This supplement is effective July 27, 2026 with the matriculation of the inaugural cohort of the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine.
All student-related educational policies are found in The Chicago School Academic Catalog & Student Handbook and this Supplement. Procedural information is found in the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine (IllinoisCOM) Program Guidebook.
APPC is a standing committee of the IllinoisCOM and is the primary entity responsible for reviewing the totality of COM students’ academic performance. The COM Executive Committee grants authority to the APPC to fulfill two roles - to determine whether and how a COM student should proceed after a failure to meet expectations (Performance) and to review and approve each student for program matriculation and promotion. APPC reviews the academic record of any student who has failed any element required for graduation or any student who has failed to show adequate academic performance and/or demonstrated lapses in professionalism.
All voting members of the APPC are full-time core faculty or staff. APPC Chairperson and members are appointed by the Dean/CAO of IllinoisCOM after conferral with department chairs. The composition of the voting members of the APPC is as follows:
- Representatives from each IllinoisCOM Academic department
- Non-COM faculty member
- Chairperson of the APPC
Ex-officio Members (Non-Voting):
- Associate Dean of Student Affairs
- Registrar or designee
- Senior Associate Dean for Pre-Clinical Affairs or designee
- Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs or designee
An IllinoisCOM student must successfully complete all pre-clinical requirements as outlined in the Student Promotion, Retention and Graduation policy to demonstrate readiness for matriculation to OMSIII. A student must successfully complete all OMSIII requirements and program requirements as outlined in the Promotion, Retention and Graduation policy for matriculation to OMSIV. Clinical rotations will have defined objectives, assignments, and assessments, all of which will be outlined in the course syllabus. Each clinical rotation will define in its syllabus the methods of instruction and assessment. These can include competency assessment of the student by the preceptor, completion of patient and/or skills logs, completion of assignments, passing of written comprehensive clinical subject exams (COMAT), and other activities as outlined in the syllabus.
An IllinoisCOM OMSIII student is required to successfully complete eight (8) core rotations, one (1) required rotation and one (1) elective rotation. These course names and required number of 4-week rotations are as follows:
- Family Medicine Core (1)
- Internal Medicine Core (2)
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Core (1)
- Pediatrics Core (1)
- Psychiatry Core (1)
- Surgery Core (2)
- Radiology Required (1)
- Elective (1)
An IllinoisCOM OMSIV student is required to successfully complete two (2) required rotations, and seven (7) electives. These course names and required number of 4-week rotations are as follows:
- Emergency Medicine Required (1)
- Behavioral Health (1)
- Electives (7)
Additional curricular requirements include the successful completion of the following:
- Patient Centered Osteopathic Practice (PCOP) V , Fall OMSIII
- PCOP-VI, Spring OMSIII
- OMSIII Capstone, Spring OMSIII
- PCOP-VII, Fall OMSIV
- PCOP-VIII, Spring OMSIV
All physician preceptors will be credentialed by the Office of Clinical Affairs according to the IllinoisCOM Faculty Appointment and Promotion policy and the Credentialing Non-boarded Faculty Policy, when necessary. It is the responsibility of the Office of Clinical Affairs under the leadership of the Senior Associate Dean to ensure adequate clinical training sites for IllinoisCOM students.
Students are expected to comply with all clinical hour requirements regardless of specialty, clinical training site, or geographic location.
Clinical rotations begin at 7am on the first Monday of the schedule block and end at 7pm on the last Friday of the schedule block. Deviation from these hours is at the discretion of the supervising physician preceptor on record. If this preceptor has planned numerous days off (such as for a personal vacation) or deviates from the scheduled plan, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the appropriate clinical coordinator or course director.
A typical workweek is 60-72 hours. A student is expected to complete a minimum of 32 hours and maximum of 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period. Students may “compress” their clinical rotation schedule only with approval from the supervising preceptor and in accordance with the preceptor’s scheduled duties. Please be aware that some preceptors have 7-on/7-off schedules; during such “off” days, a student is still expected to participate in all assigned didactic activities at their core site.
A student must have at least one full day off per week. This requirement may be met by giving a student every other weekend off, but this is at the discretion of the supervising preceptor.
All hours worked during overnight call count toward the 80-hour weekly maximum and the 14-hour daily average. Overnight call must not extend beyond 24 hours of continuous duty. An additional period of up to 4 hours may be permitted for safe patient handoffs and transitions only; no new patient assignments may be accepted after the 24-hour mark. A student must have a minimum of 14 hours off following a 24-hour overnight shift before resuming clinical duties. Overnight call may not be scheduled more than every third night, averaged over a four-week period.
The final weekend of the rotation is intended as travel time for the student to get to the training site for the following clinical rotation. Student assignments should be completed by the final Friday of the clinical rotation. Departure from the training site prior to the scheduled departure date will be considered an unexcused absence and may result in failure of the clinical rotation unless approved by the supervising physician and the course director.
IllinoisCOM is committed to providing high-quality clinical education and ensuring all students complete all core and required clinical rotations. In the event of unforeseen disruptions at clinical training sites, IllinoisCOM will implement contingency measures to minimize interruptions to a student’s clinical education and to facilitate completion of core and required clinical rotation requirements.
An IllinoisCOM student and all faculty and staff are expected to practice universal precautions at all times when they are potentially exposed to bodily fluids or blood. Needlesticks are considered an exposure to bodily fluids and fall within the scope of this policy. Any student, faculty, or staff exposed to blood or bodily fluids while participating in curriculum-related activities including service-learning events, should immediately inform their supervisor, supervising physician, or closest COM supervising faculty or staff member for follow-up evaluation and documentation.
The Chicago School faculty, including clinical preceptors and other adjunct faculty members, shall not provide medical treatment of or medical advice to IllinoisCOM students, with the exception of emergent first aid. In the event that a Chicago School faculty member establishes a therapeutic relationship with a learner within the COM, that faculty member must recuse themselves from involvement in any academic assessment, evaluation, or promotion decisions concerning those students. This includes but is not limited to service on any committee involved in student promotion, grading or assessment of the student’s coursework or clinical performance, writing letters of recommendation, or any other evaluative role concerning the student’s academics or potential promotion.
The health professional should inform their supervisor of any potential conflict of interest that may require recusal from student evaluation. The supervisor will determine if recusal is required and will make arrangements for an alternate evaluator if needed. If a potential conflict of interest arises during a meeting, the health professional must immediately disclose the conflict and recuse themselves from discussion and voting on that student’s promotion.
Student health information disclosed during provision of health services must remain confidential and must not influence academic assessment or promotion decisions, even if the health professional is recused from decisions about that student.
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action. Retaliation against anyone who makes a good faith report of a violation is prohibited.
IllinoisCOM aims to foster a supportive environment that proactively addresses fatigue and its underlying causes, thereby promoting our community’s overall health and well-being. IllinoisCOM acknowledges the potential risks associated with excessive fatigue among its students, faculty, and staff.
An IllinoisCOM student must achieve minimum passing standards on the COMLEX-USA Level 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE licensing examinations within the allowable number of attempts and time frames established by IllinoisCOM and the NBOME to be considered for promotion and/or graduation.
A student must meet or exceed minimum metrics on an IllinoisCOM-sanctioned Qualifying Assessment (COMSAE Phase 1 or 2 or similar) to qualify to sit for the COMLEX-USA exam(s).
- Failure to meet the minimum metrics on the Qualifying Assessment may result in early intervention, meeting with APPC to develop an ADP, additional preparation, and potential reassessment at the student’s expense.
A student must qualify and sit for the respective COMLEX-USA exam by the dates specified each year. Failure to adhere to the requirements and deadlines may result in a professionalism review and disciplinary action.
A student is permitted only three attempts to pass a single COMLEX exam. After three unsuccessful attempts, they will be automatically dismissed from the program.
IllinoisCOM does not provide on-site student health services. Students are responsible for obtaining healthcare services through off-campus healthcare providers and are encouraged to maintain access to routine, preventive, urgent, and emergency medical care throughout enrollment.
All expenses associated with health services are the responsibility of the student.
Health-related services and student support interactions are administered in accordance with institutional confidentiality and IllinoisCOM Faculty Recusal policies.
IllinoisCOM students have access to mental health and wellness support services through The Chicago School. Student Solutions provides 24-hour per day, 7-day per week counseling and support resources to all students, including those participating in off-campus educational activities.
Students have access to counseling sessions with on-campus licensed mental health professionals through Counseling Services.
- Counseling Services provides immediate support through individual psychotherapy, proactive programming and training, crises management and couples or small-group counseling sessions.
- Counseling Services can also help students struggling with maladaptive behaviors (e.g., substance misuse, disordered eating, etc.).
The Chicago School and IllinoisCOM are committed to promoting student wellness and providing supportive resources that foster academic success, professional development, and personal well-being.
All students, faculty, and staff are subject to the IllinoisCOM Faculty Recusal Policy.
A first and second year (OMSI and OMSII) IllinoisCOM student will be supervised at all times at the Direct Supervision Present level.
A third and fourth year (OMSIII and OMSIV) IllinoisCOM student will be supervised at a level appropriate to the clinical scenario and the student’s experience. Many tasks and scenarios will require supervision at the Direct Supervision Present level. Other procedures, encounters or scenarios may be supervised at the Direct Physician Supervision Available level.
- Only the Supervising Physician, after direct observation of the student in the clinical setting, may determine the requisite level of supervision appropriate to the clinical setting and scenario.
- The Supervising Physician may supervise medical treatments and procedures only within their scope of practice and for which they hold privileges.
- OMSIII and OMSIV students on clinical rotation assignments must be assigned an Alternative Supervisor any time the supervising physician (preceptor) may not be physically present with a student.
The Supervising Physician or Supervising Patient Care Provider is ultimately responsible for all patient care.
All clinical training sites should provide and maintain an environment conducive to the education of osteopathic medical students and encourage critical dialog between preceptors and students.
The Academic Performance and Promotion Committee (APPC) is a standing committee of the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine and is the primary entity responsible for reviewing the totality of COM students’ academic performance. The COM Executive Committee grants authority to the APPC to fulfill two roles - to determine whether and how a COM student should proceed after a failure to meet expectations (Performance) and to review and approve each student for program matriculation and promotion. The APPC reviews the academic record of any student that has failed any element required for graduation or any student who has failed to show adequate academic performance and/or demonstrated lapses in professionalism.
The Academic Performance and Promotion Committee (APPC) is responsible for reviewing a student’s academic performance, progression toward competence, recommending or approving Academic Development Plans (ADPs), and performing holistic reviews on referred students.
A student who fails to meet promotion or graduation criteria will be referred to the APPC for review and potential development of an ADP, remediation, repetition of an academic year, or dismissal from the program.
OMSI to OMSII: Successful completion or remediation of all required OMSI coursework, professional good standing, and completion of all required administrative elements.
OMSII to OMSIII: Successful completion or remediation of all required OMSII coursework, passing COMLEX-USA Level 1, professional good standing, and completion of all required administrative elements.
OMSIII to OMSIV: Successful completion of all OMSIII clinical rotations and assessments, passing COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE, professional good standing, and completion of all required administrative elements.
Successful completion of all required coursework, passing required national licensing exams, achieving passing standards on all assessments, maintaining professional and ethical good standing, completing all program requirements within six calendar years from matriculation, and completion of all required administrative elements.
Academic failure includes course failure, failure of COMLEX-USA exams, and/or requiring three or more course reassessment attempts.
A student with academic failures will be placed on Programmatic Academic Probation (PAP) and referred to the APPC ADP Subcommittee for an ADP.
A student may be required to repeat an academic year or be dismissed based on the number of academic failures and the outcome of the APPC review.
IllinoisCOM reserves the right to approve a request or require students to repeat an academic year based on academic performance and outcomes of APPC hearings. A repeated attempt of an academic year is permitted or required under two circumstances:
A student submits a request and is approved for a temporary separation from the University.
Outcome of APPC hearing requires that the student repeat an academic year.
A student repeating an academic year may be required to repeat previously completed courses and must retake and pass all courses associated with the repeated program year, regardless of previous performance. All course enrollments and earned grades will remain on the student’s transcript, with the most recent earned grade reflected in rank determination.
The requirement to repeat an academic year by the APPC does not lift the requirement that the student must graduate within 6 years from their initial day of matriculation into the IllinoisCOM.
Programmatic Academic Probation (PAP) is an official status issued by IllinoisCOM that indicates that the student is under the most sensitive academic monitoring with a prescribed Academic Development Plan (ADP). Students are placed on Programmatic Academic Probation for the following reasons:
- Failure of a course
- Failure of a COMLEX-USA examination
- Accumulation of three or more Incomplete Due to Assessment (I/A) grades.
Failures accrue cumulatively over a student’s academic career at IllinoisCOM. If the student has an academic failure(s) from a previous year, then the failures accrue in a cumulative manner.
Once a student is placed on PAP status, an additional failure or deficiency (PAP+X) will include and accrue as indicated below:
- Receiving an Incomplete Due to Assessment (I/A) grade for a new course or clerkship (+1)
- Failing a course (+1)
- Failing a remediation of a course failure (+1)
- Failing a reassessment (+1)
- Failing to comply with an Academic Development Plan (ADP) (+1)
- Failing a COMLEX-USA exam or reassessment (+2)
- Failing a repeat of a course previously failed (applies to students repeating an academic year) (+2)
All IllinoisCOM students are highly encouraged to actively participate in research and scholarly activities as an integral part of their medical education. IllinoisCOM will incorporate research-related educational activities throughout the medical education curriculum. Students are required to complete mandatory training to ensure the ethical pursuit of scholarly activities as communicated by IllinoisCOM.
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