CE4. Attendance
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory for all clinical education experiences, and students are not permitted to request time-off for personal reasons. Absence from clinic, except in the case of illness, emergency situations, or religious observances, will be considered unexcused and may result in a grade of “F” for that course.
Schedule
Students are expected to adhere to the schedule set by the clinical facility. For full-time clinical experiences, this may include weekend and holiday work schedules, rather than the Institute’s academic calendar.
Punctuality
Students are expected to be punctual for all clinical education experiences. If a student is going to be late, he/she must contact the clinical education facility in the manner agreed-upon with the clinical instructor and notify the CI of his/her estimated time of arrival. In the case where this has not been discussed, the default manner of contact will be telephone.
Tardiness is a serious matter which will be reflected in a student’s performance evaluation and may result in a failing grade. At the discretion of the DCE, a student may be required to make up time missed due to tardiness.
Notification of Absence
In the case of illness or other unanticipated absence, students must contact the clinical
Facility in the manner agreed-upon with the clinical instructor, before the start of the scheduled clinical hours to report the absence and will comply with the facility’s policies for unexpected absences. In the case where this has not been discussed, the default manner of contact will be telephone.
In the case of an anticipated absence, as for religious observance, the student is expected to discuss the absence with the CI in advance of the scheduled session and complete preparation related to coverage of.clinical responsibilities, as appropriate.
Make-up Time Due to Absence
Make-up of up to 2 sessions in any full-time clinical experience, or a day missed in an integrated clinical experience due to illness or other justifiable cause, will be at the discretion of the clinical faculty (CI and/or CCCE). Absence from greater than two sessions in any clinical experience will require that all missed time be made up.
Plans for make-up of any missed time in the clinic will be determined by the clinical facility’s CCCE and/or CI, in conjunction with the DCE, based on the clinic’s ability to schedule such time. Students are expected to be flexible in scheduling making-up time because the clinic’s and CI’s schedule are paramount.. Missed time not able to be made up within the academic term may result in a grade of Incomplete.
Attendance in Clinical Internship
Students participating in clinical internship are expected to comply with all attendance policies and procedures established by the internship facility.
During the first phase of the internship, while students are enrolled in PT 843n and completing degree requirements, no vacations or time-off requests for personal reasons are permitted, consistent with attendance policies for all clinical experiences. Requests for time-off due to unavoidable circumstances may be considered at the discretion of the clinical facility. Missed time may delay completion of degree requirements and could jeopardize the student’s continuation in the internship. Such decisions will be made jointly by the DCE and the internship facility.
Attendance patterns throughout the internship year are expected to reflect that the intern is taking full professional responsibility for meeting all patient care and other job requirements and furthering his/her professional development and learning.
Snow Policy
- Integrated Clinical Experiences: all classes, including part-time clinical experiences, will be cancelled when the Institute is closed for inclement weather. Students must notify the clinical facility prior to the start of the scheduled clinical session to report their absence due to school closing.
- Full Time Experiences and Internship: in the case of full-time clinical experiences and internships, students are expected to make every reasonable effort to report to the clinical facility for usual scheduled clinical hours unless instructed otherwise by clinic personnel. This applies even if the Institute has canceled classes for the day. If travel to the facility is impossible, or if tardiness is unavoidable, the student is expected to contact his/her clinical facility before the start of the scheduled clinical hours to report the absence or delayed arrival. The student must also report such absences to the DCE.