UCBSO
1. Yes, you can request days off for personal reasons. If it is for education or religious leave, it is a 1:1 makeup. Anything else, its a 1:2 makeup (make up two days for every 1 you make). The clinic is VERY strict on this rule. If you are ever late to clinic or late calling the clinic to report an absence, they have the option of either making you do a 1:4 or 1:6 makeup. I had to do a 1:4 makeup because I called in 5 minutes late to the directors office (it didnt matter to them that I actually called the CLINIC doctor and reported the absence on time). However, I was lucky because they were about to make it a 1:6 makeup. Another classmate was so sick one day and was at the hospital, and they still had to make up 2 days. So even for medical reasons, its a 1:2 makeup. I had strep throat not too long ago and had a medically excused absence and missed 3 clinic days. Again, it didnt matter that I had a doctors note; the directors office still notified me that I have to make up 6 days for that. And finally, one of my classmates parents passed away last semester and she wanted to take off a few weeks, the directors office actually made her add on an extra day in the next rotation to make up all the days. In the end, she actually made up more days than she missed but the clinic didnt let her bank those days.
There are very specific guidelines on how to request personal days off. It has to be 3-4 weeks in advance and no more than 30% of the clinicians in the same clinic can be excused on the same day. During the fourth year, only 50% of fourth years can be gone for an educational leave on the same days.
If you are on an out rotation, you are supposed to still notify the directors office. Some doctors are more lenient than others in notifying the school if you are absent.
2. There are some extra session days built into the calendar to make up days. The major one is during winter break where third year clinicians have 3 extra session weeks for makeup days. As a fourth year, you have about 2 extra session weeks. Some students just make up days after they graduate (no one gets pardon as I heard from other schools). A few graduates are still in clinic making up days now. =). However, that will change very soon. The clinic is implementing a new condition to the class below mine that any graduate that has to make up days during the summer will be charged tuition. =P.
A lot of fourth years just add on an extra day into their clinic schedule to be counted as makeup days. Since Im in the position that I have to make up close to 16 days right now, I will be adding on an extra clinic day.
Our clinic use to give us about 7 banking days to be used for emergency, medical reasons, or education leave, but that was a while ago.
As you can see, many of us are upset about the clinic policies. =D
