Complete policies and procedures for University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) students are available in the student handbook and in Phase 2 and Phase 3 orientation materials available on Canvas (login required).
Problems & Feedback
Please feel free to contact us at any time during your pediatric rotation if problems arise. The clerkship directors and administrator in Madison oversee the entire clerkship at all statewide campus sites and can assist with concerns from any site.
Student Maltreatment
Visit the SMPH page on Mistreatment of Students or Unprofessional Behavior to learn more about mistreatment policies and how to report a concern.
The Medical Student Ombuds is a neutral, independent and confidential resource for students, providing a safe forum to voice concerns, to evaluate a situation, to express feelings, to discuss options and to promote resolution of issues or conflicts.
Disability Accommodations
The UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) welcomes students with disabilities. If you have a disability, reasonable accommodations are available. This is true whether you have a known disability upon entering medical school, or whether you develop a disability during medical school. Contact the SMPH technical standards director at tsaac@med.wisc.edu for more information.
Information on disability disclosure and accommodations is available on the technical standards page.
Our Commitment to Equal Access to Learning and Evaluation Opportunities
The UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) is committed to providing equal access to learning and evaluation opportunities and provides a confidential process for students with documented needs. If, at any point in the semester, you find yourself unable to fully access the space, content, and/or experience of this course, you are encouraged (but not required) to request accommodations. By making a plan with McBurney Center, you can receive accommodations without disclosing your specific disability to course instructors. To ensure access to this class, and your program, please note the following services:
Disability Services
Complete the McBurney Connect Online Student Application. Be sure to indicate that you are a medical student. You may also contact our director of technical standards, Krista Zimonick, at 608-265-9666 or via email at kzimonick@wisc.edu. You can also find information regarding the process for requesting disability services in the SMPH Center course in Canvas.
Temporary Disabilities
Contact our director of technical standards, Krista Zimonick, at 608-265-9666 or via email at kzimonick@wisc.edu. You can also find information regarding the process for requesting temporary accommodation services in the SMPH Center course in Canvas.
Title IX Rights
Title IX provides protection against discrimination on the basis of sex in any educational program or activity. If you are pregnant or need to access a lactation room, you may be eligible for accommodations under Title IX. Contact our director of technical standards, Krista Zimonick, at 608-265-9666 or via email at kzimonick@wisc.edu if you require Title IX protections. You can also find information regarding the process for requesting Title IX services in the SMPH Center course in Canvas.
Please note that events such as pregnancy or a need to access lactation rooms are not considered disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, medical complications arising from pregnancy may qualify you for disability services under the ADA. If you have questions about this, contact the director of technical standards.
Additional Information
Accommodations are not retroactive, nor do they alter or waive an essential part of any course, program, or degree. Receiving reasonable accommodations is not a guarantee of academic success. Accommodations are in place for the purpose of providing equal access and opportunity to meet the technical standards set forth by SMPH. Accommodations for board exams are approved and administered by NBME/USMLE, not by the medical school. Contact our director of technical standards, Krista Zimonick, at 608-265-9666 or via email at kzimonick@wisc.edu if you need more information regarding this process.
Students who wish to formally appeal a denial of their accommodations request may contact UW–Madison’s ADA coordinator in writing. Find more information about this process, and the ADA coordinator’s contact information, on the UW–Madison Office of Compliance website.
Attendance
Attendance policies for SMPH students are available in the student handbook and in Phase 2 and Phase 3 orientation materials available on Canvas (login required).
If you are ill or unexpectedly need to be absent for any reason, it is your responsibility to notify your inpatient team or the clinic attendings with whom you are working that day (or evening, for call). You must also call the Education Office at your clinical site to notify them that you will not be coming in to work. If you are uncertain whom to call, call Tori Benson in the Education Office at the Madison site (608-890-3760) to obtain the names and contact information.
Schedule Requests
Any and all schedule requests must be made to the course administrator only and not of individual supervising physicians. Supervising physicians often do not have the “big picture” knowledge of the clerkship to grant schedule/shift trades. The clerkship administrator will contact supervising physicians as needed after making a determination of the feasibility of the request.
Holidays
See the SMPH clinical calendar (available in the student handbook) for information about policies regarding absences related to holidays.
Work Hours
Medical student work hours are restricted to the SMPH Clinical Rotations Work Policy, which specifies:
- Duty hours are defined as all clinical and academic activities related to the program, including inpatient and outpatient patient care, administrative duties relative to patient care, the provision for transfer of patient care, in-house call activities, and scheduled activities such as conferences.
- Duty hours do not include reading and preparation time spent away from the duty site.
- Duty hours must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period and inclusive of all in-house call activities.
- No duty shift shall exceed 24 hours, plus a six-hour sign-off.
- Students are required to have at least one 24-hour period off per week, averaged over a four-week period.
- All students are advised to report overages to the designated clerkship/block administrator or director, the associate dean of students, or via SMPH mistreatment reporting
Exam Release
Exam release policies for SMPH students are available in the student handbook and in the Achieving section of the Center site (login required).