Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency: Participation Expectations

  • Responsible: Office of Educational Affairs, Senior Associate and Associate Deans
  • Audience: Students, Faculty, Staff
  • Approved by:  CCIA
  • Approval Date: 11/05/2025

Purpose

Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency differ from other courses in Phase 2/3, and this policy will establish expectations for student attendance and punctuality for these courses specifically.

Policy

Elements of Professional Engagement

Physicians in practice are expected to engage fully in their professional responsibilities to maintain the trust of the public they serve. Attendance, punctuality and feedback are particularly important reflections of this professional engagement. The MD Program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine maintains firm policies for several reasons:

  • Punctuality during medical school instills the habits that learners will need as clinicians in practice.
  • Anticipating and communicating the need to be absent from “attendance mandatory” curricular sessions is a demonstration of learners’ good judgment; framing this need in the form of a request (e.g., asking permission) is a demonstration of learners’ respect for one’s colleagues and recognition of how absences impact the workplace.
  • The majority of in-person learner curricular time is in active learning formats. Learner participation and preparation are essential elements for both individual learning and learning of peers as collaborative teams.
  • In many learning sessions, specific resources or services (e.g., standardized patients) have been provided and scheduled for learners based on the anticipated number of learners in the class.
  • Providing comprehensive feedback on the curricular sessions allows for iterative quality improvement.

The faculty consider learners’ presence at attendance-mandatory learning sessions to be a fundamental part of the academic expectations of the MD program. Each course will delineate how the elements of professional engagement are incorporated into the assessment in the course syllabus.

As in professional practice, a pattern of tardiness or absences, whether excused or unexcused, is not acceptable. If a pattern is observed, a meeting with curricular administration may occur.

College-wide Policy and Procedures

Punctuality

The Illinois Medicine Curriculum Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency Participation Expectation Policy is consistent for all campuses and is approved by the College Committee on Instruction and Appraisal. Students are expected to be in seats and prepared to engage in the session at the scheduled start time. The process for documenting attendance requires each student to verify attendance for the session by signing in within the first 5 minutes of class. Each campus procedure in applying the Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency participation expectations is approved by the cross college curricular deans.

Attendance at Learning Sessions

All Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency sessions are considered “attendance-mandatory”. All segments of Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency must be completed to satisfy graduation requirements. This includes all scheduled activities, including required assignments, written reflections, team-based learning (TBL) sessions, procedural skills assessments, and professional engagement.

Excused Absences

Each campus has a procedure by which students must request excused absences. Students should work with their local campus administrator to ensure they are following the correct procedure for requesting an excused absence. Each process has the following in common:

  • All attendance-related communication from and to individual students must be in writing.
  • Communication about absences for attendance-mandatory sessions is expected, regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused.
  • The curriculum administration on a specific campus, applying College-wide procedures, determines if students’ absences are excused or unexcused, in accordance with the attendance policy.
  • Communication of those decisions to students indicates that the decision was made by curriculum administration on a specific campus, applying College-wide procedures.
  • Requests for excused absences may prompt further discussion with curriculum administration to provide support and determine whether the absence qualifies as excused.

Examples of absence requests that are often approved by the curriculum administration include:

  1. Illness of student (mental and physical illness), significant other or family member*
  2. Funeral of a significant other or family member
  3. Healthcare provider appointment for student
  4. Religious holidaysǂ (See UIC Senate Policy on Religious Holidays)
  5. Own wedding (maximum 3 days)
  6. Jury duty
  7. Court date
  8. Inability to obtain emergency childcare (maximum 3 days across the term)
  9. Delayed arrival from personal travel (e.g. due to airplane, train, or bus delay) when the scheduled arrival time was on or before the calendar day prior to the missed mandatory session.^

ǂReligious holidays are always approved but must be communicated by the local campus process.

*Documentation is required for all absences related to illness. Additionally, documentation may be requested in cases where multiple absence requests are submitted during either Clinical Intersections or Transition to Residency.

^Students must always check the local campus course calendar prior to booking travel arrangements. Absences from mandatory sessions due to personal travel arrangements which were made based on a calendar still bearing the “draft” designation will not be excused. Students who miss a session due to delayed/cancelled travel for personal reasons will only be excused if the original arrival time of the transportation was scheduled at booking to arrive at least one day prior to the missed session, the student communicates the delay/cancel prior to the start of the session, and documentation of the delay/cancellation is provided.

Examples of absence requests that may be approved by the curriculum administration include:

  1. Illness of extended family member or friend
  2. Student participation on a College of Medicine committee
  3. Funeral of a friend
  4. Major life event of a significant person in the student’s life (e.g. another’s wedding, graduation, match day etc.) (maximum of three days based on location and date of event)
  5. Presenting or playing a key role at a medical conference or other professional organization meeting
  6. Pet medical emergencies
  7. Other circumstances of an extreme, unanticipated, and compelling nature

If an absence is anticipated, permission must be requested prior to the date of the learning session in order to be counted as an excused absence. When permission cannot be requested prior to the session (extenuating circumstances), the request must be submitted by noon the following day. If documentation is required, it must be submitted within 7 calendar days of the session.  If this is not done, the absence will be considered unexcused.

Unexcused Absences

Students with an unexcused absence will work with the campus course coordinator and course director to arrange a time to make up the activity. Unexcused absences will result in a professionalism concerns form.

Examples of absence requests that are considered unexcused by the curriculum administration include:

  1. Employment conflict
  2. Missed ride
  3. Missed flight/bus/train
  4. Overslept/forgot to set alarm
  5. Out of town without prior excusal
  6. Listed wrong date on personal calendar
  7. Travel booked before schedule is finalized
  8. Administrative appointments (Passport, DMV, etc.)

Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency: Late Arrival

Students are expected to attend the session even if they anticipate arriving after the posted start time.  Students should contact the course coordinator immediately following the session to explain the reason for the late arrival. Late arrivals will follow the same protocol for excused or unexcused absence outlined above. A student is considered late 5 minutes after the posted start time for the session. An unexcused late arrival will result in an unexcused absence. Students with an unexcused absence will work with the campus course coordinator and course director to arrange a time to make up the activity. Unexcused absences will result in a professionalism concerns form.

Late Arrival to a Simulation or Procedural Skills Session

Simulation and Procedural Skills Training require precise timing to ensure that each student has the required time to successfully learn and practice the material presented. Any student who arrives at a Simulation or Procedural Skills Training Session (such as, but not limited to, those with Standardized Patients) after the encounter time for their group has started will be turned away. Students with an excused absence (refer to the definition listed above), will be rescheduled for the session at a later date and/or time determined by the administration. Documentation may be required within 7 calendar days of the session date to qualify as an excused absence. Without an excused absence, this will result in an unexcused absence. Students with an unexcused absence will work with the campus course coordinator and course director to arrange a time to make up the activity. Unexcused absences will result in a professionalism concerns form.

Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency: Expectations for Signing In

Students are expected to sign in at the start of each session as indicated by the course coordinator. Any sessions for which students do not sign in will be considered unexcused absences. Students with an unexcused absence will work with the campus course coordinator and course director to arrange a time to make up the activity. Unexcused absences will result in a professionalism concerns form.

Clinical Intersections and Transition to Residency: Leaving Early

Leaving a session prior to its completion without prior approval is considered a professionalism concern, and the student may be required to meet with the campus-designated curricular administration team should this occur. If a student must leave a mandatory session due to an emergent issue, the student should contact the course coordinator as soon as feasible. The campus-designated curricular administration will deem the absence excused or unexcused.

Absence Due to Step 1 Deferral or Leave of Absence (LOA)

Students who have not yet sat for Step 1 or are on a Leave of Absence will not be scheduled for Clinical Intersections. Students who defer Step 1 or are on a Leave of Absence will be scheduled for Clinical Intersections after they sit for Step 1 or when they return from their Leave of Absence. These students should communicate with their OSA advisor and the Clinical Intersections Course Coordinator to confirm when their attendance will be required.

Students who are on a Leave of Absence will not be scheduled for Transition to Residency and are not required to attend. These students should communicate with their OSA advisor and the Transition to Residency Course Coordinator to confirm when their attendance will be required.