Correction of Deficiences in Pre-Clerkship Courses
Students receiving notification of a marginal pass should meet with the appropriate faculty and discuss the requirements for achieving an unqualified passing grade. Once a student achieves a “pass,” the performance will no longer be recorded as “marginal” in the student’s record. Students who receive a marginal pass in a course of eight or more units (i.e. HHD or POM) must correct the marginal pass within 12 months of receipt of the marginal pass and prior to beginning any clinical clerkship, and will be required to take USMLE Step 1 examination prior to beginning any clinical clerkship. No student having more than one marginal pass in courses of fewer than eight units may begin any clerkship. If two uncorrected marginal performance grades accumulate in pre-clerkship courses of fewer than eight units, the student is required to correct at least one of the within 12 months of receipt of the second marginal pass and prior to beginning clinical clerkships. Students with one or more marginal passes will be counseled by an Advising Dean and reviewed by the Committee on Performance, Professionalism and Promotion (CP3).
Students who fail a pre-clerkship course must achieve a passing grade within one year of the failure or prior to beginning clerkships, whichever is sooner. If this cannot be achieved through remediation (as determined by the Course Director) then the student must retake and pass the course when it is next offered. Only the CP3 has the power to change this requirement. The requirements for achieving a passing grade are determined by the responsible faculty. Students with a failing grade will be counseled by an Advising Dean and reviewed by the Committee on Performance, Professionalism and Promotion.
Academic deficiencies in pre-clerkship courses must be rectified prior to the beginning of clerkships or by a date specified by the CP3 (which has the power in an appropriate case to modify any of the requirements in this paragraph).
Departments are encouraged to provide educational assistance to students failing required courses on the first-year grid, preferably during the first summer quarter following receipt of a failing grade, and to reexamine such students prior to autumn quarter registration. Students failing courses on the autumn and winter quarter grids for the second year should, as a general proposition, be given the opportunity to correct these deficiencies prior to July 1 of that academic year. Students who receive an incomplete grade because of extenuating medical or personal circumstances should, once again as a general rule, be given the opportunity to correct the incomplete grade within one (1) year or prior entering clerkships, whichever comes first, in a manner specified by the department or responsible teaching group. Courses such as those in the Practice of Medicine sequence, where hands-on activities and small group interactions constitute a significant portion of the course, may require retaking of the course the following year.
updated August 2012