SIU School of Medicine Curriculum Guidelines: 

These Guidelines represent the School's blueprint of educational concepts that are to provide guidance in curriculum development. There shall be a competency-based curriculum, which shall prevail throughout the medical school. 

1. Students should be encouraged to become self-directed, lifelong learners. 

Medical school should model the behavior expected of the trained physician. The student should be encouraged to take responsibility for their continuing educational development.

2. Students should be exposed to a variety of clinical settings throughout their entire undergraduate education and should be expected to show progressive development of skills and professional behaviors.

Students will be assigned to a variety of clinical experiences throughout their undergraduate career. In these settings they will develop their clinical skills, their socialization into the profession, their appreciation of the roles of a diversity of health care professionals, their understanding of the economics of health care delivery, and the nature of the physician-patient relationship. Students will be expected to show developing levels of patient care and responsibility as they move toward their residency training. 

3. Learning of basic and clinical sciences shall be integrated. 

The basic sciences shall extend beyond the "classic eight" (Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Behavioral Sciences, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology) to include Ethics, Humanities, Epidemiology, Nutrition, and Biostatistics. Wherever possible the basic sciences should be learned and evaluated in the context of solving patient problems. 

4. Active learning in small group settings should be encouraged. 

Wherever possible, learning should occur in small groups with active participation by all members. Not only is this deemed to be educationally effective, but it will also develop those interpersonal skills necessary to function as members of multidisciplinary teams in health care delivery. 

5. The curriculum shall develop the flexibility necessary for students to function in the rapidly evolving health care delivery system, and in a variety of roles such as individual patient care, community health, and preventive medicine. 

Students should develop the skills to respond to evolving societal needs, practice patterns and scientific developments. 

6. All curricular events should be evaluated; such evaluations should be diverse in style and performance based. 

Given the variety of skills, knowledge and attributes expected of our graduates, we anticipate that they will be evaluated in a diversity of ways, including self-evaluation. All such evaluations should be performance-based (defined as assessing the application of knowledge and skills in settings approximating actual clinical situations). 

7. The following content areas should receive emphasis in the curriculum: history and physical examination skills, medical practice management, health policies, evidence-based medicine, resource acquisition and medical informatics, and opportunities to explore diverse career choices. 

8. Where appropriate, management of the curriculum should be by interdisciplinary teams, which cross geographical and calendar barriers.

PURPOSE OF YEAR THREE

During the third year of medical school, students will be immersed in the clinical environment. Our primary goal is to create clinical experiences that allow each student to develop into caring, compassionate, competent, complete physicians. Students will apply, in clinical settings, what they have learned in their first two years. They will have eight clerkships in core clinical areas. These will be followed by individualized course work, during which students will delve deeper into specific clinical areas and continue to work on clinical skills and professional development.

1. Academic Year 

The academic year includes 32 weeks of required Core Clerkship rotations, 3 weeks of the Intersession Period, and 15 weeks of the Personalized Education Plan.  The Intersession Period consists of one required week of the Medical Humanities Clerkship, one week of required Doctoring activities and the Summative Clinical Competency Exam, and one week of vacation. Additional time off over the year includes a two-week Winter Break and up to 3 weeks of vacation during the Personalized Education Plan period. 

2. USMLE Step 1

All students must sit for USMLE Step 1 prior to starting clerkships in the third year.

3. Assignment to Clerkships 

Students are assigned clerkship schedules; however, students may submit a request for a specific clerkship rotation, and to the extent possible, such requests will be honored. 

4. Attendance 

Students are expected to participate in all activities of the third year.  All absences must be requested and/or reported centrally through the “Time Off Request” form. Students are asked to complete the form to make their formal requests to the selected departmental director of either the Core Clerkship or PEP selective from which they are seeking to be excused. The Clerkship Director or PEP faculty will determine how the student will make up missed curricular time. 

• Time Off Request Form: https://www.siumed.edu/oec/webform/time-request-form.html
  2. Professionalism

All absences will be reported to and monitored by the Office of Education and Curriculum and the Year Three Director and reported quarterly to the Office of Student Affairs.  Students with multiple absences will be discussed at the Year 3 Student Progress Subcommittee (Y3 SPS). The Y3 SPS will make recommendations regarding student support actions and remediation for those with multiple absences which will be sent to the SIU School of Medicine Student Progress Committee as needed. 

4.1 Illness/Bereavement/Emergency Absences 

Students are required to contact their Core Clerkship or PEP Director or their designee directly or abide by the arranged method of contact set by the clerkship rotation. 

Bereavement Policy: https://thehive.siumed.edu/Interact/Pages/Content/Document.aspx?id=2739&SearchId=440914

4.2 Medical Appointments 

Students will be excused from third year activities to seek needed medical care after notification and approval of the Core Clerkship or PEP Director or their designee. Advanced notice is preferred and should be directed to the appropriate Clerkship Director as soon as possible. 

4.3 Religious Holidays

Students may ask to be excused from third year activities for religious holidays after notification and approval of the Core Clerkship or PEP Director or their designee. Absence requests should be directed to the appropriate director for consideration no later than SIX weeks prior to the start of the rotation.    

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/policies/student-handbook#Absence

4.4 Professional Conference Attendance 

Students may request an absence to participate in a professional conference only if they are giving a presentation, is on the conference planning committee, or has other official duties related to the organization and/or conference.  General conference attendance is not considered a reasonable reason to miss required clerkship activities. Absence requests are not guaranteed and should be submitted to the appropriate Core Clerkship Director or PEP Director for consideration no later than FOUR weeks prior to the start of the rotation.

4.5 Other Non-Emergency Absences

Students are expected to participate in all activities of the clerkship.  Absence requests of a non-emergency nature should be directed to the appropriate Core Clerkship Director or PEP Director for consideration no later than FOUR weeks prior to the start of the rotation.

5. Student Work Hours During Year Three Coursework

This policy shall apply to all Core Clerkships and PEP Selectives taken during Year Three.

During a Core Clerkship or PEP Selective, students will not spend on average more than eighty (80) hours per week in required clinical and educational activities.

Required activities include, but are not limited to, formal didactic teaching, hospital rounds and activities, out-patient clinic attendance, in-house and at home call, and attendance at examinations. 

Required activities do not include personal study time or optional educational experiences.

6. Codes of Conduct 

6.1 Honor Code 

Faculty and students of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine are expected to understand and accept the responsibilities of their profession as outlined in the Honor Code. 

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/policies/student-handbook#honor

Students, faculty, and staff of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner in accordance with the SIUSOM Standards of Conduct.  These are adopted in support of the mission of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine: to assist the people of Central and Southern Illinois in meeting their healthcare needs through education, patient care, research, and service to the community.  Students will further be held to the “Student Conduct Code”, supporting the SIUSOM behavioral standards and establishing the professionalism expected of those becoming medical professionals. 

• SIUSOM Behavioral Standards: Who We Are and Aspire to Be

https://thehive.siumed.edu/Interact/Pages/Content/Document.aspx?id=2296&SearchId=347833

• SIU Student Conduct Code:  https://srr.siu.edu/student-conduct-code/
• SIU Medicine Code of Conduct: 
  5. Student Abuse 

https://thehive.siumed.edu/Interact/Pages/Content/Document.aspx?id=3452&SearchId=492809

6.4 Dress and Decorum

The “best interest of the patient…” is the most fundamental consideration for the establishment of policies and procedures at SIUSOM, and dress and decorum is no exception. The appearance and attitude of the people at SIU have a tremendous impact on the perception of our patients, and consequently, their impression of SIU and their willingness to return.  The following guidelines have been established to provide appropriate direction to SIU students, residents, faculty, and staff. 

https://thehive.siumed.edu/page/8159

To provide a fair and open learning and working environment, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine faculty and students shall observe the Standards of Conduct approved by the Executive Committee on June 19, 2000.

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/policies/student-handbook#sc1

7. Professional / Ethical Behavior Evaluations

Professional conduct is evaluated throughout each Core Clerkship / PEP by all faculty and staff. This includes timely attendance at all required activities; timely submission of required materials, and appropriate interactions with patients, peers, faculty, and other health care professionals. This data is sent to the Year Three Student Progress Subcommittee (Y3SPS) for review.

Monitoring Student Lapses in Professional Conduct 

To track student performance in professional behaviors during third year, a system for monitoring student lapses in professional conduct has been adopted by the Year Three Curriculum Committee. This system is fundamentally consistent with the process established in Years One and Two. The complete Policy is available for review on the Year Three website.  SIUSOM will track student performance in professional conduct across the curriculum. This allows the school to document and track a student’s professional development during medical school when rapid changeover of environments and evaluators can mask the severity or frequency of poor performance in professional behaviors. Second, it allows administration and directors the opportunity to structure educational experiences for students who have deficiencies in professional behavior in hopes of successful remediation.

Student behavior might come to light through poor ratings in professional behaviors on written evaluations, poor peer evaluations, or verbal reports of concern from faculty, residents, staff or other students. In the proposed system, anyone who determines that the identified incident or behavior is a source of concern, may file a “Conduct Report” for documentation and addressing of the behavior.  Should the behavior continue, repeated offenses noted, or infraction deemed severe or egregious in nature, the Y3 Director may raise the behavior to the level of a “Concern Note” of which will be directed to the Associate Dean for Students Affairs and may progress to the SPC. The form includes a place for the student’s signature and space for the student to provide an explanation for the deficiency described.

The Concern Note documents concerns regarding professional behavior and academic performance. These may be submitted by faculty, staff, or students and are routed through the Year Three Director to the Office of Student Affairs and SPC. Students are bound by the broader SIU regulations. This includes the fact that SIU is a drug-free workplace. Possession of alcohol on campus is a violation of regulations.

Faculty may also submit Letters to File regarding behavior or performance. These letters are sent to a student’s Student Progress File. The student will receive a copy of any such letter and has the right to file a response. 

8. Guidelines for Clinical Activities

The vast majority of Year Three will be spent in the clinical setting. Year Three students are advised to become familiar with the Guidelines for Clinical Activities, the standards to which they will be held accountable.

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/policies/student-handbook#Guidelines2

9. Mid-Clerkship Feedback 

For Core Clerkships that are at least 4 weeks in length, midway through the clerkship, each student will meet individually with the Clerkship Director or Associate Clerkship Director to discuss student performance, areas for improvement, and feedback that the student may have about the clerkship.

10. Academic Advising 

Students will be assigned a Year Three Advisor.  In cases when the Year 3 Advisor and student decide that their pairing is not optimal, a request to change Advisors may be brought to the Year Three Director. Students are expected to meet with their Year Three Advisor monthly during the Core Clerkship period and periodically during the PEP period.     

11. Performance Evaluation 

During Core Clerkships, student performance is evaluated as satisfactory / unsatisfactory / incomplete based upon completion and faculty assessment in the categories of Clinical Skills and Professionalism. 

Students will be required to complete a student assessment of each Core Clerkship for final recording of course completions. 

Core Clerkship grades are reported to the Office of Education and Curriculum within six weeks after the end of the clerkship. End-of- clerkship student performance data are placed on file in the Office of Student Affairs.  They are used by the Student Progress Committee in making promotion decisions and provide the substance of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation provided to residency program directors.

Clerkships will advise students when their individual performance evaluation has been submitted. If a student disagrees with a performance evaluation submitted by the Clerkship Director, s/he/they should, as a first step, discuss the matter with the respective Director. The faculty member may submit a revised evaluation form because of that discussion; however, if a consensus is not reached, the student may formally appeal the evaluation through the Clinical Clerkship Grade Review Process:

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/policies/student-handbook#GRP3

During the Personalized Education Plan (PEP), individual selectives will award scores of satisfactory / unsatisfactory / incomplete based upon completion and faculty assessment.  Students will be required to complete a student assessment of each PEP selective course for final recording of course completions. 

In submitting student performance evaluation data, departments make recommendations to the Student Progress Committee regarding student promotion decisions. The SPC may accept or ask for modifications in these recommendations. Departmental recommendations are not official or considered requirements until the SPC decides to accept such recommendations, and the Dean approves the recommendations. 

12. Remediation: 

Remediation in Year Three is determined on a student-by-student basis and depends on the deficiency exhibited. The clerkship director, in conjunction with other clerkship faculty, makes a recommendation to the Student Progress Committee regarding the activities, length, and content felt to be necessary for that student to complete clerkship requirements. 

Core Clerkship time is considered inviolate: that is, all work or remediation for a given Core Clerkship should be completed during Year Three whenever possible.  Limited exceptions to this rule may be negotiated, with the full agreement of the clerkship directors involved. 

13. Deferral of Clerkships 

Except in special circumstances, students may not defer third-year clerkships, but must take them as scheduled in the regular rotation. Students are given 6 weeks of dedicated study time for the USMLE Step 1.  Additional study time is not warranted and will not be considered as a valid reason to defer a clerkship. 

Special circumstances that will be considered for potential clerkship deferral include Year 2 remediation or other situation that delays dedicated study time for USMLE Step 1 or emergency/health situations that occur throughout Year Three.  Additionally, deferrals will be considered for USMLE Step 1 failures that require the exam to be retaken.  If a deferral is granted, student schedules may be altered to meet additional graduation requirements. 

It is required that a deferral request be submitted to the Office of Student      Affairs at least two weeks prior to the start of the Core Clerkship.  Approval of a request to defer a clerkship may be granted by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or a review committee consisting of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Senior Associate Dean of Education, Y3 Curriculum Director, and Chair of the Student Progress Committee or their designees, depending on the circumstances.  Deferred Core Clerkships will be scheduled during the Personalized Education Plan period of the third year when possible. 

Students requesting deferrals that do not meet the above criteria may be subject to a Leave of Absence and/or additional required curriculum as assessed by the review committee to meet graduation requirements.

This policy guides procedures and expectations around granting student requests to defer the start of Year 3 Core Clerkships: 

• Students meeting deferral criteria who wish to defer one clerkship will make up the clerkship   during the PEP. They must request a deferral through the Associate Dean of Students.
• Students deferring 2 or more clerkships must request a deferral through the Associate Dean of Students and may be referred to the review committee for approval and recommendations. 
• Students who defer 2 clerkships will make up both clerkships during the PEP.  They will also be required to complete at least one additional 4- week Intensive Clinical Experience during their Y4. This additional ICE will add 4 more weeks of required curriculum to their Y4, such that they must complete 34 weeks of curriculum to graduate with a sufficient background in clinical medicine. The additional 4 weeks will be deducted from allotted Y4 student vacation time. Additional requirements may be recommended by the Year 3 Student Progress Subcommittee. 
• Students who defer more than 2 clerkships must submit a request in writing to the Year 3 Student Progress Subcommittee after consultation with the Dean of Students. Students requesting more than 2 deferrals may be required to take a leave of absence. If the student does not take a leave of absence, Core Clerkships will be completed during the PEP. If core clerkship time cannot be fully completed during the PEP, the remaining time will be completed during Y4. This time does not count toward Y4 requirements. Students will also be required to complete at least one additional consecutive 4-week Intensive Clinical Experience during Y4, which will increase the required elective credit for graduation to 34 weeks.  The additional 4 weeks will be deducted from allotted Y4 student vacation time. Additional requirements may be recommended by the Y3 SPS.

14. Summative Clinical Competency Exam

All Y3 students will take the SCCX during the interim period between the core clerkships and the PEP.  Failure of the SCCX will require a remediation course during the PEP.  Enrollment in this course will take precedence over enrollment in a deferred clerkship. 

15.  Personalized Education Plan Period

The Personalized Education Plan period (PEP) is a total of 15 weeks following the end of the core clerkship period and the three-week intersession period.  During the PEP, students may register for a variety of full time selectives ranging in length from one to four weeks.  Aside from Medical Humanities selectives, all other selectives are required to be clinically-based, in alignment with the overarching goal of Year 3, which is clinical immersion. 

• Full time selectives range in length from one to four weeks.
• Longitudinal selectives are available in five-, 10-, or 15-week lengths. A longitudinal selective takes place one afternoon per week throughout the length of the selective. Students are dismissed from their full time selectives to attend the longitudinal selective. Given that a student may have vacation time during a longitudinal selective, the expectation for attendance is 80%.
• Individually designed selectives must be clinically based, and they must be completed within SIU School of Medicine. No away rotations are allowed during the PEP.
• Deferred clerkships and required remediation must be completed during the PEP prior to starting any selectives.
• Students are required to complete 12 weeks of curriculum during the PEP but may choose to enroll in additional experiences. 
• Students have the option of taking up to three weeks of vacation.

Extended Absences from PEP

• Brief absences from PEP selectives will be handled in accordance with the Attendance policy in section 4. 
•  Extended absences from PEP due to special circumstances that do not allow a student to complete 12 weeks of curriculum during the 15-week PEP period will be handled similarly to the clerkship deferral policy. 
• Special circumstances include emergency or health situations and Step 1 failures that require the exam to be retaken. 
• Notification and requests for absences must be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs, the Year 3 Curriculum Director, and the Year 3 Registrar within 2 weeks of starting a selective, or as soon as possible in emergency situations. 
• Students who have not deferred any clerkships may be absent from PEP for up to 4 weeks without additional weeks of elective time added to their Year 4 expectations.  If a student is absent for more than 4 weeks, additional clinical elective time will be added to their Year 4 required elective credit for graduation. 
• Students who have deferred a clerkship and require an extended absence during PEP will be required to complete additional clinical elective time during Year 4 commensurate with the missed PEP selective time. 

16. Completion Date 

All clerkships and Doctoring segments must be successfully completed two weeks prior to Graduation Day.

17. Additional Graduation Requirements 

All students are required to record a score on the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 before beginning clerkships and must pass the exam to graduate. Students are also required to record a score on the USMLE Step 2 prior to graduation. Course designations pass or fail are included on students' official transcripts.

Students are required to pass the Summative Clinical Competency Examination (SCCX), which assesses their ability to apply knowledge and clinical skills. Students are evaluated and receive feedback regarding competencies such as inquiry strategy, diagnosis development, test selection and interpretation, and patient management. 

Other Policies / Resources

• Animal Control

Unless an animal plays a certified special needs role, no animals are allowed in any campus building. SIUC policy will be upheld at the Springfield campus and can be found at this website: 

http://policies.siu.edu/other policies/chapter6/animal.php.

Please note especially the sentence, “Any animal on campus in violation of these regulations may be impounded.” If you have a qualified service animal, you must work with Disability Support Services (618) 453-5738 or designated department of SIUSOM.

https://thehive.siumed.edu/page/8965

• EHR Documentation 

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/ehr-electronic-health-record

• Medical Student Research Policy 

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/policies/student-handbook#research_policy

• Medical Students’ Children

It is not permitted to bring children into any form of the medical school curriculum, whether it be resource sessions, labs, tutor groups, clinical, or any other assignments. The School of Medicine recognize that childcare may occasionally become a concern for parents who are also medical students; however, children in medical school settings present barriers to learning, and thus it is unfair to other students to have them present. Specifically, bringing an ill child (not allowed to attend daycare or school because of illness) into academic settings exposes a large population to a potentially infectious disease, and is prohibited.

If students have problems with scheduling care for their children, they need to talk to the Year Three Curriculum Director or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

• Visitor Attendance Policy

Individual faculty members determine whether non-students can attend their curricular sessions, with the understanding that requests will be made before the room fills. Guest speakers should also be asked about visitors before their presentations begin. Departmental clerkships have the right to decide about visitors, with requests coming to them at least one session in advance.

Visitors are prohibited from attending teaching / research labs. Those wanting access to the facilities during non-class times must contact the chair of the Department in advance

• Audio and Visual Recordings

1. Students with documented disabilities may be granted allowances to record sessions that go beyond guidelines set by the EPC or the Y3CAC. They must notify the faculty that they are recording, but they can record sessions under their documented / granted allowances.

1. Patient confidentiality in ALL years of the curriculum is paramount and no recording should compromise or violate that.  HIPAA guidelines are in place at all times.

1. With the exceptions stated above, the policy is to record all faculty resource sessions using Echo360 lecture capture software unless a faculty member prefers not to be recorded. Links to the recordings will be posted to the online course. Guest speakers will not be recorded. Student volunteers will be trained by IRC to use Echo360.  Faculty may edit recordings.  Faculty may opt to post pre-recorded versions of their resource sessions or annotated PowerPoint presentations/transcripts in lieu of live audio recordings. It should be noted that faculty or staff may misspeak in any session. Students should ask faculty to clarify any points of confusion, either in person or on the Discussions forum. Students should also check the Discussions forum for any clarifications or corrections posted by faculty.

NOTE: With the exception stipulated in numbers 1-3, students are not allowed to make their own recordings in any media format. Failure to follow this policy will result in referral to the Student Progress System.

Resources

Faculty

Faculty members and clinicians affiliated with the School of Medicine serve as tutors, resource faculty, clinical consultants, and in various curricular management roles. A list of faculty and their areas of expertise can be accessed online through the directory.  It is expected that faculty and student alike with adhere to the “Compact Between Teachers and Learners of Medicine” as approved by the EPC.

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/policies/compact-between-teachers-and-learne…

Libraries

The Medical Library, located on the fourth floor of the 801 Building, provides a vast collection of print and electronic resources to support the medical curriculum. The collection includes traditional medical references and textbooks, DVDs, media programs, models, and electronic access to research databases. The library provides reference and equipment services for medical students and faculty. 

https://www.siumed.edu/lib

Other Resources

• MyProgress

Help Documents:  https://www.siumed.edu/myprogress-help-documents.html

It's important to sync the MyProgress app before/after use, when possible. Syncing downloads any updates and sends what you've completed to the server. Make sure that you are connected to WIFI before you sync to avoid losing your work. If you are on a network that includes a portal, like SIUGuest, make sure you log in before you sync. 

MyProgress ePad URL: https://siumed.epads.mkmapps.com/#/ SIUMED users should click on the single sign-on button, then enter your credentials. Non-SIUMED users can log in directly on the page linked above if they have been added to the system. 

• Student Progress System https://www.siumed.edu/student-progress-system

• Year Three Individually Designed Selectives Policy and Forms

https://www.siumed.edu/oec/y3/year-3-forms

• Y3 Webpage: https://www.siumed.edu/oec/y3

• Empower Course Catalog:  https://student.siumed.edu/fusebox.cfm

ADMINSITRATIVE CONTACTS: 

• Y3 Director/Chair of Y3 Curriculum Advisory Committee – Martha Hlafka, MD mhlafka@siumed.edu
• Y3 Curriculum Coordinator, Office of Education and Curriculum – Christopher Reavis, MS  creavis@siumed.edu
• Associate Dean of Students, Office of Student Affairs – Haneme Idrizi, MD  hidrizi24@siumed.edu
• Senior Associate Dean of Education, Office of Education and Curriculum – Debra Klamen, MD, MHPE dklamen@siumed.edu
• Registrar, Office of Education and Curriculum – Cherie Forsyth  cforsyth@siumed.edu
• Chair of the Student Progress Committee – Craig Batterman, MD   cbatterman@siumed.edu

Revised: 05.25.2018

Revised: 01.24.2021

Revised: 02.14.2022

Revised: 03.27.2023

Revised: 05.20.2024