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Student Absences
Excused Absences
Student attendance is required for all course activities, examinations, and clinical courses. An excused absence is granted by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the instances of illness, death of a member of the student's immediate family, religious observance, or an authorized College related trip. The Assistant Dean must be contacted prior to the examination to obtain an excused absence. Students seeking an excused absence must also inform their course or clerkship coordinator of their planned absence. An Absence Request Form must be submitted to the Assistant Dean.
Any student who misses an exam/quiz due to illness must be seen and examined by a physician on the day he/she is absent. The student must give a copy of the physician’s note/excuse to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs the next day that he/she is able to return to school. Failure to follow this procedure may result in the student receiving a grade of zero for that exam/quiz.
Leaves of Absence/Reduced Curriculum
Students are normally expected to complete the curriculum in four consecutive years. Under compelling circumstances, leaves of absence or a reduced curriculum may be granted by the Student Progress and Promotions Committee. The categories of leaves are academic leave of absence, personal leave of absence, and medical leave of absence. A reduced curriculum enables a student to complete one curricular year over two academic years.
The request for a leave of absence or a reduced curriculum must be submitted in writing to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. In the case of a leave of absence, return from such a leave must be approved by the SPPC, may necessitate an amended academic curriculum, and is subject to the availability of space in required courses. The following categories of leave may be sanctioned by the SPPC and approved by the Dean:
- Academic Leave of Absence is available to students who wish to undertake specialized academic pursuits in a defined field of study. Students must be in good academic standing. Approval will not be given for intervals in excess of one year without reapplication.
- Personal Leave of Absence is initiated at the student's request. Students must be in good academic standing. Leaves in this category may range from a number of weeks to a maximum of one year.
- Medical Leave of Absence. Illness can seriously disrupt or impede students' progress through the course of study. A student anticipating an absence of 10 days or more must secure a medical leave of absence. Applications for this type of leave may be requested through the Office of Academic Affairs and must be accompanied by a letter from the student's attending physician.
- Processing and approval of a medical leave by the SPPC may require a review of the student's pertinent medical records by a specially appointed committee of physicians with relevant medical expertise. The length of the medical leave of absence will be determined by the SPPC in consultation with the student, the attending physician, and the ad hoc committee of physicians. Request for reentry must be accompanied by a statement from the student's attending physician that addresses the student's ability (mental and physical) to carry a full academic load. At this juncture, the SPPC may again require review of the student's medical records, a medical assessment by a physician with relevant clinical expertise at the student's expense, or both.
- Absences resulting from acute illness do not require a medical leave of absence. However, for absences that encompass a major performance examination, a course with required attendance, or more than five days of a clinical clerkship, the student is responsible for notifying the Office of Academic Affairs as soon as possible.
- Administrative Leave of Absence is initiated by the administration. Students are required to remain outside the curriculum to accomplish a specified task.
Snow Day Policy
Typically, the College of Medicine and the University of Kentucky Hospital do not close during inclement weather. The University of Kentucky, on rare occasions, will invoke emergency closing procedures. When this occurs, first and second year classes will be canceled or delayed.
Makeup of course time will be determined by the Director of the course in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs. Third and fourth year students are expected to fulfill their clinical duties at all times. In the event of inclement weather, each student is expected to make the decision regarding the possible hazards of travel. If he/she determines that commuting is a possible hazard, it is the student's responsibility to seek an excused absence and to make up work missed as a result. Examinations may be treated differently.
NOTICE: This material is the official version. Should it need to be updated a new version with a date specifying its effectiveness will be produced and posted with links back to this prior version. Although other printed or electronic copies of this document may exist, the user is advised to refer to and rely upon this official version of this material when making significant decisions or judgments.
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