Policy Portal

Administrative Policy: Academic

COM – Student Scheduling Preferences

Policy Number: 3349-AC-406
Effective Date: 01/01/2017
Updated:
Reviewed:
Responsible Department: Office of the Dean and Medical Education, College of Medicine
Approval Authority: Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Responsible Office: Office of the Dean and Medical Education, College of Medicine

A. Purpose

To establish a Policy by which students are given preference in their group and/or site assignments for educational activities based on recognized, documented and approved personal circumstances. It is the expectation that this preferential placement of a student will result in an increased opportunity for student success.

B. Scope

This Policy applies to all students enrolled in the College of Medicine who are taking a course for credit where a Final Grade is assigned, whether an exclusive College of Medicine course or an interprofessional or interdisciplinary course, which involves: a) assignment to an educational activity or group; b) assignment to an educational or clinical teaching site; and/or c) taking courses or any part of courses in a particular order.

C. Definitions

  1. Conflict of Interest refers to the ability of a faculty member to improperly influence a decision about a student due to a preexisting relationship between the faculty member and the student.
  2. Credit-bearing Course refers to a course offered by the College of Medicine in which a student is enrolled, the course appears on the student’s official transcript with either contact hours or credit-bearing acknowledgment; and a Final Grade is assigned.
  3. Disability as defined by Federal law, refers to a substantial physical or mental impairment affecting one or more of an individual’s major life activities (e.g., walking, seeing, speaking, breathing, learning, working or performing manual tasks), and includes those individuals with records of such impairments, and those who are regarded as having such impairments.
  4. Experiential Educational Activity as applicable to this Policy, is an individual or small group hands-on activity (i.e., learning through doing and experience) that is part of a Credit-Bearing Course. This Policy applies to experiential educational activities that are scheduled to take place both on and off the Rootstown Campus.
  5. Grade Assignment refers to the assignment of a Final Grade for a specific course or clerkship/rotation.   It is the responsibility of the faculty member who has been designated as the faculty Course or Rotation Director in accordance with the guidelines of, and oversight by, the Curriculum Management and Assessment Committee (CMAC), as the guiding authority for the curriculum.
  6. Hardship refers to a set of extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control, and beyond those inherent to professional-level education, that negatively and substantially impact a student’s progress within the curriculum. A Hardship is a student’s extenuating personal circumstance such as, but not limited to, personal or family illness or other care needs.
  7. Scheduling Preference refers to the process whereby, based on a recognized, documented and approved personal circumstance, a particular student or group of students is provided with a preference in group assignment, assignment to a particular educational site and/or preference in selection of the order of courses or parts of courses. A personal circumstance may include, but not be limited to, an accommodation for an approved disability, an accommodation for an approved hardship and/or a preference based on a scholarship requirement.

D. Policy Statement

  1. The assignment of a student or group of students for educational experiences is the responsibility of the faculty member who is designated as the Course Director.
  2. Course Directors are the primary authority with respect to a student’s placement in a teaching activity or clinical teaching site and/or placement into a particular order of instruction in accordance with course policy as approved by the Curriculum Management and Assessment Committee (CMAC).
  3. Hardship accommodation
    1. Students may individually request a Hardship consideration for an accommodation and/or scheduling preference due to personal circumstances. Consideration will not be granted automatically. Consideration for a Hardship will be granted only with expressed approval of and documentation from the NEOMED College of Medicine Hardship Review Committee.
    2. A Hardship consideration is not intended for use because a student, without any limitations, restrictions or requirements, prefers to be placed in a particular instructional site, instructional group or engage in a particular instructional sequence.
    3. An individual student who requests consideration for a preference based on a personal Hardship must apply through the predefined mechanism; details are provided in the NEOMED Compass.
  4. Disability accommodation
    1. Students may individually request consideration for an accommodation due to a Disability. Consideration will not be granted without a request. Consideration for a Disability accommodation will be granted only with expressed approval of and documentation from the NEOMED University Student Accessibility Services Committee.
    2. A Disability consideration is not intended for use because a student, without any limitations, restrictions or requirements, prefers to be placed in a particular instructional site, instructional group or engage in a particular instructional sequence.
    3. An individual student whose circumstances may warrant consideration for a preference based on a Disability must apply through the predefined mechanism; details are provided in the NEOMED Compass.
  5. Other considerations
    1. Students may individually request consideration for preferential placement due to membership in a particular student group that warrants preferential scheduling and placement consideration. Examples of such include, but are not limited to, students who are approved members of designated pathways or tracks of study and students who have scholarship requirements.
    2. Membership in a particular student group will be verified by the College of Medicine, and necessary related information will be provided to Course Directors affected by this consideration.
  6. Specific groups of students who will receive preferential placement and/or access to instructional groups, activities and/or sites and course order will be identified and approved for consideration by CMAC, in accordance with this Policy.
  7. Scheduling Preferences may not be granted to students who have a Conflict of Interest. Students will be placed in appropriate instructional groups and/or activities and/or at sites by the Course Director with the goal of eliminating the Conflict of Interest. If it is not possible to eliminate the Conflict of Interest, all attempts will be made to manage the Conflict of Interest to maximize the student’s educational experience and minimize bias in the educational process and assessment.
  8. Every attempt will be made to adhere to the Scheduling Preferences as specified in this document, but the Scheduling Preferences may be reasonably altered considering personal and professional circumstances of all parties involved in the process.
  9. General guidelines regarding Scheduling Preferences
    1. Instructional group, activity and/or site assignment preferences for courses or segments of courses
      1. First preference will be granted to students with an approved Hardship and or an accommodation for a Disability.
      2. Second preference will be granted to students/student groups who are part of a designated curriculum, pathway or track. For example, students who are recognized members of the Urban Primary Care Pathway or the Rural Medical Education (RMED) Pathway.
        1. An exception is that first preference will be granted to students who are members of the Accelerated Family Medicine Track when the site assignments are in regard to their committed Family Medicine Residency program and hospital of affiliation.
      3. Third preference will be granted to students/student groups who have scholarship requirements. For example, Mercy Health Scholars and Choose Ohio First Scholars.
    2. Order of courses or segments of courses
      1. Because of the early residency match deadline, first preference for order of courses, such as the M3 Clerkships cycle and/or M4 electives, will be granted to students who receive financial support for their education through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) Medical School as funded by one of the branches of the U.S. military (Army, Navy and Air Force) as well as National Health Services Corps scholars.
      2. Because some teaching sites, such as M3 clerkship sites, may not host students during particular times of the academic year, second preference for order of courses will be granted to those students in a special curriculum, pathway or track.
        1. An exception is that first preference will be granted to students who are members of the Accelerated Family Medicine Track who will need to complete their clerkships in a predefined order.
  10. Policy and procedures as applied to courses
    1. In the M1 year, this policy applies to the Foundations of Clinical Medicine course, in particular the Primary Ambulatory Care Experience (PACE) and Physical Diagnosis Laboratory.
    2. In the M2 year, this policy applies to the Principles of Clinical Medicine course, in particular PACE, Seminar and Physical Diagnosis Laboratory.
    3. In the M3 year, this policy applies to clinical clerkships and their related components that may be scheduled at a site different from the assigned hospital. Please refer to Attachment 1 for specific information about preferences as applied to clerkships. A detailed document, listing specific clinical sites, will be provided annually to the students.
    4. In the M4 year, this policy applies to M4 Electives.

CONTACT

Lisa Noland
Administrative Specialist
Phone: 330.325.6354
Email: lnoland@neomed.edu

Office of General Counsel

Northeast Ohio Medical University