Academic Achievement Program

SOP #:
11.1.1
Version #:
1.4
Implementation Date:
January 19, 2022
Last Reviewed/Update Date
November 11, 2025
Approval by ECC
November 22, 2025
Expiration Date
November 22, 2025

Rationale

To support the learning and success of all medical learners, the Brody School of Medicine (BSOM) Division of Academic Affairs has established procedures for intervention and remediation for learners having academic difficulty.

Scope

Learners in M1 and M2 years

The Academic Achievement Program aims to help learners who have academic difficulty as defined below, including low grade averages, exam or quiz scores below required thresholds, or failures of USMLE Step 1. The program has a plan in place to provide support and resources to those learners.

Learners in M3 and M4 years

The Academic Achievement Program outlines a plan for providing feedback for all learners in the M3 and M4 years. Additionally, the program aims to help learners who have academic difficulty, as defined by exam or quiz scores below required thresholds or by failure of USMLE Step 2CK. The program has a plan in place to provide support and resources to those learners.

Definitions

OSCE: Objective Structured Clinical Exam

USMLE: United States Medical Licensing Exam

NBME: National Board of Medical Examiners

Academic Difficulty: Any one or more of the following items for each curriculum year

  • M1 Year
    • Failure of first exam of a term (score below 70%)
    • Cumulative course/thread average of below 70% after an exam
    • OSCE failure
  • M2 year
    • Cumulative course average of <70% after an exam
    • Failure (score <70%) of one (1) course or two (2) independent thread failures
    • End of term NBME subject exam below 6th percentile on first take
    • Failure on initial attempt of USMLE Step 1
  • M3 year or M4 year
    • NBME clerkship subject exam below 6th percentile
    • OSCE failure in a core clinical clerkship
    • Failing final grade in core clinical clerkship
    • Failure of initial attempt of USMLE Step 2CK
    • Failure of Clinical Skills Assessment (Transition to M4 OSCEs)

    OSCE Remediation Identification: Identification of ‘Needs Remediation’ on a midterm practice or final graded OSCE in the Foundations of Doctoring Course, a Core Clinical Clerkship, or Transitions to Residency Course.

    Core Clinical Clerkships: Clerkships that are mandatory for all BSOM learners. These include Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, and Neurology/Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

    Clinical Correlations Seminar (CCS): Remediation Course for USMLE Step 1 (8 weeks). The Course Director is the Foundational Sciences Liaison in the Office of Student Success and Wellness. The Course description can be found in the course catalog on the Office of Medical Education website.

    Clinical Medicine Enrichment (CME): Remediation Course for NBME Subject Examinations (8 weeks). The Course Director is the Clinical Sciences Liaison in the Office of Student Success and Wellness. The Course description can be found in the course catalog on the Office of Medical Education website.

    Clinical Applications and Practice Seminar (CAPS): Remediation Course for USMLE Step 2 CK (2 or 4 weeks). The Course Director is the Clinical Sciences Liaison in the Office of Student Success and Wellness. The Course description can be found in the course catalog on the Office of Medical Education website.

    Responsibilities

    All Medical Learners

    All medical learners who are in academic difficulty must acknowledge the academic difficulty form and follow through with the recommended academic support resources they agreed to. The acknowledgement form must be completed and submitted no later than one week after the course/clerkship director submits the academic difficulty notification. Learners who fail to complete/document the requirements of the academic difficulty program will be referred to the Professionalism and Community Standards Committee.

    M1 and M2 Learners

    • Learners must self-reflect on their academic performance and follow through with support resources as recommended by the course director in the academic difficulty form.
    • Learners identified as ‘Needs Remediation’ on an OSCE must acknowledge the academic difficulty form and complete any required meetings with the Director of Clinical Skills before taking the subsequent final
    • Learners who fail the initial attempt at USMLE Step 1 must meet with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education.

    M3 and M4 Learners

    • Learners identified as ‘Needs Remediation’ on an OSCE must acknowledge the academic difficulty form and required meetings with the Director of Clinical Skills before taking the subsequent final
    • Learners who score below the 6th percentile on an NBME Clerkship Subject Exam must retake the exam. It is the learner’s responsibility to communicate with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and the Testing Administrator regarding the scheduling of this Learners are allowed three attempts at each NBME Clerkship Subject Exam. If a learner does not achieve a score at or above the 6th percentile on an NBME Clerkship Subject Exam after three attempts, they will fail that Clerkship and must remediate the entire Clerkship.
    • Learners who have two outstanding NBME Clerkship Subject Exam scores below the 6th percentile will have until the second (2nd) Friday after the end of the clerkship to remediate a failed NBME shelf exam (in the event of an observed holiday, learners will have until the last business day of the second week to remediate).
    • Learners who have two (2) “IP” grades in core clerkships are required to meet with the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education, who will refer the learners to meet with the Clinical Medicine Enrichment course director, and the learners will be required to enroll in the course.
    • Learners who fail an initial attempt at USMLE Step 2CK are required to meet with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, who will initiate an academic difficulty form and refer the learners to the Clinical Applications and Practice Seminar course director.

    M1/M2 Course Directors

    Course Directors must link to this policy on their course Syllabus. Course Directors are responsible for notifying learners (within one week of the failed exam) when they are in academic difficulty in their Course by completing the academic difficulty form. For subsequent instances of academic difficulty in a course or thread, the Course Director will send a notification to the learner, offering an opportunity to meet and reminding the learner to seek support resources. If a learner requests to meet, the Course Director must make every effort to meet with the learner within one (1) calendar week.

    M3/M4 Clerkship Directors

    Clerkship Directors must link to this policy on their Clerkship Syllabus. Clerkship Directors are responsible for notifying and meeting with learners identified as ‘Needs Remediation’ on the OSCE (within two weeks of the OSCE date) for their respective Clerkship. The learner must complete the acknowledgement form before meeting with the Director of Clinical Skills. Clerkship Directors must make every effort to meet with learners within two (2) calendar weeks of the OSCE or NBME Clerkship Subject exam (one week is ideal).

    OSSaW Academic Support Staff

    Learners must meet with OSSaW academic support staff, if referred by the Course/Clerkship Directors. OSSaW academic support staff will develop learner remediation plans for USMLE Step 1, 2CK, and NBME Clerkship Subject Exams. OSSaW academic support staff will make every effort to meet with learners within one (1) calendar week of learner notification of academic difficulty. OSSaW support staff tracks learners’ non-compliance with required meetings with office staff and reports it to the Associate Deans for Student Affairs.   Additionally, the Associate Dean of Student Success and Wellness provides data, as requested, to the BSOM Review and Promotion Committees, the Director of Clinical Skills, as well as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, to guide their work.

    Director of Clinical Skills

    The Director of Clinical Skills initiates academic difficulty forms for students identified as ‘Need Remediation’ on an OSCE. The Director of Clinical Skills will make every effort to meet with students within one week of the learner’s notification. The Director of Clinical Skills will partner with OSSaW academic support staff to meet with students identified as ‘Needs Remediation’ on an OSCE, as needed.

    Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education

    The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education is responsible for identifying, monitoring, and reporting learners who fail USMLE Step 1 and Step 2CK. The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education initiates an academic difficulty form after the Associate Deans for Student Affairs have met with learners who fail the initial attempt of USMLE Step 1 and Step 2CK.

    Associate Deans for Student Affairs

    The Associate Deans for Student Affairs are responsible for meeting with learners who fail Step 1 and Step 2CK, and monitoring learner compliance with the Academic Achievement Program. In case of non-compliance, OSA staff will submit a professionalism alert and/or refer learners to the Professionalism and Community Standards Committee.

    BSOM Review and Promotion Committees

    The BSOM Review and Promotion Committees will review and, as appropriate, make recommendations for all students identified as having academic difficulty. The Committees are responsible for creating timely reports (within one week of each exam in the M1 and M2 years, for each M1/M2 Committee meeting) of learners in academic difficulty. The M1 and M2 Committee reports must address the indicators outlined in this procedure (low grade average, exam failures, and OSCE remediation). The BSOM Review and Promotion Committees will follow BSOM procedures for learner advancement.

    Procedures for Implementation and Review

    This procedure is to be reviewed by the M1-M4 Curriculum Committees before approval by the Executive Curriculum Committee every three years.

    This procedure will be disseminated by the Office of Student Affairs to students and teaching faculty/administration.

     

    Related Policies

    USMLE Step Procedure (9.9.2)

    Assessment System: NBME Subject Exam Remediations (9.8.1.3)

    Student Promotion Guidelines (10.3.3)

    Applicable Laws, Regulations & Standards

    LCME Standard 11, Element 1

    Appendix A

    Academic Notification Workflow