COM – Attendance at Instructional Sessions

Policy Number: 3349-AC-418
Effective Date: 01/01/2019
Updated: 06/01/2026
Reviewed: —
Responsible Department: Medical Education, College of Medicine
Approval Authority: Dean, College of Medicine
Responsible Office: Office of the Dean and Medical Education, College of Medicine

A. Purpose

Course attendance guidelines and requirements must be established in compliance with the elements specified in this Policy, including the LCME and University Academic Policies. The LCME requires that a “medical school has policies and procedures in place that permit students to be excused from [educational] experiences to seek needed care” (LCME Functions and Structure of a Medical School, effective July 1, 2026). The relevant LCME element is Element 12.4 Student Access to Health Care Services.

B. Scope

This Policy applies to all required and elective credit-bearing courses contained in the College of Medicine curriculum, M1 through M4 years, in which a Final Grade is assigned to the student and appears on the student’s official transcript.

C. Definitions

1. “Credit-bearing Course” refers to a course, hereafter referred to as “Course,” offered by the College of Medicine in which a student is enrolled, the Course appears on the student’s official transcript with credit-bearing acknowledgment, and a Final Grade is assigned.    
2. “Course Director” refers to appointed faculty members who are responsible for the overall design, conduct, student assessment within, and evaluation of a credit-bearing course. Course directors have different titles depending on which courses they direct; clerkship experiential directors are types of course directors.
3. “Clinical Experience” refers to any course or component of a course that involves assignment to clinical care settings, often involving various clinical partners (ambulatory practices, hospitals, etc.) and involving real and sometimes simulated patient experiences.
4. “Absence” refers to missing or not attending a mandatory class activity. Remote observation of an engaged learning session still constitutes an absence. Certain courses in M1/M2 allow a maximum number of combined Automatic Excused Absences (see definition below).
5. “Automatic Excused Absence” (“AEA”) refers to a permitted absence in some courses in the M1/M2 curriculum. AEAs may be used for any reason, including but not limited to accessing health care for yourself or a family member, major family event, and/or medical illness.  M1 and M2 students are permitted to miss a pre-determined number of in-class days in certain courses without adverse impact on course scores from the missed activity.
6. “Final Grade” refers to the cumulative assessment of a student’s performance in a single Course. The Final Grade is assigned by the faculty course or rotation director at the conclusion of the course offering. Final Grades are posted to the student record/official transcript by academic year and term. A student’s course grade is considered to be a Final Grade when it is posted in Banner Self-Service (“Banner”).

D. Policy Statement

1. 1. 1. Attendance Expectations: Attendance, punctuality, and full participation is expected of students in all courses throughout the M1 through M4 curriculum. Integrity and professionalism are core values for physicians; thus, faculty will rely on a student’s honesty when presenting a compelling reason why they must miss an activity.
      2. Attendance Guidelines and Records: Establishing attendance guidelines for a course is the responsibility of the Curriculum Committee, through collaboration with the course director and the Office of Medical Education.
         1. The Curriculum Committee ensures established guidelines for required attendance are consistent within an academic year and articulated in course syllabi.
         2. Verification of attendance will be maintained across the tenure of a student’s medical education through graduation.
      3. Absence Notification Form: All absence requests from curricular activities in which the NEOMED campus is open for business must be communicated within twenty-four (24) hours of the absence using the Absence Notification Form (https://www.neomed.edu/sa/forms/), which documents the details of the absence, dates, classes or clinical dates missed, and the make-up plan, for consideration and approval of the Office of Student Affairs.
         1. Additional direct communication with a clinical site or testing services may be required per the guidelines in section (4) below.
         2. In all instances of absences, students shall be responsible for all material covered in the curriculum and completing any work assigned during their absence. In no case is an absence from the curriculum to be interpreted as a release from curricular responsibilities.
      4. Absence Request Guidelines:

   Absence Request Guidelines

   Nature of request	Cohorts	Restrictions	Additional notes
   Personal Day	M1, M2	Four total personal days in M1 Two total personal days in M2 May not be used for course exams May not be used for learning activities that involve patient panelists or standardized patients	The course calendar in Outlook will be published before the start of the academic year and will identify dates of learning activities that are not eligible for personal day use.
   Excused Absence: Illness or Emergency	M1, M2, M3, M4	N/A	Corroborating documentation of an illness or situation may be requested. Direct communication with the clinical site or testing services is required, if applicable. M3 and M4 students should refer to Section D(8) regarding make-up days.
   Excused Absence: Weather-Related	M1, M2, M3, M4	To be used in rare circumstances when campus and/or a clinical site is open, but the student determines it is unsafe to travel to campus or the clinical site from their location.	If the NEOMED campus closes due to weather, submission of an absence request form is not necessary. Direct communication with the clinical site or testing services is required, if applicable. M3 and M4 students should refer to Section D(8) regarding make-up days.
   Excused Absence: Scheduled Medical Care for Self or Family Member	M1, M2, M3, M4	Determined at time of request	Students needing non-emergent health services are expected to schedule such services, whenever possible, outside of scheduled class hours. M3 and M4 students should refer to Section D(8) regarding make-up days.
   Excused Absence: Professional Conference or State/National Leadership Obligation	M1, M2, M3, M4	Documented acceptance to present and/or fulfill a national professional leadership obligation is required. The absence request must be submitted at least four weeks before intended travel. The absence is limited to one day before and one day after the date of presentation and/or national professional leadership obligation for travel purposes.	M3 and M4 students should refer to Section D(8) regarding make-up days.
   Excused Absence: Religious Observance	M1, M2, M3, M4	Three days per academic semester The request must be submitted to the University no later than fourteen calendar days after the first date of instruction of the semester in which the excused absence will occur.	See University Policy 3349-5-77: Accommodations for Student Religious Observations. M3 and M4 students should refer to Section D(8) regarding make-up days.

1. Unexcused Absences: Absences beyond the use of personal days that have not been excused by the Office of Student Affairs will be deemed unexcused.
   1. Students will receive a score of zero (0) for activities occurring on that day, if applicable
   2.  A  Student Conduct/Professionalism Referral Form will be executed after the first unexcused absence.
   3. A referral to the Committee on Academic and Professional Progress (CAPP) will be made for each subsequent unexcused absence within a course, and patterns of professionalism concerns across courses will be monitored and may result in referral to CAPP.
2. Consequences for Excessive Absences:
   1. 1. Absences exceeding three (3) consecutive days without prior approval will be referred to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, who may conduct a wellness check to ensure the student is not in distress.
      2. Students who miss greater than twenty percent (20%) of the mandatory days of a course will be required to meet with the Course Director(s) to discuss course performance and to determine whether additional academic supports are needed to successfully complete the course.
      3. Excessive absences may result in a referral to CAPP.
3. Extended Absences: Information about extended absences is provided in the “Interruptions of Education” section of the NEOMED Compass and is beyond the scope of this Policy.
4. Attendance and absences in M3 and M4
   1. Attendance is mandatory for all clinical and M3 POM experiences. Students experiencing an illness, a death in the family, or other serious situation must contact the M3 curriculum manager at NEOMED and their Clinical Site Director and coordinator as soon as circumstances allow. If an absence will impact any M3 POM requirements, students should also notify the M3 POM Course Director(s) and/or coordinator.  Students may also be excused from clinical and M3 POM experiences for emergent and routine health care needs using the previously described procedure. Students should schedule routine appointments in such a way as to minimize disruption to clinical and course requirements, giving as much advanced notice as possible to the clerkship site director and/or M3 POM faculty/staff.
      1. 1. When illness might interfere with a subject examination, communication with the Course Director and coordinators is required, as well as communication with Testing Services. See Attachment 1 for more details.
         2. Consideration for missing clinical experiences and/or course experiences may be made for students who have been accepted for a presentation at a professional conference or to fulfill a professional leadership obligation. Students should not make travel plans until permission has been granted by the Course Director (i.e., Clerkship Site Director). This counts towards the make-up notification noted above.
         3. Absences must be discussed with the Course Director or Clinical Site Director, and an Absence Notification Form must be completed by the student and submitted to NEOMED in all instances of absence. Documentation that corroborates the illness or situation may be requested. The Absence Notification Form documents the details of the absence, dates, and classes or clinical dates missed, and the make-up plan.
         4. The Course Director or Clinical Site Director determines if the work can be made up. This is specific for each course and is indicated in the course syllabus.
         5. Multiple absences during a course or rotation may result in a final grade of incomplete or failure of the course/experience. Students should refer to the course syllabus or equivalent documentation for specific attendance requirements.
         6. Any planned absences for educational purposes, e.g., a residency interview or a scheduled Step 2 examination, must be documented using an Absence Notification Form and approved by the Core Rotation Director or Elective Director in advance of the time the rotation/elective begins. Corroborating documentation may be required. The Rotation/Elective Director will decide whether to approve the absence.
            1. 1. It is mandatory for students to attend the first day of a rotation.
               2. During M3 Clerkship rotations, students are required to make up missed hours.
               3. Emergency Medicine – can miss 1 scheduled shift; may be required to make up this shift at the discretion of the course director, but must make up shifts after the 1 missed shift.
               4. 5-Week Rotations (Family Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery) – can miss 2 scheduled shifts; may be required to make up these shifts at the discretion of the course director, but must make up shifts after 2 missed shifts.
               5. Internal Medicine – can miss 3 scheduled shifts; may be required to make up these shifts at the discretion of the course director, but must make up shifts after 3 missed shifts.
         7. M4 students may not exceed two (2) days off for an approved purpose for each M4 clinical rotation/elective block. An exception is made for periods M4-4 through M4-7 during which students are allowed a maximum of four (4) days off per rotation to accommodate the potential for attending residency interviews; the first day of a rotation/elective block cannot be missed.

Download the Policy

Download Attachment 1