If the student requests an absence in advance, the "Advance Notification of Absence from
Educational Activity(ies) form should be completed, signed by the student and given to the
regional campus dean. The Regional Campus Dean, after consultation with the Education
Director and the Clerkship Director, will make the final decision regarding the student's
request and give the student the implications for the absence (e.g., remediation, course
grade adjustment, make-up exam, etc.). Final decisions regarding implications for the
student's grade shall rest with the education director. The clerkship director will notify the
faculty member of the decision. The form will be filed in the Office of Student Affairs.
If the absence occurs due to an unforeseen emergency, the student should contact the
clerkship director and the Regional Campus Dean immediately to report the absence
including the reason for the absence. The Regional Campus Dean, after consultation with
the education director and the clerkship director will make the final decision regarding
implications of the student's absence. The implications for the absence (e.g., remediation,
course grade adjustment, make-up exam, etc.) will be given to the student by the campus
dean. Final decisions regarding implications for the student's grade shall rest with the
education director. The clerkship director will notify the faculty member of the decision.
The form will be filed in the Office of Student Affairs.
As a general rule there will be no excused absence from a required rotation except in cases
of emergency. Under extenuating circumstances excused absence from a required rotation
may be allowed for purposes of a residency interview if it is determined by the campus
dean that the student has no alternative.
Remediation Policy for Absences from Examinations, Quizzes, Small Group Sessions,
Laboratory Sessions, Clinical Learning Center Sessions, Preceptor visits, and
Clerkship Call
The remediation policies for absences from examinations, quizzes, small group sessions,
laboratory sessions and clerkship call are:
1. POLICY ON MISSED EXAMINATIONS: Students are required to take major in-term
and final examinations. According to the curriculum committee a student can only be
excused from an examination by a course/education director decision based on the personal
situation of the student. The course/education director will determine the time of the exam
make-up session. Also, according to the curriculum committee decision and the existence
of the FSU-COM honor code, the student will be given the same examination given to the
other students.
2. POLICY ON MISSED QUIZZES: Students are required to take scheduled and
unscheduled quizzes in the courses. A student can only be excused from a quiz by a course
director decision based on the personal situation of the student. The student must make
arrangements with the course/education director to make up a missed quiz. Also, according
to the curriculum committee decision and the existence of the FSU-COM honor code, the
student will be given the same quiz given to the other students.
3. POLICY ON MISSED SMALL GROUP SESSIONS, LABORATORY SESSIONS,
CLINICAL LEARNING CENTER SESSIONS, PRECEPTOR VISITS, AND
CLERKSHIP CALL: The student should contact the course director, small group leader or
education director for instructions on remediation of the missed session and material
covered.
Remediation Policy for Students Who Fail a Course
Remediation of courses/clerkships will be planned and implemented by a combined
decision of the Evaluation and Promotion Committee in collaboration with the
course/education director.
Un-excused Absences
It will be the responsibility of the course/education directors to clearly state in their
respective course/clerkship syllabi the implications for having an un-excused absence from
a scheduled educational or examination activity in a course or clerkship.
Academic Honor Code:
Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in the Florida State
University Bulletin and the Student Handbook: The Academic Honor System of the
Florida State University is based on the premise that each student has the responsibility (1)
to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's own work, (2) to
refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the University community, and (3) to
foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the University
community.
Students with Disabilities (ADA Statement):
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should:
1. Register with and provide documentation to the student disability Resource Center
(SDRC);
2. Bring a letter to the instructor from the SDRC indicating you need academic
accommodations. This should be done within the first week of class. Specific arrangements
should be settled with the instructor 5 working days prior to each exam for which
accommodations are being requested.
Updated: June 22, 2004