COM – Experiential Supervision

Policy Number: 3349-AC-426
Effective Date: 08/01/2019
Updated: 04/28/2020
Reviewed: —
Responsible Department: College of Medicine, Office of the Dean and Medical Education
Approval Authority: Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Responsible Office: Office of the Dean and Medical Education

A. Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to ensure that medical students are appropriately supervised and safe during Experiential Learning and at Experiential Teaching Sites.  The following LCME elements pertain to this policy (LCME Functions and Structure of a Medical School, effective July 1, 2018):

• Element 5.7, Safety, Security, and Disaster Preparedness
• Element 9.3, Clinical Supervision of Medical Students
• Element 12.8, Student Exposure Policies and Procedures

B. Scope

This Policy applies to credit bearing courses contained in the College of Medicine curriculum M1 through M4 years, except for M3/M4 clinical clerkships and electives.  It does not apply to pre-matriculation courses or offerings, co-curricular activities at any level or student independent study effort.

C. Definitions

1. Credit-bearing Course:  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 acknowledgement, and a grade is assigned.
2. Experiential Learning:  A process through which students develop knowledge, skills, and behaviors from direct experiences outside a traditional academic setting.
3. Experiential Teaching Site:  Instructional sites not located on the NEOMED campus or at an affiliated hospital where students engaged in experiential learning are supervised and assessed by a preceptor/supervisor on the development of their knowledge, skills, and/or behavior.
4. Safe Environment:  Situations and environments that would make a student feel as if he/she is not in danger or in situations and environments that are not presenting any risks to his/her physical being.
5. Site Director/Site Preceptor:  The person responsible for appropriate delegation of tasks and appropriate supervision of students at Experiential Teaching Sites.
6. Traditional Academic Setting:  NEOMED campus, including Cleveland State University, and affiliated hospitals.

D. Policy Statement

1. Monitoring adherence to this Policy for all academic years is the responsibility of the Curriculum Management and Assessment Committee (CMAC), with support from the M1/M2 and M3/M4 Curriculum Subcommittees, and course directors that have experiential experiences as required components of their courses.
2. Students shall be informed of experiential supervision requirements individual course syllabi and course orientations, and the NEOMED Office of the General Counsel Portal.
3. Faculty and Site Directors/Site Preceptors shall be informed of experiential supervision requirements via course director handbooks and/or orientation guides and materials, and the NEOMED Office of the General Counsel Policy Portal.
4. Course directors are responsible for establishing course guidelines to ensure that the level of responsibility and tasks delegated to a student engaged in Experiential Learning are appropriate for the student’s level of training.
   1. At Experiential Teaching Sites, it is the Site Director’s/Site Preceptor’s responsibility to ensure appropriate delegation of tasks and appropriate supervision of students.
      1. Site Directors/Site Preceptors are informed of responsibilities and tasks that are appropriate for the student at each level of training via course orientation and curricular materials.
5. Students at Experiential Teaching Sites that include clinical work must be supervised by a health care professional, including physicians and non-physicians, who is acting within his/her scope of practice.
   1. Students who are entrusted to be in a clinical situation without direct supervision must be assured ready access to an appropriate in-house supervisor, i.e., an attending physician or resident.
      1. Off-site or telephone supervision is not acceptable.
6. To the best of their ability, course directors are responsible for ensuring that any Experiential Learning and Experiential Learning Sites provide a safe environment. The course director(s) will also provide guidance regarding safety in the course syllabus as dictated by course requirements and activities.
   1. Site Directors/Site Preceptors shall be requested to complete an attestation form indicating that; he/she is acting within his/her scope of practice or licensure (if applicable); the site complies with OSHA regulations (as applicable) and has reasonable security measures in place; the site will orient students to and train students about any potential safety issues; and the site will address and report any safety issues (Attachment A).
7. Student Responsibilities
   1. Students may report concerns regarding inappropriate supervision and/or inappropriate delegation of tasks in several ways including to the course director, the Site Director/Site Preceptor, or College of Medicine deans.
      1. Once notified, the course director will be responsible for taking corrective action on behalf of the course.
   2. Students are responsible for adhering to all safety regulations of the          Experiential Teaching site.
   3. Students are responsible for adhering to all NEOMED policies including the attire policy; sites may impose additional attire requirements for safety reasons.
   4. Students are responsible for situational awareness in all settings; students are strongly encouraged to remove themselves from a situation that they believe to be unsafe and report it as soon as possible to the supervising preceptor or Site Director/Preceptor. The Site Director/Site Preceptor will report it to the Course Director.

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