GRADING AND PROMOTION POLICIES
With the exception of the pre-clerkship Foundation module, all pre-clerkship modules, required clerkships, and sub-internships are graded on an Honors/Pass/Fail basis. The Foundation module, Bench to Bedside and Beyond (B3), and all electives in the post-clerkship period are graded as either Pass or Fail.
In addition, all students must take and pass all components of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), Step 1 and 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) and CS (Clinical Skills) examinations in order to graduate from the School of Medicine.
For each required activity, written grading criteria are prepared by the responsible module directors or academic department. These are regularly reviewed by the School of Medicine Executive Curriculum Committee, and distributed to students at the beginning of each activity. The academic content of several of the modules includes participation in mandatory laboratories and small group activities. Failure to participate in these activities represents sufficient grounds for course failure and will result in formal review by the Student Promotions Committee.
Academic competence in cognitive areas is not enough to satisfy USU academic requirements. Non- cognitive areas, such as officer bearing, attitude, and professionalism are also essential aspects of academic performance and are evaluated throughout the curriculum.
Academic progress is monitored by the Student Promotions Committee. Medical students must maintain satisfactory academic performance to be eligible for continuation in the curriculum, recommended for graduation, and approved for Graduate Medical Education (GME). Failure to complete required coursework or to maintain an acceptable level of academic and professional performance may lead the Student Promotions Committee to recommend remedial work, deceleration or disenrollment.
The final decision to disenroll a student from the School of Medicine rests with the dean. Students have 46 months from the time of matriculation to fulfill all requirements for the M.D. degree. Inability to complete degree requirements on time is grounds for dismissal. An extension of time may be granted by the dean, but such exceptions are considered on an individual basis only.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is an integral part of academic performance and professionalism. Students who violate academic integrity are subject to disenrollment even though they may otherwise be in good academic standing.
LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS
Policies of each of the Uniformed Services require that a medical officer hold a valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
GRADUATION
Commencement exercises for the university are held on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May, at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. Graduates receive the M.D. degree, are commissioned into the medical corps of their respective services, and receive a promotion from the O-1 to the O-3 officer rank (captain in the U.S. Army or the U.S. Air Force; lieutenant in the U.S. Navy or the U.S. Public Health Service). The university pays for rental of the graduating seniors’ caps and gowns, their diplomas, and for printed graduation invitations.
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Students may withdraw from the School of Medicine by submitting a letter of resignation through the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to the Dean of the School of Medicine, stating the reasons for withdrawal. Students who withdraw voluntarily or are dismissed from the school must perform military duty in an appropriate capacity, as determined by the secretary of the military service concerned, for a period equal to the period spent in training, but no less than one year. Unless law or service policy requires otherwise, the incurred service obligation for students separated from the school is added to any other prior service commitment. Students who leave the program may be required to repay the government for the cost of their education.
ACADEMIC AND LEADERSHIP AWARDS
The university holds an annual Academic Collegium, where undergraduates from each of the first three years of medical school are honored for their scholastic achievements in courses and clerkships. In addition, the following awards are made to graduating seniors.
Board of Regents Award: This is the highest honor a graduating senior can receive. The recipient must have demonstrated a combination of superior academic performance and clinical competence, commitment, and care, reflecting the highest level of duty and honor expected of a commissioned officer.
Society of Medical Consultants to the Armed Forces Award: The award recognizes the class valedictorian—the graduate who demonstrates the highest level of academic performance.
Association of Military Surgeons of the United States Award: This award is presented to the graduate who has best demonstrated the qualities of leadership and academic involvement. Consideration is also given to military motivation and bearing.
Surgeons General Awards: These awards are given to one graduate from each of the uniformed services whose contributions and role in the class have strongly identified him or her with the mission of that service. Each awardee has demonstrated a combination of academic achievement, medical professionalism, commitment to fellow students, and creative, sensitive leadership.
Ésprit de Corps Award: The award recipient is chosen by students of the graduating class. The award recognizes the individual in that class who by thought, word, and action demonstrates the humanistic qualities of compassion, caring, and concern for the well-being of all.