FAQ | FCE Supervisors

As working significant numbers of hours continuously has been shown to contribute to reduction in performance and increased incidence of significant errors in work, the clinical faculty of the UMass Chan Medical School require the following: In order to allow medical students to perform maximally—to effectively assist in the clinical care of patients and to learn from their patients, clinical medical students will be expected to follow ACGME intern clinical work hour restrictions. [Approved by CDC October 2010, implementation July 1, 2011]

FCEs are not graded, per se. However faculty sponsors are required to complete an assessment of each student's performance, including the recommendation that the student receives (or does not receive) credit. All student assessment and program & FCE evaluation are completed via OASIS at the end of each FE term. 

of note: The OASIS option for a recommendation that the student not receive credit is listed as an "F" for Failing in the student record. Please contact the FCE Program Leadership before submitting a failing FCE grade to discuss other options. (see Evaluation & Assessment)

Students may work with a doctor (or other approved healthcare professional) outside the medical school. We recommend the student name a UMass Chan faculty member who can and will vouch for the experience, and that there is a clear objective and brief description of what the student will do. The outside supervisor will receive the program evaluation.

Note: please include affiliation(s) of and contact information for non-UMass Chan supervisor.

This is a credit or no-credit experience and we anticipate that failure to earn a credit grade in the FCE will be a rare occurrence as these are student driven electives. The final decision on whether remediation by the student is needed for this elective lies with the faculty mentor. Remediation must be completed before graduation, either in the same elective, or if this is not possible, in a different FCE elective. If a serious professional issue is identified during the FCE elective, comments may be included in the MSPE. All individual failures will be reviewed by the FCE program director. Absences due to illness will be reviewed by the faculty sponsor and any decision for remediation will be taken in consultation with the program director.

Yes, with approval from the course leader of the course in need of remediation. Remediation may require a specially designed FCE, and must be approved in advance by FCE leadership.

• Parking access to facility
• Clear schedule for each day to be provided at start of FCE
• Any credentialing required (for student participation)
• Communication with department or clinic administrator or nurse managers about the program and expectations for working with students
• student performance evaluation

St. Vincent's requires students to have successfully completed training in standard OR surgical aseptic techniques, which include gowning, gloving, and scrubbing. St. Vincent Card Access is required for entry to OR areas.

UMass Chan students complete "scrub training" either during the Transitions to Core Clinical Experiences (CCE), or at the beginning of the third year Periopertive and Maternal Care thematic section. The UMass Chan Office of Student Affairs (OSA) provides a list of trained students to St. Vincent's periodically through the academic year.

To obtain card access, please contact Donna.Davisson@stvincenthospital.com in St. Vincent's Education Department. The FCE leadership team will work to obtain an appropriate training verification if necessary.

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Please note: For all drug screening tests, you must sign the consent form in the presence of the drug screening staff; please DO NOT sign the form ahead of time.

For rotations at Harrington Memorial Hospital (HMH), students are responsible for paying HMH the cost of the drug screen, which is presently $50. You may obtain the urine drug test (HealthCare Professional Panel Drug Screen) at the HMH Employee Health Department, located at 32 Oakes Ave, Southbridge, MA. Appointments may be made by calling 508-765-3093. Students should download the Harrington Consent Form and take it to the drug screening office. You must sign the consent form at the time of testing at HMH. Following your test, please send a copy of the signed consent form to the Office of Student Affairs.

For rotations at St. Vincent’s, Baystate Medical Center, Southern New Hampshire, Reliant Medical Group and/or Terra Vista students will have the testing performed at UMass Memorial Medical Center, through Employee Health Services (EHS), and they will not be required to cover the cost of the drug screen. You may obtain the urine drug test at the UMMMC employee health department, at 291 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA. You must make an appointment in advance by calling 508-793-6400. Students should download the UMass Chan consent form and take it to EHS for their drug screening. At the time of testing, students will be asked to sign the consent form. Following your test, please send a copy of the signed consent form to the Office of Student Affairs.

For all rotations, it can take up to 7 business days for results to become available. Results must be finalized before the first day of the rotation, so students should plan accordingly. Employee Health will forward your results to the Office of Student Affairs. Student Affairs will notify the site that you are in compliance with testing. Any positive tests will be reported to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Additional Information and Consent Forms are posted on the UMass Chan Office of Students Affairs
website:  https://www.umassmed.edu/studentaffairs/forms-reqs/obtain-a-urine-drug-screening/