Medical Program Participation Guidelines

You are expected to notify the School of any absence as soon as you are aware that you will not be participating in learning experiences, by submitting an Absence Notification form. Please ensure you select the form relevant to your current year of enrolment in the program. For example, if you are enrolled in MEDI7311 and MEDI7314, you will use the Year 3 & 4 Absence notification form.

• Year 1 (MEDI7100) Absence notification form
• Year 2 (MEDI7200) Absence notification form
• Year 3 & 4 Absence notification form

In planned/anticipated absences (e.g. presenting at a conference) you should notify your absence prior to the planned event. For unexpected absences, you should make every endeavour to submit an Absence Notification form in a timely fashion, and no later than 48 hours after the first day of absence.

By completing an Absence Notification Form, you are officially recording your absence and formally informing your course coordinator and local clinical unit. It's a key step in building a culture where we're all responsible and act professionally. This aligns with what you'll need to do in your future medical practice.

This form is not a request/permission for leave, simply formal documentation as would be expected in your workplace.  You can assume your leave is approved as long as the mandatory fields are completed.

It is in your best interest to be on track with your learning and failure by you to submit an Absence Notification in a timely manner may impact on your ability to complete any alternative learning experiences. By not completing the form, your course coordinator and local team may not be aware you are away and will be unable to assist you in the development of compensatory learning if required. 

When you notify us of leave periods involving multiple consecutive days, you will be asked to provide details of missed learning experiences and the reason for your absence. You are encouraged to provide supporting documentation where available, for example, a conference program including details of the session at which you are presenting. Any absence due to illness of three or more consecutive days requires a medical certificate in addition to the above details and documentation. As already mentioned, absence notifications are automatically sent to your Course Coordinator/s, clinical unit, and other relevant staff.

If you are on clinical placement, in addition to notifying the School through an Absence Notification, you are expected to notify clinical supervisors and the clinical unit staff more immediately in the same way that clinical staff are required to notify their supervisors if they are unable to attend work. This will assist the clinical units to support student welfare. Failure to notify absence is a serious breach of professional conduct and repeated instances may be reflected in your Clinical Participation Assessment and may result in a Fitness to Practise referral.

Learning plans for compensatory learning

As a postgraduate student, you are responsible for ensuring that you compensate for any missed learning. You are strongly recommended to prepare a learning plan for any absences from learning experiences for which alternative digital learning modalities are not available. Your learning plan, which you will include with your absence notification, should contain details on how you intend to compensate for the missed learning and how these tasks align with the learning outcomes related to missed learning. In planned/anticipated absences this learning plan should be prepared prospectively and shared with your Course Coordinator, and clinical unit where necessary.

Prioritising your health

The School understands that it is important to prioritise your health as this is a key component of good medical practice. Staying healthy contributes to your ability to practice safely.

There may be times when you need to take time off during the semester and these guidelines offer the flexibility for you to do so within reason. If you need to take time off to prioritise your health, you are asked to inform your tutor or clinical supervisor of your absence in a timely manner and submit an absence notification.

If you repeatedly miss significant periods of learning experiences and are identified as not participating, the School will involve the Medical Student Support Team to make sure that you are okay.

Implications for lack of participation

Participation in line with these guidelines is a component of every ECP. Assessment and progression decisions are based on participation and/or engagement measures and not on attendance records (see UQ policy on Assessment). However, attendance observations may be used to inform such measures since being absent prevents students from participating in learning experiences. For instance, participation and/or engagement measures such as tutor or supervisor ratings provide allowance for student attendance considerations. You will be at risk of not meeting your course requirements if your participation is below what is expected of a medical student. Students at risk of failing will be discussed at the end of semester Board of Examiners meeting, where participation and performance throughout the semester will be reviewed. In assessing participation, consideration will be given to your engagement with the absence notification and learning plan process.

Student academic support

If you feel that you are unable to satisfactorily participate in the required learning experiences during your courses, you are encouraged to contact the MD Learning Hub (Year 1) or your Course Coordinator/s (Years 2-4) in the first instance for advice. You are also encouraged to contact your clinical unit when this involves clinical placements.

If your participation is unsatisfactory due to prolonged absence or other reasons for non-engagement, you may be advised to apply for an interruption to studies or withdraw from the course. In Year 1, you will be advised to contact the Student Academic Guidance Lead (Year 1). In Years 2-4 you will be encouraged to contact the relevant Academic Guidance Lead after you have discussed possible (course specific) options with your Course Coordinator.