Site Assignments: Clerkship Level

Policy 524.00

Policy Statement

The University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine (LCOM) clinical curriculum includes clinical opportunities at the University of Vermont Health Network, the Connecticut Branch Campus at Nuvance Health Network in Danbury and Norwalk Connecticut and other affiliate sites. During the Clerkship level, all students at the Vermont and Connecticut sites will have ample opportunity to work with residents. Please note related Policy 520.00 Transportation to and at Training Sites.

When assigned to Vermont, placements occur at sites throughout the region. Students assigned to the Vermont Campus for whom an assignment more than one hour commuting distance from the UVM Medical Center would create an undue burden should refer to the Policy Elaboration section below regarding the exemption request process.

Students at the Connecticut Campus are placed at Nuvance Health Network sites based on clinical volume and availability for each of the eight clerkships. For Connecticut students, there is no site lottery or site exemption process. Students for whom an assignment at any particular Nuvance site would create an undue burden due to personal or medical circumstances should submit a request for exemption to the campus Assistant Dean for Students. Every effort will be made to assign such students to locations that take their personal or medical circumstances into account.

 

Policy Elaboration

Extenuating Circumstances
The Office of Medical Education reserves the right to reassign students from the Connecticut Campus to the Vermont Campus to complete their rotations in Vermont for personal, academic, or professional reasons. 

Site Exemption Requests
To be considered for a site exemption for the Vermont Campus, allowing completion of all block clerkship rotations within one hour commuting distance from the UVM Medical Center, the student must file a request form citing one or more of the eligibility criteria: 
  • Have children under the age of 18 living in their household. 
  • Have a medical condition, or disability that limits their ability to live away from their primary residence.
  • Have a family member with a significant medical condition for whom they provide care locally.

The options for applicable grounds above are the only options that LCOM can take into consideration; the College is unable to make exemptions for pet ownership or other situations not listed.

The request form must be submitted through OASIS no later than noon on the first day of September.

If the site exemption request is based on a documented disability, students must contact Student Accessibility Services at the University of Vermont (SAS). 

An in-person or phone narrative and provision of documentation that meets the SAS guidelines is required. An in-person or phone narrative and provision of documentation that meets the SAS guidelines is required. Requests for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) site exemption eligibility must be communicated to SAS, with complete documentation, no later than noon on the first day of August to allow for processing relative to the clerkship sequence (flight group) lottery. Note: this process could take up to four weeks; also note that incomplete requests for ADA accommodations received by SAS after the annual August 1 deadline are not guaranteed to be processed by the annual September 1 OASIS request form deadline. Please reach out to SAS for additional information on deadline and documentation requirements. 

Upon receipt of the electronic request including any supporting documents, the Office of Medical Education will review and process the exemption request prior to the clerkship site lottery.

IMPORTANT: Documentation to support a medical request should not include any medical information. When working with SAS, medical information should be submitted directly to SAS, and only the SAS accommodation letter should be uploaded to OASIS with this form. Requests made after the annual deadline will be subject to UVM Medical Center capacity. If space is not available, the student can meet with the Director of Academic Achievement or the Associate/Assistant Dean for Students to discuss alternative options.

In cases where an unexpected issue arises during the clerkship level, students have the option to request a temporary re-assignment to UVM Medical Center for an upcoming clerkship. To apply for a temporary exemption students will need to complete and submit the same request form through OASIS. Note, if the temporary request is based on medical considerations, students must still to go through the SAS office for documentation as described above.

Please note: Students with approved exemptions from clerkship placement outside of the local area will be distributed evenly among the seven clerkship sequences/flights. They will be invited to submit their flight group preferences. Placement in flight groups will take these preferences into consideration; however, they will be randomized when necessary to facilitate even distribution across all Vermont sequences. 

Applicability of the Policy

Clerkship Level Students

Related Larner College of Medicine Policies

Related University of Vermont Policies

Not Applicable

Related Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Standard(s)

10.9 Student Assignment

History

  • 12/19/2017 Policy Adopted/Affirmed [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 6/19/2018 Policy Revised [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 12/18/2018 Policy Revised [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 8/20/2019 Policy Revised [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 1/21/2020 Reformatted [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 4/21/2020 Policy Revised [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 2/16/2021 Policy Edited [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 7/19/2022 Policy Revised [Medical Curriculum Committee]
  • 11/21/2023 Policy Revised [Medical Curriculum Committee]

Policy Oversight

Assistant Dean, Clerkship Curriculum 

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