Required Instructional Time
LCME Standards
6.3 Self-Directed and Life-Long Learning
8.8 Monitoring Student Time
Scope and Purpose
In order to provide a manageable workload while meeting the medical student education program objectives, the School of Medicine has set the amount of required and recommended time medical students spend in curricular activities, including the number of hours medical students are required to spend in clinical and educational activities during clerkships.
Policy Statement
Pre-clerkship Phase
During the pre-clerkship phase, students receive four hours of instruction each morning, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 AM and noon. This will consist of no more than two hours of large group didactics with the remaining time spent on interactive educational activities (e.g., group discussion, team-based learning, problem solving, clinical correlations, laboratories). In addition, each student has an average of one afternoon (approx. 3-4 hours) of additional required clinically-based instruction per week (ICM, Practice of Medicine). Courses will not require more than 24 hours per week of preparation time for in-class activities, not including time for regular study or review.
Co-curricular activities (e.g., IPE, service learning, electives, tracks, scholarly project, joint-degree programs) occur throughout the week and may include evenings and weekends. Extra-curricular activities (e.g., clinical shadowing, research, community volunteer work, student interest groups) must take place outside of scheduled class time.
Students must not schedule other activities (e.g., meetings) during scheduled class time.
Clerkship Phase & Advanced Clinical Phase
Students are expected to participate in clinical activities, including didactic sessions, for a minimum of forty hours per week. See the Duty Hours Policy that limits the maximum amount of time that students are expected to be in the clinical setting.
Related Policies/Procedures
History
Approved: CCC, May 19, 2020