CHCS Student Handbook 2018-2019

Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences—Department of Occupational Therapy 2018–2019 177 Absences for observance of major religious holidays are permitted but also require prior professor notification. Students are required to notify the faculty two weeks in advance of a religious holiday if religious holiday conflicts with a scheduled assignment or exam, so that prior arrangements may be made. After any absence and per the discretion of the professor, students may need to complete a makeup assignment due within two class periods. Attendance is mandatory for all exams and quizzes. Faculty members are not obligated to reschedule examinations based on a student’s circumstances. Due to concerns about security of test items, faculty members will not administer tests earlier or later for absences that are related to family vacations, weddings, flight schedules, and other personal events. If a student is too ill to take an exam, the student needs to bring a doctor’s note to the professor in order to be granted an opportunity to take the exam at another time. Illness and other health concerns should be discussed with the program director. Program Leave of Absence A student desiring a voluntary leave of absence must first submit a written request to the program director, who will determine if the leave is granted and conditions under which the student may reenter the program. Please refer to Leave of Absence in the college section of this handbook for details. Academic Advising and Professional Development Each M.O.T. student is assigned an academic advisor at matriculation in the program. The role of an academic advisor is to provide students with assistance and support to attain the most from their educational experiences; mentor professional behavior self-assessment and development through the M.O.T. LIVE program; provide academic guidance, direction, and encouragement; monitor the overall progress; and identify appropriate resources. Each student should schedule a meeting with his or her adviser at least once a semester. Each student’s academic advisor, being aware of many valuable resources, can assist in every facet of the program if the student is having problems that might interfere with his or her studies or progress. Students should not hesitate to contact their advisor. Also it is expected that students will respond to any email communication from his or her academic advisor within 24 hours of receipt. Students are required to document completion of a minimum of 16 hours of combined volunteer and professional development hours within each of the first two years of the program, with the content of those hours guided by their professional development needs. A minimum of eight hours must be composed of volunteer experiences. During the third year, students are mentored in their professional development by their onsite fieldwork educators. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator serves as the academic advisor and provides additional support while the student is participating in these two Level II fieldwork experiences. Essential Functions Most educational programs have technical standards or essential function policies that guide and protect the program and its students regarding reasonable expectations for admission, retention, and graduation. The Master of Occupational Therapy Program complies with the Health Professions Division Core Performance Standards for Admission and Progress through its documentation of essential functions. Essential functions refer to those abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the M.O.T. curriculum, including fieldwork education and the professional attributes required of all M.O.T. students for degree completion. Students will be introduced to the essential functions during orientation and are required to perform those