Excused Absence OMS I & OMS II

PURPOSE / SCOPE:

The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine recognizes that students may have to be absent from certain required educational events due to illness, emergencies, and other significant circumstances. To ensure a fair,  consistent, and efficient procedure in considering individual student situations, the following policy for absences (personal days or excused absences) from required educational events for OMS I and II students is as follows:

POLICY:

Students' absences must be kept to the absolute minimum number possible, as medical education requires active and involved participation. Frequent absences, even if excused and legitimate, may require a meeting with the Dean of Academic Affairs or their designee. Frequent absences may also result in referral to the Professionalism and Academic Review (PAR) Committee or to the Dean of the COM.

Allotted Personal Days

• Students are allotted up to two (2) Personal Days [or two (2) 8am-noon Personal Half Days] per semester in the pre-clinical years to attend to personal business, family events, the day after travel, or milestones without the need to provide a specific reason or documentation.
• Requests for a Personal Day must be submitted through the online system a minimum of ten (10) business days in advance.
• Personal Days cannot be used on “Blackout Dates,” which include: examinations/assessments, the day before examinations/assessments, OSCEs, mandatory lab sessions, essential competencies, skills assessments, orientations, the first day of any class, the last day of class, and other days as determined by course directors or administration.
• No hourly counts are permitted, and unused Personal Days do not carry over to subsequent semesters.

Approved Categories for Absences

Excused student absences are generally approved for the following reasons, with reasonable limitations on the number of days:

• Serious illness, including illness accompanied by current fever
• Significant last-minute emergency
• Death in the immediate family
• Birth or adoption of own or partner baby, with limits on the number of days; normally approved well in advance
• If an absence is anticipated due to a Religious Holiday, please refer to the Religious Observation Request Procedure
• Attendance to a conference due to an oral or poster presentation; normally approved well in advance (minimum ten (10) business days notice required)
• Attendance to a conference due to a requirement as a part of a leadership position, such as COSGP or SOMA; is normally approved well in advance (minimum ten (10) business days notice required)
• Providing care for a sick child or immediate family member who is otherwise unable to do so on their own.

Non-Approved Categories for Absences

Excused student absences are generally not approved for the following reasons:

1. Minor illness, minor allergies, or mild chronic conditions that are responding to treatment. In cases of minor illness, students should typically continue to come to educational events, with appropriate precautions such as a face-mask.
2. Social events, such as weddings, concerts, family reunions, vacations, graduations, or sporting events (Note: Students must utilize their allotted Personal Days for these events)
3. Mild anxiety, emotional, or mental distress
4. Optional conference attendance in which no presentation is being made
5. Optional conference attendance that is not required due to a leadership position
6. Research experience that can be rescheduled, is optional, or does not involve outside partners

Accountability for Missed Curricular Content

• Students are responsible for learning content that they miss due to a personal day or excused/unexcused absence.
• Typically, this involves a commitment to study for a time equivalent to the session length, either through independent study, completion of an assignment, or as instructed by the session faculty and/or course director of missed mandatory sessions.

Reporting Windows & Documentation Requirements

• Important Note: Excused absences submitted after 7am may take up to one (1) business day to receive confirmation of personal day use or an excused/not excused decision for an absence request. Absence requests or personal day notice in relation to a situation occurring overnight should be submitted proactively at the earliest notice. One inquiry email from the student physician to excusedabsence@icom.edu is an appropriate check-in.
• Evidence or proof of the need for an excused absence is generally required, such as a note from a licensed physician, obituary notice, screen capture of conference registration and presentation, police report, research summary, or other documentation.
• For unplanned emergent absences (e.g., acute illness or emergency), students must submit the absence request form within 24 hours of the missed event. Failure to communicate the absence within 24 hours will automatically result in the absence being classified as unexcused.
• Official documentation (such as a medical provider note) must be uploaded within seven (7) days of the absence for approval, particularly for absences lasting two (2) or more consecutive days or occurring on Blackout Dates.
• If a student is absent without an approval from a required event, the student will receive a grade of zero for that event and a mandatory professionalism infraction will be filed.

Strict Competency Thresholds & Technical Standards Review

There is a strict limit on the number of excused or unexcused absences a student can accrue in a semester before a leave of absence with intent to return will be discussed with the Dean of Academic Affairs (DAA) or their designee. Typically, three absences in one class from an essential lab session, competency, or skills assessments will require this discussion. For example, missing three OPP sessions in one semester or missing three CMED sessions in one semester may necessitate that the student take a leave of absence with intent to return.

• To protect patient safety and fulfill the rigorous requirements of medical education, a student must attend at least 90% of required educational hours per course.
• The Course Director will determine, at their discretion, whether an absence is substantial enough to affect eligibility for session credit.
• An automatic, mandatory referral for discussion with the Dean of Academic Affairs or their designee will be triggered if a student:
  1. Misses more than 10% of total required educational hours in a single course.
  2. Accrues three (3) absences in a single course from essential lab sessions, competencies, or skills assessments (e.g., missing 3 OPP sessions or 3 CMED sessions).
• This formal review will evaluate whether the student's recurrent absenteeism (regardless of legitimacy or excuse) has caused a failure to meet course competencies and fundamental Technical Standards, resulting in a mandatory Leave of Absence (LOA), academic remediation, or course failure.

POLICY OWNER:

Dean of Academic Affairs

APPROVAL:

Effective: 03/12/2024

Last Reviewed: 08/18/2026

Review Requirement: 3 Years