Clinical Supervision of Medical Students

LCME Standards

1.4 Affiliation Agreements

6.2 Required Clinical Experiences

9.2 Faculty Appointments

9.3 Clinical Supervision of Medical Students

Scope and Purpose

The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) ensures appropriate levels of student supervision over the course of a student’s undergraduate medical education. The UMSOM provides medical students progressive responsibility and autonomy throughout their clinical education. The UMSOM, in conjunction with all clinical teaching sites, ensures that medical student education is overseen by UMSOM faculty within a safe environment.

Policy Statement

Each training site is responsible for ensuring student and patient safety in the clinical experiences in which students participate at that site, including school approved volunteering and shadowing.

An affiliation agreement with language setting forth requirements for appropriate student supervision must be in place between UMSOM and the training site before students may participate in clinical experiences at that site.

At each clinical experience orientation, students must be informed of the expectations for their participation and supervision. Education leaders are responsible for informing all clinical supervisors of these same expectations.

Education leaders are responsible for assigning students to supervisors for all clinical experiences, for ensuring that supervisors and students are made aware of these assignments, and for ensuring that supervisors are members of the UMSOM faculty prior to taking on their supervisory role. Individuals must not supervise a student with whom their relationship would represent a conflict of interest.

Students must have access to appropriate safety equipment for all clinical settings. Students must adhere to the most current safety practices as determined by the training site, UMSOM, state, county, and/or university policies. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring adherence to appropriate safety practices.

Students must be provided with appropriate and effective systems of communication with their supervisors.

The amount of supervision required for each student will vary according to the clinical task and clinical status of each patient and should be commensurate with the student’s level of training, education, and clinical experience. Whenever clinically appropriate, supervisors should provide opportunities for students to demonstrate increasing independence and responsibility for patient care. Students must be forthright about their level of training and skills.

Where clinically and educationally appropriate, supervisors may delegate responsibility for some elements of teaching to non-physician care providers (e.g., physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives). It is the responsibility of the supervisor to determine which learning experiences may be appropriately delegated and to ensure that non-physicians are working within their scope of practice.

Supervisors are responsible for providing students with formative feedback and summative evaluations.

History

Approved: CCC, May 18, 2021