Instructional Time Policy

Policy Statement:

The Keck School of Medicine limits the total amount of time allotted for instructional time, defined in this policy as the time allocated to educational activities to deliver the required content and achieve the learning objectives, in the pre-clerkship curriculum to ensure that the volume of material is appropriate and to allow medical students sufficient time for independent study and reflection.

In the clinical curriculum, the Keck School of Medicine places value on achieving the optimal clinical educational experience for medical student learners while recognizing the effects of fatigue and sleep deprivation on learning, clinical activities, and health and safety. Student activities on clerkships are therefore structured to assure a meaningful and clinically relevant educational experience.

Moreover, the experiences are structured to reflect the realities of patient care, provide the students with an understanding of the timeless nature of a physician’s responsibilities, and engender the highest medical ideals of altruism and lifelong learning.

Policy Requirement Pre-Clerkship Curriculum:

Total instructional time is limited to a maximum of 28 hours per week averaged over each course. Total instructional time includes educational activities that deliver required content and are assigned to be completed outside of regular class time.

Policy Requirement Clerkship and Post-Clerkship Curriculum:

Clinical experience and education are defined as all clinical and academic activities, i.e., patient care (both inpatient and outpatient), administrative duties related to patient care, the provision for transfer of patient care, time spent in-house during call activities, and scheduled academic activities such as conferences. Clinical experience and educational activities do not include reading and preparation time spent away from the duty site unless explicitly required by the clerkship, e.g., assigned reading in advance of a required presentation.

Maximum Hours of Clinical Experience and Educational Activities:

1. Clinical experience and educational activity must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over the length of the clerkship, inclusive of all in-house call activities.
2. Clinical and educational activity periods may not exceed 24 hours (with up to an additional 4 hours for activities related to transfer of patient care and patient safety).
3. Students must have at least 14 hours free of clinical or educational activity after 24 hours of continuous in-house call activities.
4. Students must be provided with one day (one continuous 24-hour period) in seven free of all clinical and educational activity, when averaged over the length of the clerkship, which must be separate and in addition to the time allotted for wellness days.**

**Wellness days are mandatory and are incorporated into required clerkship schedules to provide students with an opportunity to attend to their personal wellbeing. Students are released from clinical duties one full day for each 6-week clerkship and 1/2 day for each 4-week clerkship. The timing of wellness days is posted on the MD Student Portal at the start of the clerkship phase and communicated by the clerkships.

Reviewed and Approved: August 21, 2024

Medical Education Curriculum Committee (MECC)