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Students in Academic Difficulty
Course directors will, at the earliest possible time, notify the Office of the Dean of the college of any students having academic difficulty. The Office of Medical Student Programs will work with such students, their academic advisors, and with course directors to clarify the nature of the problem and to seek appropriate solutions. Students in academic difficulty should establish contact with the course director, their academic advisors, and appropriate members of the Office of the Dean to explore the factors relating to the student's academic difficulty. Academic Probation
A student with significant academic deficiencies as determined by COSEP shall be considered on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation are thereby informed that there is serious concern about their academic performance and that they are subject to dismissal from the college should their unsatisfactory academic performance continue. Students will be notified in writing why they have been placed on probation and what requirements must be met to be removed from probationary status. Students on probation may not register and receive credit toward the MD degree for courses (including clerkships) at other institutions without the consent of the Office of the Dean.
Automatic Probation
A student who has outstanding failures in courses scheduled for a total of 90 or more contact hours, who has a failure in a single required clerkship or who does not pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), Step I within twelve months after completion of his/her M2 studies will automatically be placed on academic probation.
Probation by COSEP
COSEP may place on academic probation any medical student who demonstrates deficiencies that COSEP, in the reasonable exercise of its discretion, finds to be significant.
Removal from Probation
A student will remain on probation until he/she has made up all academic deficiencies and has met any other requirements established by COSEP for removal from probation.
Changes in Student Status
The following policies apply to students who are changing their status: Scheduling First-Year Studies Over Two Years. Prior to the start of the spring quarter of the first year, a student may petition COSEP for permission to complete the requirements of the first year over a two-year period. A proposed schedule of courses, developed in consultation with a member of the Office of Medical Student Programs, will be presented to COSEP as part of the student's petition. COSEP will decide upon such petition and advise the student in writing of its decision.
Suspension
Suspension is the administrative termination of the enrollment of a student for a specific period of time.
Dismissal
Dismissal is permanent administrative termination of the enrollment of a student. The following will constitute grounds for academic dismissal from the college:
• Outstanding failures, in any combination, in the first or second years in courses whose total of scheduled instructional hours equals or is greater than 35 percent of the total scheduled instructional hours for the entire first or second year. (An outstanding failure is a failure which remains after a student has not passed a course's single make-up examination or which remains because the student did not qualify to take the make-up examination.)
• A second failure in any required core clerkship
• A failure in a second required core clerkship even though one may have previously been made up
• Unsatisfactory completion of a remedial program by a student on academic probation where satisfactory completion of such program was a requirement for continued enrollment
• A determination by COSEP that a student is not fit to practice medicine. Fitness for the practice of medicine includes demonstrated ability to be a competent and effective physician and performance which reflects good moral character, a sense of responsibility, sound judgment, and the ability to master and properly apply subject matter
• Failure after three attempts to pass the Step I of the United States Medical Licensure Examination shall constitute grounds for automatic dismissal
Procedure for Dismissal
When a student is subject to dismissal the following procedures will be followed:
COSEP Action
COSEP will review the performance of a student in accordance with these rules and, where appropriate, may recommend the dismissal of a student. The chairperson of COSEP will notify the student who is subject to a COSEP recommendation for dismissal of COSEP's action and of the student's opportunity to meet with COSEP before it submits its recommendation to the Faculty Council. If the student fails to request a meeting with COSEP within 14 days from receipt of the chairperson's notice, the student will have waived any right to such meeting. The chairperson of COSEP will determine the procedures for conducting the meeting with the student and will in his/her sole discretion determine whether any participant in the meeting may be represented by an attorney. After meeting with the student, if such meeting is requested in a proper and timely manner, COSEP will submit its recommendation in writing to the faculty council.
Faculty Council Action
Within a reasonable time following its receipt of COSEP's recommendation, the Faculty Council will consider the recommendation. The vice chairperson of the council will chair meetings of the council when the council is considering recommendations for the dismissal of a student and will invite the student and the student's faculty advisor to attend the Faculty Council meeting during its consideration of the COSEP recommendation affecting the student. The Faculty Council may in its sole discretion conduct a part of its deliberations concerning such recommendation outside the presence of the student and his/her advisor. The vice-chairperson of the Faculty Council will determine procedures for conducting its meeting with the student and will in his/her sole discretion determine whether any participant in the meeting may be represented by an attorney. The Faculty Council will submit its written recommendation together with COSEP's recommendation to the Dean.
Dean's Action
The Dean will consider the recommendations of COSEP and the Faculty Council and will make the final determination concerning the affected student's status in the college. The Dean will notify the student, COSEP, and the Faculty Council of his/her decision in the matter.
Examinations in a Course
The attainment of course goals by students should be evaluated by written examinations and/or other appropriate means. The course director will determine the number and format of examinations. Courses with more than 50 hours of scheduled instruction per quarter should include more than one examination or other evaluative exercise per quarter. Students should refer to the course director and course materials concerning those requirements (e.g., attendance).
Course Grades
All preclinical courses in the curriculum use a uniform minimum pass level: a score of 70 percent or 1.5 standard deviations below the class mean, whichever is lower. Additionally, there is the provision that any student with a score of less than 55 percent will be considered to have failed regardless of the mean pass level determined by the curve. A grade of “honors” may be given at the discretion of the course director to students whose performance falls within the top 15 percent of the class.
Examination Period
In Rush Medical College, no preclinical classes are scheduled during the examination period; examinations in preclinical courses are scheduled by the Office of Medical Student Programs representative for Preclinical Curriculum.
In-Course Make-up Examinations
Students may be guided by the following policies concerning in-course make-up examinations:
Excused Absences
Due to illness, emergency, or conflict in schedule, an excused absence will be granted only following a petition from the student to the Office of Medical Student Programs. The decision to grant such permission and reschedule a substitute examination will be made by the Dean's office in consultation with the course director.
Unexcused Absences
A course director will not grant credit for an unexcused absence from an examination.
Make-up Examinations for Failed Courses in First and Second Years
A student receiving a failing grade at the completion of a course shall be given an opportunity to take a single make-up examination as a means of demonstrating his/her proficiency in the subject to rectify his/her failure. However, a student who fails a course with a score more than two standard deviations below the class mean will not be offered such a make-up examination. Further, a student may take make-up examinations in no more than two courses in any one quarter. If more than two courses are failed, the student, in consultation with his/her academic advisor, may choose which examinations to take. Make-up exams will be completed no later than the first week of the quarter following a course failure. Format, content, and passing grade for make-up exams will be determined by the course director. Make-up examinations will be scheduled by the Dean's office in consultation with the appropriate course directors.
Status of Students with Course Failures
COSEP shall review the status of students who fail make-up examinations or who have outstanding course failures for which they did not qualify to take make-up examinations and will consider options for remedial work. COSEP shall review the status of all students who fail a clinical clerkship. At appropriate times during the academic year, as determined by the chairperson of COSEP in consultation with the Associate Dean for Medical Student Programs, COSEP will review the progress of each student who has failed a course. After such review, COSEP will either establish requirements that a student must meet in order to resolve his/her deficiencies in academic performance or will recommend dismissal. No student will be promoted from the second year to the third year until he/she satisfactorily completes all requirements of the first and second years. COSEP, in its discretion, may schedule second-year courses concurrently with make-up work for unsatisfactory first-year work, as it may consider appropriate for an individual student.
Rush University Academic Policies
The Academic Resources and Policies section of this catalog contains additional Rush University academic policies.
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