Promotion
Policies regarding promotion in the Years 1 and 2 blocks are defined in the policy: Years One and Two Promotion Criteria. Students whose performance in all Year 1 and Year 2 blocks has been consistently satisfactory and who have passed Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) will be eligible for progression into the third year. Such progression may be influenced by a history of marginal performance or evaluator concerns. Promotion into the clinical years is a significant event for both medical students and faculty, and marks the successful completion of several important academic milestones, including a passing score on USMLE Step 1. However, students with performance difficulties in the first two years of the curriculum will be monitored closely upon entry into the clinical curriculum. Marginal performance or notations of evaluator concern in the first two years will result in an early review by both the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs and the SPCC.
Academic Promotion and Progress
The performance evaluation system utilized in assessing promotion for medical students is designed to identify strengths and deficiencies at an early stage, and to propose constructive remedial strategies when needed to assist the student in meeting the required standards. Unsatisfactory performance is identified through: (a) the failure in one or more blocks, clerkships or electives; (b) a pattern of marginal performance; or, (c) notations of evaluator concern of student performance notated in evaluations related to clinical performance or professionalism. A pattern of documented concerns about a student's performance may indicate an unsatisfactory performance when the record is viewed as a whole, even though passing grades may have been assigned. The category of evaluator concern permits the faculty to note deficiencies in student performance that are not severe enough to lead to a failing grade.
Students must meet all academic and professionalism requirements established for each course, as described in each syllabus and noted in the Code of Student Professionalism policy in order to pass each required course/block/clerkship/elective. The adequacy of student performance in the Foundations Curriculum is determined by the Performance Review Committee (PRC). The adequacy of student performance in the clerkship and elective curriculum is determined by the clerkship or elective director.