Phase 1
Attendance should be the students’ highest priority. In general, permission to make up missed work will be granted only for excused absences. Students must complete the online request form through MedCat for both planned and unplanned absences. Any email request sent to the course director will be redirected to the online request form.
Once your request is received, please allow up to 72 business hours for review. The course manager will review the request, and reach out for more information, if needed. Once a final decision has been made, you will be notified by email directly from the course manager. If your approved absence falls on a CLG day, you must forward approval notice to the CLG administrator and cc your CLG leader. Please do not reach out to the course director(s) about your request or final decision. If you wish to appeal the decision, you can do so through the Absence Request Committee. The course manager will relay the appeal requests to the committee.
Illness and emergencies do arise and we will support you. If you are ill, please stay home but it is very important to notify the course administrator as soon as you know you will not be able to come in for a required activity. If your absence falls on a CLG day, you must email the CLG administrator and contact your CLG leader directly. You may do this with an email. Failure to show up to a required activity like CLG without communication is a professionalism lapse. You also need to complete the absence request form within 24 hours of the missed session in addition to the email communication. Any unexpected absences requested after 24 hours may not be excused.
Please refer to these guidelines when submitting your absence request:
- For all planned absences, including religious holidays, students should complete the following form before the course begins and ideally at least 60 days prior.
- Unplanned requests must be submitted no later than 24 hours after the missed session, otherwise, the request may not be excused.
- Both planned and unplanned family events should be for immediate family members**.
- Wedding requests will be limited to the day of the ceremony only and reasonable travel time (international weddings won’t meet this criteria); it must be for immediate family members and/or you are a member of the wedding party. Rehearsal or other wedding-related activities do not qualify for an excused absence.
- Planned absences on exam days will not be excused.
- Do not book travel before having your absence approved or you risk forfeiting your ticket.
Conference Attendance Guidelines:
- Students can attend one conference per semester if they are presenting.
- Students can request to attend a second conference using the absence request system.
- Approval to attend this conference will be at the discretion of the Phase Director.
- Students cannot attend two conferences during the same semester that fall within the same course as these requests will receive an automatic denial.
- Students cannot attend three or more conferences during the same semester as these requests will receive an automatic denial.
The following requests are typically excused:
- Planned and unexpected family events that involve immediate family members**
- Wedding requests for immediate family and/or you are a member of the wedding party and it involves no more than one missed day of classes
- Presenter at a scholarly meeting for day of presentation and necessary travel time
- The hour in which a student is scheduled to present an e-poster or virtual presentation
The following requests are typically unexcused:
- Planned requests submitted after the course starts
- Unexpected requests submitted more than 24 hours after the missed session without a compelling reason for the delay
- Attendance at a meeting where you are not presenting or travel time to attend or return from an e-poster or virtual presentation
- Planned requests that fall on an exam day or during an intensive
**We recognize that not everyone’s closest support person(s) fit the traditional definition of immediate family. If your request relates to someone who is the equivalent of immediate family, please provide a brief explanation so that can be factored into the decision.
Phase 2 and 3
Students must complete the online request form through MedCat for both planned and unexpected absences.
Planned Absences
Any email request sent to the clerkship director will be redirected to the online request form. Attendance should be the highest priority as clinical work isn’t made up in the same way preclinical work can be made up. In general, permission to make up missed clinical days will be granted only for excused absences and will occur weekends or during electives. For all planned absences, including religious holidays, students should complete the online request form no later than 60 days before the absence start date. Any request submitted after the 60- day deadline may be unexcused.
Once your request is received, please allow up to 72 business hours for review. The clerkship/course administrator will review the request, and reach out for more information, if needed. Once a final decision has been made, you will be notified by email directly from the clerkship/course administrator. If your approved absence falls on a CLG day, you must forward approval notice to the CLG administrator and cc your CLG leader. Please do not reach out to your clerkship director about your request or final decision. If you wish to appeal the decision, you can do so through the Absence Appeal Committee.
Unexpected Absences
Illness and emergencies do arise and we will support you. If you are ill, please stay home but it is very important to notify the clerkship administrator and the supervising faculty as soon as you know you will not be able to come in. If your absence falls on a CLG day, you must email the CLG administrator and contact your CLG leader directly. You may do this with an email. Failure to show up on a clinical rotation or to a required activity like CLG without communication is a professionalism lapse. For clinical electives, it is best to notify the physician you will be working with. You also need to complete the absence request form within 24 hours of the missed session in addition to the email communication. Any unexpected absences requested after 24 hours may not be excused.
Please refer to these guidelines when submitting your absence request:
- Both planned and unplanned family events should be for immediate family members.**
- Wedding requests will be limited to the day of the ceremony and reasonable travel time
(international weddings won’t meet this criteria); it must be for immediate family members and/or you are a member of the wedding party. Rehearsal or other wedding-related activities do not qualify for an excused absence.
- For all planned absences, including religious holidays, students should complete the following form before the course begins and ideally at least 60 days prior.
- Do not book travel before having your absence approved or you risk forfeiting your ticket.
Conference Attendance Guidelines:
- Students can attend one conference per semester if they are presenting.
- Students can request to attend a second conference using the absence request system.
- Approval to attend this conference will be at the discretion of the Phase Director.
- Students cannot attend two conferences during the same semester that fall within the same clerkship as these requests will receive an automatic denial.
- Students cannot attend three or more conferences during the same semester as these requests will receive an automatic denial.
The following requests are typically excused:
- Personal illness
- Appointments related to health
- Unexpected family events that involve immediate family members**
- Wedding requests for immediate family and/or you are member of the wedding party that involve no more than one missed day of classes
- Religious holidays (we follow UF policy but still require submission of the request)
- The hour in which a student is scheduled to present an e-poster or virtual presentation
The following requests are typically unexcused:
- Planned requests submitted after the clerkship/course starts
- Unexpected requests submitted more than 24 hours after the missed session without a compelling reason for the delay
- Attendance at a meeting where you are not presenting or travel time to attend or return from an e-poster or virtual presentation
- Interviews during required clerkships (Students are explicitly advised to not schedule interviews during required clerkships. In the event of unexpected or unplanned single day interviews or second looks, consideration will be made for the request.)
**We recognize that not everyone’s closest support person(s) fit the traditional definition of immediate family. If your request relates to someone who is the equivalent of immediate family, please provide a brief explanation so that can be factored into the decision.