Student and Academic Resources and School Services

Student Resources

Office of Student Affairs

The Office of Student Affairs provides advocacy for and support to medical students in pursuing their major role, which is to learn both the science and the art of medicine. Medicine is one of the most interesting, responsible and complex professions to enter. The office helps medical students to develop into empathic, compassionate, knowledgeable physicians who have a lifelong enthusiasm for their profession and who reflect the goals and ideals set forth in the mission statement for the school.

Student Affairs strives to be a supportive and responsive place where students can find help in coping with the academic and personal demands of medical school. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs shares these roles with the assistant deans for Advising and Diversity/Minority Affairs, faculty members, Learning Communities mentors/advisors and the Student Counseling Service. The office seeks to be sensitive to the needs of all majority and minority students, including married students; students challenged by learning, physical, emotional or economic issues; students who are parents or who have had prior careers or advanced degrees; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students; and all students in our educational community from diverse cultural, ethnic, racial, socio-economic and linguistic backgrounds.

Student Affairs also provides support for a variety of student activities, such as administration of the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation) /Deans’ letters, orientations, commencement and graduation, the Basic Science and Clinical Science Academic Evaluation Boards, student-run groups/organizations (see list on page 23) and the Student Body Committee. In these roles, Student Affairs acts as an advisor both to students and faculty to help facilitate and carry out timely and informed decisions.

Student Affairs jointly administers the new SOM Learning Communities initiative with the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education. Learning Communities are designed to enhance the quality of student-teacher and student-student relationships by developing longitudinal interactions between students, faculty and peers from other classes throughout the four-year educational program. This model improves continuity of teaching doctoring and clinical skills, supports interactive and small group teaching, fosters students’ self-directed learning, and develops students’ skills in formal and informal peer teaching and mentoring.

Student Affairs also works closely with the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education, which shares administrative responsibility for the undergraduate medical curriculum with the Educational Policy Committee of the Medical School faculty, with the Office of Graduate Medical Education and training directors, and with the UMass Chan Office of Educational Affairs. These associations with the larger educational effort of the school encourage the interdigitation of support, curriculum and educational issues in medical student education.

Diversity and Minority Affairs

The Office is responsible for various aspects of academic, professional and social life of medical students underrepresented in medicine. The support includes advice and assistance with academic advancement, social and personal issues as well as career counseling. The Office assists in supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students and all students of diverse ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds. The Assistant Dean provides advocacy for the minority and disadvantaged students at the Basic and Clinical Science Evaluation boards. The Office plans networking events with minority faculty, residents and students that are designed to build professional and mentoring relationships. The Assistant Dean, with the help of other minority faculty, organizes annual social events. The Assistant Dean is the faculty advisor to the SNMA Chapter at the School and to the Asian Community Outreach Organization.

The Office provides support for the minority residents in the Graduate Medical Education programs at UMass Memorial (all residency and fellowship programs). This support consists of retention, career counseling and mentoring. The office organizes and directs the minority Resident Recruitment Program. Minority and other faculty assist in mentoring the students who participate in this program.

Student Mentoring/Career Counseling

Each entering UMass Chan student is assigned to a Learning Communities house that includes students across all four years of the educational program. Within each house, every student is assigned a personal Learning Community mentor, who provides individualized guidance and mentorship on academic achievement, career guidance, professionalism, lifestyle and personal issues. The assignment typically remains in place until graduation. Copies of the student’s evaluations, grade reports, and other relevant materials and assessments are sent to the student’s mentor to assure that mentors can provide timely, relevant and meaningful feedback, advice and support to their assigned students. Through the Learning Communities model, each student receives personalized, continuous support, from admission to UMass Chan through graduation, by a designated faculty mentor.

Academic Resources

Office of Undergraduate Medical Education

The Office of Undergraduate Medical Education (OUME)—a division of the Office of Educational Affairs—is the center for academic life at the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, where students meet with faculty and peers, plan activities, develop ideas for curricular enhancement and innovation, and learn about the latest advances in medical education, including research, technology and curriculum development. In essence, the OUME serves as the hub for the numerous spokes that represent UMass Chan undergraduate medical education, providing access to the resources needed for curriculum development, implementation and evaluation and ensuring a rich educational program of courses and electives throughout the four years of medical school. In addition to the programs mentioned above, the OUME sponsors community-based education, which provides support for hundreds of community-based preceptors and educational affiliates who enrich our students learning experiences.

The quality and diversity of our curricular programs reflect our educational model of collaboration with a broad range of partners, including students; campus and community-based faculty; the leadership and guidance of the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) and its curriculum committees; UMass Chan offices, programs and departments; and educational affiliates based locally, regionally and statewide. The School’s resources in support of education are comprehensive and provide full-service support to all facets of the educational program, including curriculum development, faculty development, research and evaluation, academic computing, educational grants, the state-of-the-art UMass Chan Simulation Center and our nationally recognized Standardized Patient Program.

Curricular Programs and Educational Resources

The Office of Undergraduate Medical Education (OUME)sponsors interdisciplinary courses across all four years of the curriculum. In the preclinical years, these include Doctoring and Clinical Skills, a two-year comprehensive introductory clinical skills course. The OUME supports the innovative Interstitial Curriculum—a series of one-day interdisciplinary educational programs for Core Clinical Experiences students that address important contemporary issues in medicine through a cross-disciplinary model of teaching across the basic, clinical, behavioral and social sciences. Interclerkships combine classroom teaching, workshops and interactions with standardized and real patients. Topics include end-of-life care, pain management, multiculturalism, domestic violence, medical error/patient safety, geriatrics, health policy and the practice of medicine, oral health and disabilities. Many include faculty and learners from the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing.

Supplementing and enriching the required curriculum, the OUME also sponsors an extensive menu of elective courses and programs, developed in partnership with faculty and students to meet the individualized learning needs and interests of our diverse student body. The OUME also sponsors Optional Enrichment Electives, providing a plethora of enrichment opportunities for credit across all four years in diverse areas of interest.

In partnership with the Office of Educational Affairs, the OUME sponsors the Integrated Geriatrics Curriculum, a four-year curriculum initiative funded through a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which supports the integration of teaching about geriatrics and aging throughout the medical school curriculum.

International Medical Education Program

This program adds a global dimension to the Medical School curriculum with the goal of developing students’ linguistic and cultural competence; understanding of and experiences in global health; opportunities for research and scholarship in global health settings and interest in serving underserved and multicultural patients both locally and abroad. Each year approximately 35 percent of clinical-year students and 35 percent of preclinical students choose to participate in a variety of school-sponsored international health programs and approved fourth year electives in countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Brazil, India, Uganda, Zambia and South Africa. As part of the International Medical Education Program offerings, interested students have an opportunity to pursue clinical and language programs abroad through the longitudinal Pathway on Serving Multicultural and Underserved Populations. Each year, a limited number of first-year students are selected through a formal application process into this pathway, providing them with selected placements in curricular opportunities, including a preclinical Longitudinal Preceptorship Program with a physician serving underserved multicultural populations, an assignment to a local immigrant family, a summer abroad experience, the family medicine Core Clinical Experience in a site serving underserved cross-cultural populations, and international clinical electives emphasizing primary care.

Research Programs

Through the Clinical/Translational Research Pathway, the T.H. Chan School of Medicine offers the opportunity to participate in a longitudinal, structured program throughout the four years of the medical school curriculum. A minimum of 10 first-year students are selected annually through a formal application process into this pathway, providing them with an introduction to methods and concepts in clinical/translational research and a training platform in the basics of clinical/translational research. A master’s degree in clinical investigation program option is available to UMass Chan medical students who are accepted and enroll in the Clinical/Translational Research Pathway program. This opportunity builds on the pathway core requirements and includes an additional “pull-out” year to allow for enrollment in the master’s degree in clinical investigation program in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Candidates for this program option must be in their second or third year of medical school and officially enrolled in the Clinical/Translational Research Pathway program.

In addition to the Clinical/Translational Research Pathway, all students have the opportunity to participate in two key elective programs: the Summer Research Fellowship Program, which provides first-year students with stipend support to participate in a biomedical or behavioral research project working with a faculty mentor during the summer between FOM1 and FOM2, and the Senior Scholars Program, which provides students the opportunity to work one-on-one with an assigned faculty research mentor on a capstone research project.

Service-Learning Programs

For students interested in service-learning opportunities, the OUME sponsors programs in partnership with the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health. The Community Service Assistantship Program places students in agencies, community health centers and advocacy programs that serve diverse communities, with a particular focus on underserved populations in Massachusetts. During the summer vacation period, students receive up to eight weeks of stipend support for their community service work. In addition, students may elect to apply to the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Program, which provides an opportunity to develop and implement a year-long community service project to meet the needs of underserved communities, working under the guidance of an assigned faculty mentor.

Other Support Services

In addition to direct sponsorship of required and elective courses and programs through the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education, the Medical School provides general support for curricular needs and enrichment through a wide range of services supporting scholarship, innovation and national recognition for our educational programs through the OUME and the UMass Chan Office of Educational Affairs.

Educational grants provide valuable resources to faculty and students for the advancement of teaching in a variety of subjects. Our most recent award is the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation Comprehensive Programs to Strengthen Physicians Training in Geriatrics (2009-2012), which will support the implementation of a comprehensive geriatrics curriculum as a longitudinal theme across all four years of the school’s educational program. In the past 10 years, grant-funded initiatives have enhanced curriculum innovation in health communication, geriatric medicine, human sexuality, professionalism, pain management, substance abuse, complementary and alternative medicine, and cultural competence.

Community-based education supports UMass Chan and educational affiliates in the recruitment, training and retention of community-based faculty, providing the infrastructure support needed to effectively create a “commonwealth as classroom” outreach effort, with quality clinical training experiences for our students in various community medical settings, such as outpatient offices, ambulatory care clinics and physician’s offices.

Research & evaluation services support student assessment, curriculum evaluation and medical education research.

Center for Academic Achievement

The center is open to all students at UMass Chan. Services include academic counseling, tutoring and a series of learning seminars that focus on test-taking, reading, memorization, communication and synthesizing information. The assistant dean and staff of the center work with individual students to identify learning needs which can be met through tutorials designed with learning specialists, educational psychologists and graduate students. The academic achievement program at UMass Chan is oriented toward prevention of academic problems through systematic needs assessment, mobilization of resources and continuity of the support experience.

Standardized Patient and Medical Simulation Programs

The Standardized Patient Program (SPP) and the UMass Chan Simulation Center provide UMass Chan students with state-of-the-art technology in support of the development, advancement and assessment of their clinical skills.

UMass Chan has long used patient simulation as an essential component of its academic and clinical training. Established in 1982, the Standardized Patient Program (SPP) provides evaluative and instructional services that have evolved into integral and mandatory components of medical education. Through the use of highly trained lay people who simulate medical conditions realistically and consistently, the SPP is renowned for its technologically advanced, culturally sensitive medical training and evaluation of students and health care providers from academic and clinical programs across New England. Our standardized patients number over 100 and represent some of the best in the country.

The SPP reputation for excellence led to its selection as one of a handful of programs to serve as a pilot site for evaluating the National Board of Medical Examiners USMLE Step II Clinical Skills licensure exam. This standardized patient performance-based, clinical skills assessment measures clinical competency and, since 2004, has been a mandated component of the USMLE licensure exam. At UMass Chan, all required core clinical experiences in the third year include a required “end of clerkship” Standardized Patient Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as well as a comprehensive clinical skills assessment at the end of the Core Clinical Experiences component of the curriculum. These assessments utilize standardized patients to evaluate student performance in the essential clinical skills and competency areas covered in the core clinical curriculum, providing a high level of preparation for the required Step II Clinical Skills licensure examination.

Electronic patient simulators offer a complementary opportunity for students to build skills, practice common medical procedures and sharpen their decision making. Simulation technology allows students to practice, in the safety of the classroom, the clinical skills that are essential for patient care in the real world. The UMass Chan Simulation Center is a multi-school resource established in 2006 to support and develop medical simulation in our educational programs. The facility is equipped with the full range of simulation technology, including task-trainers, high-fidelity full-body mannequins and computers with screen-based, virtual simulation for interactive case scenarios, performance debriefing, procedure training and independent learning.

The Office of Educational Affairs and the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education are conveniently located in the student wing. The OUME shares a suite of offices with Student Affairs. Students are encouraged to interact with the staff and to participate in the continuous improvement of the Medical School’s educational programs.

Office of Ethics

The mission of the Office of Ethics is to foster an environment in which all members of the UMass Chan community are encouraged to recognize the values embedded in human interactions and to develop the skills necessary to respond appropriately. The office is committed to providing high quality ethical consultation and educational programming. The primary goal of an integrated curriculum in ethics is for students to build the skills required to recognize and respond to the ethical issues that arise in their professional work. The office provides a variety of opportunities to practice these skills, beginning with sessions during the first-year orientation, continuing throughout the Doctoring and Clinical Skills course during the foundational studies years and culminating with conference sessions in the Core Clinical Experiences curriculum.

Educational Technology

Academic & Research Computing Services—a division of Information Services that provides email accounts, network storage and desktop software packages to medical students—works closely with faculty, staff and students to evaluate, acquire, implement and support educational technologies for the Medical School. The division offers a number of services to students, including:

• Learning Management System: UMass Chan currently uses Blackboard Vista to host all Medical School courses, and Academic & Research Computing Services (ARCS) provides support and training for the development and delivery of courses in Vista. An around-the-clock help desk is available for Vista.
• PDA Requirement: UMass Chan has a PDA requirement for students entering the core clinical experiences and senior studies. In collaboration with the Library and the Clinical Years Committee, ARCS coordinates licensing for required software packages and maintains a list of currently supported hardware.
• UMEDS: The UMass Chan Medical Encounter Documentation System is a Web- and PDA-accessible system used by students to record clinical patient encounters.
• Digital Lecture Archive: Most T.H. Chan School of Medicine lectures are captured digitally and available to students for review on the Web. Many are also available by podcast.
• Virtual Microscopy: ARCS provides a Virtual Microscope technology that enables students to view and manipulate digitized microscope slides via the Web.
• Audience Response System: ARCS provides and supports an Audience Response technology in the classroom.
• Curriculum Management System: The data from this Web-based system for viewing course scheduling information can be downloaded to PDA devices for off-line access.
• Informatics and Statistics Support: Consulting services are available to students.

Beginning with the incoming class of 2010, the T.H. Chan School of Medicine has instituted a certified laptop requirement to support student learning both within and outside of the classroom. The laptops serve as the portal for student access to electronic course materials and engagement in technology-based classroom teaching and limit production of paper materials. The laptops are preconfigured with all the appropriate software and drivers needed to seamlessly integrate into new learning spaces and include extended warranties and insurance to ensure sustained availability of a familiar platform for students. This new computer resource will be supported by Information Services in conjunction with the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education.

Lamar Soutter Library

The Lamar Soutter Library is the physical and virtual center for information resources at the Medical School. These resources include access to over 5,000 online journals as well as access to major biomedical electronic databases and to a comprehensive collection of both print and electronic books. In additional to standard medical resources, the Lamar Soutter Library also houses a Humanities in Medicine collection, a Women in Medicine collection and a History of Medicine collection as well as rare books and the archives of the institution.

Members of the library staff are intricately immersed in the curriculum of the school, supporting students’ knowledge of utilizing and analyzing highest quality medical information. Instruction offered by the library includes the use of online bibliographic management tools, seminars in Evidence-Based Medicine and workshops in effective ways to locate and retrieve resources needed for both scientific and clinical work.

The library’s computer area includes over 100 workstations for access to word processing and spreadsheets and for access to the library’s electronic resources via the Internet. The library’s electronic resources are available off-campus to UMass Chan students and faculty via proxy.

The Lamar Soutter Library is one of eight regional resource libraries affiliated with the National Library of Medicine. In addition, the library participates in a number of consortial agreements that greatly expand the availability of resources available to students. The library also takes an active role in community information outreach in our role as the only public medical library in the commonwealth and serves as the library for the school’s clinical partner, the UMass Memorial Medical Center. Plus, as the library is centrally located on the medical school campus, it serves as a gathering place for cultural activities such as employee and student art exhibits, book readings and guest lectures.

School Services

Office of School Services

The office serves students in the three schools of the UMass Chan campus and is responsible for matriculation services and pre-matriculation programs. Matriculation services include Financial Aid, Registrar/Student Record, Student ADA Support and Weather Watch. Pre-matriculation programs include outreach programs for minority and disadvantaged students (High School Health Careers Program and the Summer Enrichment Program), the Worcester Pipeline Collaborative, the Regional Science Resource Center and the Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship Program. http://www.umassmed.edu/summer/index.aspx

Accommodations for Students under the Americans with Disabilities Act

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a disability is defined as an impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual; a record of such an impairment; or, the perception that one has such an impairment. UMass Chan is firmly committed to providing full access to individuals with disabilities. In so doing, UMass Chan intends to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines. Students who avail themselves of the ADA will not be treated with prejudice or adversity. The Office of School Services, working in collaboration with the Diversity and Equal Opportunity Office, coordinates all student disability issues.

The Vice Provost for School Services serves as the ADA Student Coordinator. Once admitted, the student is responsible for notifying the ADA Student Coordinator of his/her disability, requesting academic accommodations in writing and providing appropriate documentation of the disability. A student may request accommodations at any time during matriculation. All requests for accommodations are reviewed and acted on by the Academic Accommodations Committee. It is always the student’s choice whether or not to accept any recommended accommodation. Confidentiality is a strict practice of the Academic Accommodations Committee. Students may be referred to the Academic Accommodations Committee by course coordinators or Academic Evaluation Boards for analysis of the academic difficulty and its possible relationship to a disability. All students are expected to satisfy the Technical Standards of the Medical School. Accommodation under ADA will not be in conflict with the fundamental nature of the academic programs of UMass Chan. http://www.umassmed.edu/schoolservices/ada.aspx

Appropriate Treatment of Students

In 2001, UMass Chan developed a policy and complaint procedure to help ensure the appropriate treatment of students (ATS) in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing. Students should expect to be treated with respect and to learn and work in a safe and nurturing environment. All individuals who interact with students are expected to behave in accordance with the ATS policy, which applies to faculty, administrators, nurses, house staff, postdoctoral students, technicians, other learners, and other volunteer or paid staff. Inappropriate treatment occurs when behavior shows disrespect for the dignity of others and unreasonably interferes with the learning process. It can take the form of physical punishment or threat, sexual harassment, psychological cruelty, and discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or veteran status. Please note that separate school-wide policies are in place covering sexual harassment, consensual amorous relationships and discrimination based on protected-class status.

For more information, including definitions, policies and procedures for reporting suspected inappropriate treatment, students are encouraged to contact the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education or the Diversity and Equal Opportunity Office. The policy and procedure is also available in the Office of Student Affairs. The DEOO is responsible for coordination and monitoring of all ATS complaints, for training faculty members to serve as resource persons for students with ATS-related inquiries and concerns, and for ongoing oversight and periodic review of the training process.

Student Counseling Service

The Student Counseling Service (SCS) provides counseling, psychotherapy, assistance with stress management, and educational programs on emotional well-being for students. Students come to SCS seeking personal growth and greater self-understanding as well as healthier psychological functioning. Many students using the service want to cope more effectively with difficult or stressful academic situations, while others seek counseling to deal with broader life issues. Some students come because of more serious, troublesome and/or chronic difficulties in their lives. The SCS maintains strict standards of privacy and confidentiality. The service cost is covered by the prepaid Student Health Plan fee.

Student Health Service and Student Health Plan

The Student Health Service (SHS) seeks to preserve and maintain the health of the students while at UMass Chan by providing up-to-date health screening programs as well providing routine health care for many of the students. SHS maintains a dedicated website for all student health issues, including information on blood-borne pathogen exposures, insurance plan, upcoming flu or TST clinics, and all SHS policies as well as access to all health clearance forms. The Student Health Service is located in a building adjacent to the Medical School and hospital. Students may choose a primary care provider at SHS or off campus, including their current provider with approval of the SHS Director. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday–Friday with 24/7 coverage through the hospital’s emergency room.

The UMass Chan Medical School T.H. Chan School of Medicine does not currently require screening of students for blood-borne pathogens. Students who are aware that they are infected with or are carriers of a blood-borne pathogen [including but not limited to hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)] are strongly urged to contact the Health Service so that appropriate treatment, both medical and psychological, may be instituted or continued. As stated in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine’s Technical Standards, infection, or carrier states, with certain blood-borne pathogens, may “restrict the student’s ability to perform fully in some clinical clerkships and to meet the requirements of some specialties; therefore, the student will possibly be prohibited from future training and practicing in those fields.” The Associate Vice Chancellor for School Services/ADA coordinator oversees the process for all accommodations, including blood-borne pathogens, and all medical information is treated with strict confidentiality. As also stated in the Technical Standards, “other conditions that carry a high likelihood of debilitating student illness or that are likely to lead to a compromise of the student’s immune system should be carefully considered before committing to a career in clinical medicine.”

The T.H. Chan School of Medicine guidelines for medical students infected with a blood-borne pathogen can be found at www.umassmed.edu/SOM/BloodBornePath.aspx. These guidelines apply to all matriculated and visiting students.

In addition to following the UMass Chan Policy on Students with Blood-Borne Pathogen Infection, infected students on clinical rotations are also subject to the institutional blood-borne pathogen disease policies as are physicians and nurses at those sites to which students are assigned.

The Student Health Plan (SHP) is the administrative entity funded by the mandatory student health fee, providing routine primary health care coverage to students under the direction of physicians or nurse practitioners. With an additional fee, students may elect to have their immediate family members (i.e., spouse, children) covered under the SHP. Students are covered by the SHP during their period of enrollment, from registration though August 31 of the following school year. A brochure describing the plan and its services is available through the Student Health Service.

The University requires all students to carry supplemental insurance to cover specialty consultations, diagnostic evaluations and inpatient services. Such a policy may be purchased either through the University or privately.

Students are required to carry disability insurance. A policy is available through the school, which is paid for by student fees. Benefits begin after 90 consecutive days of disability and include coverage for blood-borne pathogens. Upon completion of medical school the coverage is portable to a residency and then to medical practice at the option of the graduate. Details of the policy are available online at www.medplusadvantage.com

Food Services

The cafeteria and dining room are located on the first floor of UMass Memorial Medical Center–University Campus, which is contiguous to UMass Chan. The menu features a variety of selections, including a large salad bar, deli bar, grill, soups, entrees, snacks, pastries and beverages. In addition, a cafeteria is located in the Aaron Lazare Medical Research Building.

Campus Bookstore

Located in the UMass Chan lobby, the campus bookstore is open Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m.–5 p.m. for students, faculty, staff and the general public. The bookstore offers all required text and reference books (at a five percent discount with no tax charged) for the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing. Books not in stock may be ordered through the store or via the UMass Chan website at http://www.umassmed.edu/bookstore/index.aspx. Trade books, school clothing, school insignia items, medical instruments, school supplies, magazines and a variety of snack foods are also available. UPS shipping services are also available through the bookstore.

Housing and Transportation

T.H. Chan School of Medicine students reside in the local community or commute, as housing facilities are not available on campus. Bus transportation to the campus is available via several routes. Those who wish to park on campus are required to register with the Office of Public Safety and pay an annual parking fee. While public transportation is generally available within the local Worcester area, educational sites for the longitudinal preceptorship program and core clinical experiences are generally dispersed across Worcester County and neighboring towns to the north, south and west, within an hour’s drive from the Medical School, requiring transportation by car. Students are expected to provide their own transportation to any assigned site. Given the breadth of our community-based teaching affiliates, students should be prepared to travel as far as Boston or western Massachusetts for certain rotations.

Academic Policies and Procedures

Advanced Placement

In consideration of the varied backgrounds of students and to allow some flexibility in programming, there are courses in which students may apply for advanced standing. Given our integrated model for courses and curricular framework, requests for advanced standing will be considered on a case by case basis. Under the oversight of the associate dean for undergraduate medical education, requests for advanced standing in a given course or course component will be reviewed by the respective curriculum committee and subject to approval by the designated course co-leaders.

Grading System

The faculty believes that a system of periodic evaluation is essential to enable students to identify their strengths and deficiencies and to permit instructors to evaluate student progress and their own teaching efforts. It is the intent of the faculty that all students successfully complete their course of study. Early on, through frequent and personal contact with students, faculty members identify any difficulty a student may have in their coursework.

All FOM1 and FOM2 courses are given on a basis of Credit/No Credit. A low passing grade of Credit/Marginal (“internal marginal”) is also retained, if appropriate, for internal tracking purposes. Grading for second year courses (FOM2) is currently Credit/No Credit/Honors, though this system is under review. For some courses, a written narrative may also be included as part of the final course grade. For Core Clinical Experiences and electives, the ratings given are Outstanding, Above Expected Performance, Expected Performance, Below Expected Performance or Failure, and a written narrative is also included. The purpose of the narrative is to aid students in evaluating individual ability and performance; to aid the academic evaluation boards in making recommendations concerning the student’s subsequent education, including graduate medical (residency) training; and to aid in preparation of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE).

The faculty members of each course determine specific methods of evaluation, which may, for example, include examinations, case-based exercises, and papers or observed structured clinical interactions. Examinations are conducted and graded consistent with the school’s philosophy of emphasizing learning through self-motivation rather than through competition. Grades are determined on a “criterion-based” method and not on a grading curve.

The grade of Incomplete indicates that completion of examinations or other course requirements has been postponed because of the student’s illness or other extenuating circumstances.

All records used by the faculty as a basis for recommendations for promotion, graduation or entry into graduate medical training of a student are available to that student upon request.

Students are required to take Step I, Step II Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Step II Clinical Skills (CS) examinations of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and to have their scores reported to UMass Chan. The Step I and Step II CK components of USMLE are computerized examinations that students schedule at a time convenient to them, usually following the second year (Step I) and sometime during the fourth year (Step II). The Step II CS is a performance-based examination scheduled by the student some time after completing required clinical clerkship experiences. Passing Steps I and II (CK and CS) is a requirement for graduation, but is not required for promotion.

Prior to graduation, students are required to become certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and to satisfactorily complete the End of Core Clinical Experiences assessment.

Monitoring Student Progress

The progress of the FOM 1 and FOM 2 students is monitored by the Basic Science Academic Evaluation Board, while the progress of core clinical and senior studies students is measured by the Clinical Science Academic Evaluation Board. These boards meet regularly throughout the academic year.

In the event of a less-than-satisfactory grade in any course, the appropriate evaluation board determines whether there is a remediation option which will not impact promotion. The Evaluation Boards do not make recommendations that will impact promotion or retention. In the case of a student’s performance not meeting criteria for promotion or graduation, the case is referred to the School’s Progress Board for review. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs notifies, in advance of each Progress Board meeting, any student for whom an action that will impact promotion or graduation is likely to be considered, so that the student can provide additional information and appear at the Progress Board meeting in person if he or she chooses.

Promotion from the Foundations of Medicine 1 (FOM1) to the Foundations of Medicine 2 (FOM2) components of the curriculum, and from the FOM2 to the Core Clinical Experiences curriculum, and progress during this period, is monitored by the Basic Science Academic Evaluation Board and by the Progress Board. Details and processes for evaluation by the Basic Science Academic Evaluation Board are updated annually in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine student handbook.

The predominantly clinical curricula of the Core Clinical Experiences and Senior Studies components are treated as a continuum by the Clinical Science Academic Evaluation Board and by the Progress Board. This board also assesses qualifications for graduation. Details and processes for evaluation by the Clinical Science Academic Evaluation Board are updated annually in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine student handbook.

Withdrawals, Leaves of Absence and Readmission

Students may withdraw voluntarily from the T.H. Chan School of Medicine at any time upon written request to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Readmission after voluntary withdrawal is not guaranteed. Reinstatement requires application in writing to the Committee on Admissions at least two months prior to the date of requested readmission. If the readmission is approved by the Committee on Admissions, the appropriate academic evaluation board will determine the level at which the student will be reinstated within the curriculum and the courses that will be required.

Students in good academic standing may request a leave of absence for a specified period of time not to exceed one year. In such cases, the appropriate academic evaluation board determines whether such a leave of absence is to be granted and sets any conditions for readmission. Readmission after an administrative leave of absence does not require action by the evaluation boards (unless specifically stated) or by the Committee on Admissions. Readmission after a leave of absence taken for medical reasons requires a letter from a physician or therapist acceptable to the appropriate Evaluation Board.

Students who fail to return from a leave of absence, in spite of notification by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, will be considered to have withdrawn voluntarily from the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and cannot be reinstated without positive action of the Committee on Admissions.

Graduation

Regularly matriculated medical students who have fulfilled all requirements of the University, as certified by action of the Clinical Science Academic Evaluation Board, will be recommended by the Dean of the Medical School to the president and trustees of the University of Massachusetts for the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Requirements include satisfactory completion of four years of study as outlined by the curriculum and student handbook, satisfactory completion of an end of core clinical experiences assessment, successful completion of courses in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and transition to internship, and a passing score on Steps I, II CK and II CS of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).

Student Activities and Organizations

A number of activities and organizations take place or have been formed to reflect UMass Chan Medical School students’

commitment to a complete educational experience. Activities and organizations include the following:

• Access to Essential Medicine Group
• Adolescent Medicine Interest Group
• American Medical Student Association
• American Medical Women’s Association
• American Sign Language Group
• Asian Community Outreach Organization
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Center for Healthy Kids
• Christian Medical and Dental Association
• Complementary & Alternative Medicine Interest Group
• Dermatology Interest Group
• Disability Interest Group
• Emergency Medicine Interest Group
• Epworth/St. Anne’s Free Clinics
• Family Medicine Interest Group
• Flu Shots
• Food/clothing/gift drives
• Generalist Physician Program
• Geriatrics Interest Group
• Health Policy and Advocacy Interest Group
• Health Professionals for Human Rights
• Hudson Free Clinic
• Internal Medicine Interest Group
• International Federation of Medical Students Association
• International Health Interest Group
• Jewish Medical Student Association
• Juvenile Health
• Know Your Status—Worcester
• Malaika Project
• Marrow for Tomorrow
• Massachusetts Medical Society
• Medical Interviewing in Spanish
• Medical Mission to the Dominican Republic
• Medical Students for Choice
• Mentoring Program at Lakeview Elementary School
• Mustard Seed
• OB/GYN Interest Group
• Ophthalmology Interest Group
• Patches of Love
• Pediatric Book Buddies
• Pediatric Interest Group
• Physicians for Human Rights
• Physicians for Social Responsibility
• Psychiatry Interest Group
• QMass
• Radiology Interest Group
• Serving the Underserved
• Seven Hills Symphony
• Student Body Committee
• Student Interest Group in Neurology
• Student National Medical Association
• Surgery Interest Group
• UMass Outdoor Experience
• Well Being Newspaper

Optional Enrichment Electives

• Adoption and Foster Care: Considerations for Medical Practice
• American Sign Language
• Basic Skills for Working with Smokers
• Care of the Seriously Ill
• Clinical/Translational Research Pathway
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Exercise Medicine
• Global Health Topics in Action
• History of Medicine
• Maternal/Child Health
• Medical Creative Writing
• Medical Interviewing in Spanish
• Navigator Program in Geriatrics
• Pathway Program: Serving Underserved and Multicultural Populations
• Pediatric Advocacy
• Roads to Recovery: Substance Abuse from Patients’ Perspective
• Rural Health Scholars
• Students as Educators
• Teen Pregnancy: Medical and Psychosocial Perspectives
• The Bigger Picture: Health Issues Affecting the Community of Worcester
• Understanding and Improving Our Health Care System
• Wilderness Medicine and Recreational Emergencies