Students are responsible for all material presented in lectures and laboratories. Regular attendance to lectures is strongly encouraged as a component of professional development and academic preparedness.
Attendance is mandatory for the following:
- Specialty lectures as designated on the course calendar as *mandatory*
- Basic Science Laboratories
- Clinical Skills Laboratories
- Team-Based and Case-Based Learning Exercises
- Written and Practical Examinations
A student may request an excused absence from a mandatory event for personal, health-related, professional, religious, or emergency reasons. All first- and second-year student requests for an excused absence must be made in writing to the Assistant/Associate Dean of Students using the email address: DCOMDOS@LMUnet.edu. Upon written approval from the Assistant/Associate Dean of Students, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate and coordinate a make-up session. All third- and fourth- year student requests for an excused absence must be made in writing to the Assistant/Associate Dean of Clinical Medicine or Assistant/Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. Some activities and points, for example TBLs, may not be able to be made up even with an excused absence.
Examinations:
Students must follow the examination instructions outlined on the LMU-DCOM Examination Instructions and Policy – DO Students located at www.examsoft.com/lmudcom. Failure to follow examination policies and procedures may result in referral to the Community Standards Committee or Student Progress Committee for professionalism deficiencies .Recommendations can include but are not limited to losing points in the course(s), professionalism warning, professionalism probation, and dismissal from LMU-DCOM. Make-up examinations for students with excused absences will be given on a day the university is open within 10 calendar days of the original exam date. Make-up examinations will consist of multiple-choice questions and possibly subjective format questions such as essay, short-answer, or fill in the blank items.
If the final course grades must be submitted to the registrar prior to the date of the make-up exam, the student will receive a grade of “Incomplete” (I). Once the student takes the make-up exam, the final course grade will be calculated and submitted to the registrar. At that point the “Incomplete” grade will be changed to the grade the student achieved in the course.
Due to the amount of material presented within each examination block, students cannot make-up more than one block exam per semester, unless approved by the Assistant/Associate Dean of Students based on extenuating circumstances. If a student must miss two or more exams per semester, the student will be advised to pursue a different course of action, including a leave of absence or withdrawal.
Excused Absences
Excused Absences may be approved for the following reasons:
- Medical necessity: acute illness of the student or member of the immediate family
- Death in the family: death of an immediate family member, significant other, close relative, or friend
- Special circumstances/other: includes vehicle accidents, court appearance, weddings requiring participation, approved religious observances, and other qualifying absences as approved by the Assistant/Associate Dean of Students
*Excused absences are not granted to allow for additional study time or make up for missed study time.
Students will not receive credit for any unexcused absences. Unexcused absences may also result in a student meeting with the Assistant/Associate Dean of Students, Community Standards Committee, and/or the Student Progress Committee. An unexcused absence from a clinical rotation may result in the immediate end to that rotation, possible failure, and/or a directive to meet with the Assistant/Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs, Assistant/Associate Dean of Clinical Education, Community Standards Committee, and/or the Student Progress Committee.
LMU-DCOM reserves the right to require students to attend a meeting or activity on campus, in-person, as needed.