Attendance and Participation Policy

Audience

This policy applies only to PharmD students entering in 2018 and beyond.

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Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish consistency in expectations for participation and attendance across the themes and didactic teaching components of the PharmD curriculum.

Definitions

  1. Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE): preceptored experiences within the PharmD curriculum that provide operational and patient care experiences to prepare the student pharmacists for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.
  2. Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE): preceptored experiences within the PharmD curriculum that provide student pharmacists with the opportunity to continue to grow their knowledge, skills, and professionalism and to apply them in pharmacy practice settings.
  3. Small Group: as defined by course syllabus and indicated on Ilios.
  4. Large Group: as defined by course syllabus and indicated on Ilios.

Background

The PharmD degree program comprises a range of educational activities that are enriched by active, shared learning. Settings include large and small groups, laboratory, simulation, and clinical workplaces. The expectation that students be fully engaged in these learning activities is predicated on:

  1. The value of active team-based learning in students’ professional development and pharmacists’ work.
  2. Students’ professional responsibility to contribute to peer-based learning by preparing for and participating fully in group learning activities.
  3. Ensuring that students are viewed as integral members of the care delivery team.
  4. Respect for:
    1. patients who contribute generously to students’ education,
    2. faculty and other health
    3. care providers who would alternatively be engaged in patient care, research or other professional activities,
    4. staff who coordinate curricular activities, and
    5. your peers.
  5. The importance of students demonstrating expected competency in professionalism.
  6. Alignment with accreditation and licensing standards.

Pharmacy school is a full-time endeavor, and therefore, students are expected to make their pharmacy school schedule their highest priority. Consistent on-time attendance and participation demonstrate respect for the educational environment, contribute to the effective work of learning teams, and are essential ways for the school to monitor student progress in multiple competencies. Because the School realizes that predictable and unpredictable situations affecting attendance arise, the attendance policy includes provisions and procedures for such events. Students are accountable for:

  1. accurately managing their schedules,
  2. managing their on-time attendance and participation,
  3. communicating professionally about absences and keeping track of the total number of absences accrued,
  4. seeking the assistance of the School of Pharmacy if personal circumstances interfere with their on-time attendance and participation.

The University of California, San Francisco, in compliance with the state Education Code, makes every effort to reschedule tests or assessments, without penalty, at a time when the activity will not violate the religious creed of the student.

Policy

  1. Students are expected, but not required, to attend lecture and large group sessions, unless specifically stated in Ilios.
  2. Students are required to attend certain learning activities including:
    1. sessions in which patients or standardized patients are physically present as part of the learning experience
    2. sessions with speakers external to UCSF
    3. small group sessions
    4. large group sessions with a small group break out consisting of an ongoing, pre-defined group or team
    5. inquiry sessions [1]
    6. workshops
    7. journal club sessions
    8. applied patient care skills (APCS) sessions
    9. IPPEs
    10. APPEs
    11. any other sessions marked as required
  3. Students are expected to arrive on time and participate fully in educational activities.
  4. Students may request up to FIVE (5) discretionary absence days per year from required activities during each P1 and P2 academic years for didactic or IPPE days. Unused days do not roll over from P1 to P2.

    Reasons for requesting discretionary absence, may include important:

    1. personal and professional commitments
    2. professional meetings
    3. family events/obligations

    The following non-discretionary absences, which arise for circumstances beyond the student’s control, do not count toward one of the five discretionary absence dates:

    1. healthcare issue
    2. personal emergency
    3. religious observances

    These specific types of absences will be excused; however, students will be responsible for missed content and activities and may be expected to complete make-up work as dictated by the instructor.

    The following sessions and times are not eligible for discretionary absences:

    1. clinical skills sessions with standardized patients
    2. summative assessments
    3. Professional Readiness Week
    4. Synthesis Week
  5. Unexcused absences include missed mandatory sessions that are neither discretionary nor non-discretionary (i.e. prior approval was not obtained or the absence was not due to an unplanned emergency).
  6. Regarding make-up work for missed sessions:
    1. students are responsible for the content of all missed sessions
    2. some sessions will have required make-up work at the instructor’s discretion
  7. The standard for passing any didactic or experiential course is established by the course director and explicitly stated in the course syllabus. Students who fail to meet attendance expectations of a course may receive a NO PASS (NP) grade for the course. Make-up work to receive a passing grade is at the discretion of the course director.
  8. Students with attendance that is inconsistent with the principles of this policy may receive a professionalism concern report (PCR).

Footnote [1]: Some large group Inquiry sessions in Foundations are expected, but not required, and are noted in Ilios.

Procedures

Absence Requests

Students who request an absence from a required session and are absent from the session without having first received approval of their request will be considered to have an unexcused absence.

Students who request an absence from an IPPE or APPE must refer to the applicable course syllabus, student manual, preceptor, and site director for specific policies and procedures.

In addition to completing the online absence notification form, students who will be absent from their IPPE or APPE must also notify their site director and their site preceptor as far in advance as possible.

Students who request an absence from a required session due to healthcare issue or personal emergency may be asked to provide documentation or documentation from a medical provider if available.

In some instances whereby the student has ongoing medical issues, the student may be referred to Student Disability Services.

  1. Students must submit an online absence request form for dismissal from all required sessions. Requesters must indicate the reason on the form as: discretionary, healthcare issue, personal emergency, or religious observance. Discretionary requests should be submitted up to 1 theme in advance, but no later than 2 weeks before the requested date.
  2. Minimum request requirements include:
    1. For all required sessions, a request for a planned, discretionary absence must occur a minimum of two weeks prior to the session.
    2. For all required sessions, a request for absence due to a religious observance must occur during the first two weeks of the quarter.
    3. In the case of unexpected illness or emergency absences from required sessions, students must submit notification no later than 24 hours after the missed session if possible.
  3. After you request an absence, typical response times are 3 to 5 business days. The information submitted is shared with OEIS, OSACA, appropriate theme directors, course director, or other relevant instructor for the affected classes.

On-Time Arrival to Mandatory Sessions

  1. Students are expected to arrive on time.
  2. Students who arrive to required sessions 10 minutes after the scheduled start time may be marked as ‘tardy’. If the student is tardy for a valid reason, this must be communicated to the instructor. A pattern of tardy behavior may result in filing a Professionalism Concerns Report (PCR). More info regarding on-time arrival may be found in the syllabus.

Recording Presence

  1. Students’ presence in non-mandatory sessions will not be tracked.
  2. In mandatory sessions, students’ presence will be documented.

Unexcused Absences

  1. Unexcused absences may affect the ability of a student to PASS a course.

Makeup-Work

  1. To meet the objectives of a missed session, students should review relevant learning materials, answer discussion questions, and consult with their classmates on specific content covered in the session.
  2. For sessions with required make-up work, students must complete required make-up work by the assigned deadline, without reminders from course staff or faculty.
  3. Arrangements may not be possible when alternative scheduling imposes undue, unavoidable hardship on faculty or staff. Unresolved scheduling conflicts will be addressed in a prompt and equitable manner.
  4. In cases of conflicts, students may appeal to CEPC (see below).

Conflict Resolution

  1. Disagreements between faculty and students of any kind related to the Attendance Policy will be resolved by a subcommittee of CEPC.

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