Guidelines for Leaves of Absence

Medical
Personal
Academic
Return from Leave of Absence
Return from LoA Form (Word document)

Leaves of absence from medical school may be granted in exceptional circumstances. The Academic Committee will review requests for leaves of absence on an individual basis and then make appropriate recommendations to the Dean of the School of Medicine - Wichita for final action. The following sections describe the major categories and general circumstances which may lead to a request for a leave of absence (LoA).

Medical

Major medical illness on the part of the individual which either requires hospitalization or daily office visits for 30 days or more; the health condition of student must be certified by a physician.
A student may apply for a maternity leave; the duration of such a leave should be determined by the physical condition of the student and the infant and should be certified by a physician.

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Personal

Leaves of absence may be granted for personal reasons. The first personal leave of absence will be recommended, for a period up to one year and without review by the Academic Committee, provided these two conditions are met:

• The effective date of the leave of absence must begin at a point in time between academic modules or within the first three weeks of a basic science module.
• The student must receive counseling from the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs regarding alternatives to and consequences of the requested leave. Additional personal leaves of absence may be recommended after formal review by the Academic committee when exceptional circumstances occur which may jeopardize the student’s career. Leaves of absence cannot be used to rectify academic difficulties. However, the academic standing of a student will not be a determining factor on whether or not a personal leave is recommended.

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Academic

Leaves of absence may be recommended to allow students to pursue academic endeavors in areas not specifically included in the Medical School curriculum. Such a leave should clearly enhance the medical education of the student.

It is important to note that, independent of the number of leaves granted, all requirements for graduation from Medical School and obtainment of the M.D. degree must be met within six years of the time of matriculation, unless the student is enrolled in a special program approved by the Academic Committee.

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Return from Leave of Absence

In order to keep accurate records, all students returning from leaves of absences are required to complete a one page Return From Leave of Absence form (available in Academic and Student Affairs).

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