Scheduling Protocol for ACS Clinical Skills Exams (CSx) only

This protocol is intended to accommodate the often-busy scholastic schedules of our second year students. The purpose is to balance limited flexibility in testing times while reducing risk of testing errors and unfairness to students. This protocol has been in constant use since 2010.

To administer these exams SPE program personnel recruit and train SPs in advance and manage the testing schedule, such that students who encountered an SP during a prior testing situation (OHP) or an invasive (GYN/ GU) exam, do not become distracted by encountering that same SP during the CSx. Often those situations can distract a student from presenting his/her best performance, and is unfair to the students. Additionally, the B-line video recording software used during live recording of the exams must be pre-programmed to assure there is an accurate record of each student's encounter. Further, all student assessment documents are hard copies and are organized with pre-populated student information based upon the student's scheduled test time/date. All of this means that changing the schedule "last minute" opens opportunities for errors in video, and scoring records or may expose a student to an unfair testing environment. Lastly, changing the schedule after the deadline exposes the 15 or more testing personnel to having more than one "Final" schedule, which can become unmanageable, leading to errors, on test day.

The ACS CSx scheduling protocol is as follows:

• For a student requesting to test on a specific date (first or second day of the exams) she/he must make that request to the Course Director(s) or SPE Program BEFORE the DRAFT schedule for that encounter is presented to the class;
• SPE program sends the DRAFT schedule to ACS students, faculty and related personnel, describing how a student can request a change in their testing time only, not (at that point) the date of testing. Students receive a deadline by when to make a request to swap times (with a classmate) on the same date. If a student requests a swap with a classmate, both students need to verify with the SPE Program that s/he agree to the time swap on the same date;
• The Final schedule for that CSx encounter is sent to the class with no offer or consideration for a change in either time or date (baring a medical, family emergency, or prior professional responsibility (IE. MS to present at conference on that date, etc.) verified by the Course Director(s);
• This process is repeated for each of the four CSx encounters.

If there are questions regarding this scheduling protocol please refer them to the ACS Course Director(s) or SPE Program.

Note: This protocol applies solely to CSx send year assessment scheduling, and not to OHP activity scheduling which are posted by the course classified personnel to the web, for student access.