87 NMT Clinical Absences and Personal Days

Clinical Absences / Call In Policy

Students are required to report all types of absences (personal days, funeral days, jury duty, etc.) to the clinical site supervisor and the RISP clinical instructor.  Absences must be called in to the department phone.  Emailing the supervisor is not advisable as they may arrive first or be present on the day you are absent.  You may phone in and email, but you must notify the department directly.  Texting a technologist concerning your absence is not an appropriate form of communication.

**See Clinical Site List with clinical start and end times, supervisor names, and contact phone numbers in the Clinical Syllabus and in Clinical Canvas site.

Reporting an Un-Scheduled Absence

• The student will notify the clinical site/supervisor (via telephone) AND the RISP clinical instructor (via e-mail) as soon as the student is aware, they will be missing clinic. Notification must occur BEFORE the start of your shift.
• If the student does not notify (both) before the start of the shift, they will also be charged with a tardy.
• If the student does not notify (both) within 60 minutes of the start of their shift, OR fails to report an absence will be charged with a Unexcused Absence.**
• Un-scheduled absences will be entered into E*Value by the RISP clinical instructor.

Absences must also be documented in the Time Tracking system of E*Value.

Students must demonstrate achievement of the minimum objectives outlined for clinical experience courses regardless of the student’s attendance pattern.

Scheduled Absence / Personal Days

The faculty recognizes that due to illness, unavoidable personal business, or weather conditions (e.g., doctor/dentist, childcare, car trouble, snowy roads, etc.) students may need to take time off from clinic.  Students are given personal days to use during their clinical courses for this purpose.

A full personal day is seven (7) clinical hours and a ½ personal day is three and a half (3.5) clinical hours. 

Four (4) personal days are allotted for each clinical course throughout the program.

 Requesting a Personal Day

The student will submit an scheduled absence request via e-mail to the RISP clinical instructor.  The site clinical supervisor should be copied on the request.  The request must be made prior to the start of the requested shift.

The Scheduled Absence Request should include: 1) cc (copy) to the clinical site supervisor, 2) the date of the requested scheduled absence, 3) whether it is a full day, ½ day AM or ½ day PM, and 4) reason for the request

When the request is approved it will be entered into the student’s calendar on E*Value by the RISP clinical instructor as an approved Personal Day.  The request is not considered approved until it appears on the student’s calendar or by verbal/written permission form the RISP clinical instructor if the request is urgent.  It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that entries are correct or to bring any discrepancies to the attention of the RISP clinical instructor.

Use of Personal Days and Rotation Completions and Evaluations

Students must demonstrate achievement of the minimum objectives outlined for clinical experience courses regardless of the student’s attendance pattern.  In any individual clinical course, a student may use up to the allotted personal days in the course for personal time.  No grade penalty will be assigned for the use of these days, provided the student follows attendance recording and call-in procedures. However, a student who fails to attend at least 50% of the scheduled clinical days for an assigned practice area or rotation (e.g. VA office, radiation safety, ROI, etc.) will not be evaluated by the supervising technologist in that area or rotation and a failing grade will be assigned for that portion of the clinical course.  The number of days included in each course, and in each practice area or rotation within the course, can be determined from the clinical rotation schedule distributed during orientation.

Limitations on Use of Full and ½ Personal Days

• Half P-days may be taken in the morning or afternoon.
• Half P-day morning absences should ONLY be taken in cases when there is no alternative (ie: physician only available in am, fasting blood work, child’s school is on 2 hour delay).
• Personal time may not be saved or transferred over from course to course.
• A student who becomes ill during clinical hours may leave clinic but will be charged personal time.
  • If a student leaves before they have been in clinic 3.5 hours, they will be charged a full personal day.
  • If a student leaves after working more the 3.5 hours, they will be charged a ½ personal day.
  • The student is responsible for letting their site clinical supervisor know they will be leaving clinic and for contacting the RISP clinical instructor to report their personal time use.
• Clinical faculty and all hospital staff working with students (e.g. technologists, nurses and physicians) reserve the right to send a student home if they feel they are jeopardizing the health of the patients, the staff, other students or themselves. If a student is sent home for any of these reasons, personal day(s) (1/2 or full) will be assessed.

Leaving Clinic Early due to Emergency or Illness

If the student must leave clinic early due to an emergency or becoming ill while in clinic, they must notify the clinical site supervisor (or their designate) and the RISP clinical instructor.  The student must clock out of E*Value prior to leaving the clinic and enter a note stating why they are leaving early.  If the student has been on the clock for less than 3.5 hours, a full p-day will be entered into the student’s calendar.  If the student worked more than 3.5 hours, but less than 7 hours, ½ p-day will be entered into the student’s calendar.  Leaving clinic without notifying the clinical site supervisor (or their designate) AND the RISP clinic instructor will result in an Un-excused Absence. **

 **For clinical penalties due to attendance and attendance recording issues, see Violation of Clinical Policies section.