EAA028 Providers to Care for Medical Students

Policy Number: EAA028
Policy Title: Providers to Care for Medical Students

A. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide clear guidelines to assure that decisions about academic performance and advancement are based upon performance measures defined in course and clerkship syllabi. These assessments should not be influenced by personal or professional relationships students and faculty had in the past or exist in the present.

B. Persons Affected

This policy will cover the students participating in the UTRGV SOM curriculum. 

C. Policy

Any health providers who treat UTRGV medical students may not be involved in the academic supervision, assessment or decisions about the promotion
of a UTRGV student who is receiving care. Should a faculty member find themselves assigned to clinical supervision involving a student who they have
treated, they should arrange for a change in assignment. Should a student find themselves under the supervision of a clinician who has treated them in
the past or is treating them in the present, the student should request reassignment.

D. Procedure

Any faculty member assigned to supervise a medical student for whom he or she has provided medical care must request reassignment from the course or clerkship director. If a student finds that they have been assigned to a supervising attending who has been involved in their health care, they must request reassignment from the course or clerkship director.

Faculty preceptors, residents, fellows, course, and clerkship directors are required to certify on each student evaluation form (CPA) that they have not provided healthcare to the student being evaluated.

Students should seek medical care through Student Health Services. Students should seek psychological/psychiatric care directly through the UTRGV Counseling Center or through the SOM Counseling Service. A multidisciplinary staff, who is not involved in academic or professionalism evaluation and/or decisions of advancement/progression through the curriculum, provides evaluation and short--term treatment including counseling, psychotherapy, and medication management when necessary to medical students with mental health, situational, social, or academic concerns. Mental health clinicians may refer medical students to other physicians for further/follow-up care.

Records of medical treatment, counseling, and mental health care are stored and protected as Personal Health Information according to HIPAA rules. These records are collected and stored separately from academic records.

E. Distribution

Clinical Faculty
The Office of Educational Affairs will post the policy on the Undergraduate Medical Education webpage, send annual reminders to all preclinical and clinical faculty at the start of each academic year, and provide a copy to all new faculty when hired.

Residents & Fellows
The Graduate Medical Education Office will post the policy on the New Innovations website, distribute the policy at new resident and fellow orientation, and be responsible for an annual reminder sent to all continuing residents and fellows.

Medical Students
The Office of Educational Affairs will place the policy in the syllabi for all preclinical and clinical courses and electives.

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