Functional and Behavioral Standards (Technical Standards)

Administrative Approvals:

  • College Committee on Instruction and Appraisal – June 1, 2022
  • College of Medicine Executive Committee – June 8, 2022

Introduction

Preparation for a career in the medical profession involves much more than the acquisition of the requisite knowledge. Candidates for the MD degree must also be able to apply their knowledge to interactions with patients and colleagues, and to perform or direct the delivery of safe and effective medical care in a timely manner. The purpose of this document is to communicate to all prospective and current students the full range of capabilities needed to function effectively as a medical student and meet all graduation requirements of the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

The University of Illinois at Chicago is committed to the promotion of equity in health care and health professions education, and is an international leader in the field of disability studies. Furthermore, the College of Medicine recognizes that an ideal physician training environment and workforce will embrace a range of individual differences in aptitudes and life experiences. Such diversity vitally enriches educational and clinical practice settings and fosters an environment in which students are able to reach their highest academic potential.

The following functional and behavioral standards outline the capabilities required to meet the graduation competencies of the College of Medicine; the latter can be found on the UI COM website. In certain circumstances students may take advantage of trained intermediaries to support their learning. Further information for students with disability who anticipate a need for accommodations is provided below, and at the web pages of the UIC Disability Resource Center.

Those offered acceptance to the College of Medicine are asked to attest to their ability to meet these competencies, with or without accommodation, prior to matriculation. A similar attestation will be required of each student prior to beginning Phase 2 of the curriculum, which involves full-time study in clinical environments. Students currently enrolled are also expected to consult the UIC Disability Resource Center and/or campus administrative leadership should any barriers to their meeting these standards arise at any point during their studies.

Functional and Behavioral Standards1

Acquiring fundamental knowledge

Students must be able to learn through a variety of modalities, including, but not limited to classroom instruction; laboratory instruction; physical demonstrations, interactive small-group, team, and collaborative activities; participation in clinical care; individual study; preparation and presentation of reports; and use of computer technologies.

Developing communication skills

Students must exhibit interpersonal skills that enable effective patient care; this requires accurate evaluation of patients’ history, medical conditions, and the context of their care. Students must be able to record information clearly and accurately, and interpret patients’ verbal and nonverbal communication. Students must demonstrate effective communication, participation, and collaboration with all members of a multidisciplinary health care team, patients, and those supporting patients, in person and in the written record.

Interpreting data

Students must effectively interpret, assimilate, and understand the complex information required to function within the medical school curriculum, including, but not limited to, the ability to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and the spatial relationships among structures; synthesize information both in person and via remote technology; interpret causal connections and make accurate, evidence- based conclusions based on available data and information; formulate a hypothesis and investigate the potential answers and outcomes; and reach appropriate and accurate conclusions.

Acquiring and integrating information to exercise evidence-informed clinical judgment

Effective clinical practice requires the capacity to elicit and integrate information about a patient’s clinical state, the evidence for managing that clinical state, relevant patient life context, and patient preferences for diagnostic and treatment options. Students must demonstrate the requisite skills, including eliciting medical histories, conducting routine physical examinations and diagnostic maneuvers; utilizing available information resources to identify pertinent research evidence; engaging with patients to identify the circumstances or behaviors that are relevant to planning their care; and respecting patients’ autonomy by eliciting their preferences.

In emergency situations, students must be able to respond in a timely manner, both by initiating care within their scope of training and notifying and supporting other health professionals. Students must meet applicable safety standards for the environment and follow universal precaution procedures.

Developing appropriate professional attitudes and behaviors

These behavioral expectations are also included among the core academic standards for promotion and graduation, as documented in the college’s Academic Policies and Behavioral Standards document.

Students must complete in a timely fashion all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients; and develop mature, sensitive, respectful, and effective relationships with patients. The skills required to do so include the ability to effectively manage heavy workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of patients. Students are expected to exhibit truthfulness and integrity, conscientiousness, tolerance, and respect. Among the interpersonal skills students are to demonstrate, they must exhibit the ability to accept and apply feedback and to respect boundaries and care for all individuals in a respectful and effective manner regardless of gender identity, age, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other protected status. Students should understand, and function within, the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of medicine and maintain and display ethical and moral behaviors commensurate with the role of a physician in all interactions with patients, faculty, staff, students, and the public. Motivation and curiosity are vital to successful professional and personal development throughout the educational process.

1. Adapted from: Kezar LB, Kirschner KL, Clinchot DM, Laird-Metke E, Zazove P, Curry RH. Leading Practices and Future Directions for Technical Standards in Medical Education. Academic Medicine 2019; 94:520-527.

Accessing Accommodations

  • UIC is committed to the full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of university life, and the College of Medicine welcomes students with disabilities and supports their success in our medical education program.
  • Applicants or currently enrolled students who face or anticipate disability-related barriers to meeting the above standards should set up a meeting with the
    UIC Disability Resource Center (DRC)
    1200 W. Harrison St.
    Room 1070 SSB (MC 321)
    Chicago, IL 60607
    (312) 413-2183 Voice
    (312) 413-7781 FAX
  • The DRC is available for consultation with any student or Students may also wish to first discuss their needs with the college’s academic support professionals, their own health professionals, or with their student affairs or curriculum deans. Note however that students are never obligated to discuss their diagnosis or any medical details of their disability or treatment plan with faculty or staff of the College of Medicine.
  • The DRC may require documentation in the process of determining and implementing reasonable
  • A non-comprehensive list of commonly approved accommodations is available on the DRC’s Guide to Accommodation. Note that accommodation determinations are always made on a case-by-case basis and may differ according to the particular setting and its curricular requirements, or the functional limitations of an individual student’s
  • Accommodation needs are best addressed Student performance outcomes cannot be revisited retroactively from the time that accommodations are requested or implemented.
  • The implementation of accommodations is an interactive and iterative process:
    • Interactive, in that the DRC, the student, and the faculty all participate in the implementation The DRC may seek information from appropriate University personnel regarding essential standards for various curricular activities; conversely, University personnel may seek information from the DRC regarding how best to facilitate a student’s accommodations in their program.
    • Iterative, in that the student and/or faculty may find that new activities undertaken as the curriculum progresses (e.g., the transition to full-time study in clinical settings) present challenges and barriers that were not anticipated when accommodations were first For this reason, we ask students receiving accommodations to maintain ongoing contact with the DRC.
    • If an accommodation is deemed unreasonable or inappropriate for a course or clerkship, the DRC and the College will explore whether a suitable alternative reasonable accommodation
    • Students may appeal accommodation decisions based on the DRC Accommodations Complaint Process, available on the DRC web pages.
    • In some instances, where reasonable accommodation cannot be provided or would result in a fundamental alteration of the educational program, a student may be unable to fulfill all the requirements of the MD Such an eventuality may result in consideration of the student’s progress through the established policies for academic promotion, as detailed in the Academic Policies and Behavioral Standards (see above).
  • Licensure examination boards and graduate medical education programs (residencies) have their own accommodations approval Students anticipating a need for accommodations for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) to be completed during medical school should contact the College of Medicine’s academic support professionals, in addition to the DRC. For further information about accommodations for the USMLE, see the USMLE Bulletin of Information.