Leave of Absence

A leave of absence is available for medical or personal reasons, which could include but are not limited to the following and may be subject to additional conditions as indicated below.;

• Serious personal illness or illness of a family member requiring extended care
• Maternity or paternity leave
• Impactful life events requiring extended time away from academics

A leave of absence is also available to engage in other scholarly activities, which could include but are not limited to the following and are subject to additional conditions.

• Research
• International medical experience
• Dual-degree or other curricular programs

All requests and renewals for a leave of absence are approved by the SPCC.

Students seeking a leave of absence are required to meet with the Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs, who will present the request to the SPCC. The student requesting the leave of absence may be required to appear before the SPCC to discuss the request at the discretion of the Chair of the SPCC or the Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs.

Except in the case of an emergency or extenuating circumstances approved by the Chair of the SPCC, students who request a leave of absence are expected to attend classes until such leave is reviewed and a decision is made by the SPCC.

Students who request an extension of their academic program and who will not be engaged in academic or educational activities will not be eligible for financial aid and may be required to start payment on existing student loans.

The total time taken for a leave of absence and return to medical school must comply with the Academic Progress and Promotion Policy.

A leave of absence may create a gap in a student's professional timeline, which can be of concern to residency program directors, state medical boards, credentialing and various other entities, depending on the nature of the leave.

A student who is on a leave of absence for any reason may be required to participate in a Reentry Program in order to transition back into clinical activities. The reentry program is administered by the Office of Medical Education.

Leave of Absence for medical reasons

A student requesting a leave of absence for medical reasons may be required to provide a signed statement to the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs from a licensed and certified healthcare professional indicating the student is unable to fully participate in academic and/or clinical activities for medical or psychological reasons. This statement will be shared with the SPCC as necessary. The statement should include the following:

• How long the student has been a patient of the healthcare professional;
• Diagnosis;
• Relationship of symptoms to essential functions;
• Anticipated length of time required for treatment, including hospitalization;
• Specific recommended accommodations; and
• The prognosis for return to medical school.

Students requesting a leave of absence for medical reasons may be required to complete a Fitness for Duty evaluation at the request of the SPCC upon return as per Medical Student Fitness for Duty policy.

Leave of Absence for scholarly activities

Students who want to extend their academic program by participating in additional scholarly work must comply with the following requirements and must be in good academic standing to apply:

• Submit written documentation of approvals and details of the scholarly experience to the Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs and the Associate Dean of Medical Education for initial approval;
• Obtain approval of the scholarly experience from the SPCC;
• After approval, if the student wishes to continue to remain enrolled at UNR Med, the student will be enrolled in an Independent Study course for the duration of the research program, with an evaluation of either pass or fail; these credits will be applied toward your graduation requirements;
• The student must provide written documentation of the scholarly activity work product to the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Medical Education once each semester; and
• With evidence of satisfactory completion of the experience, a pass will be awarded in the Independent Study course.