College of Veterinary Medicine

College of Veterinary Medicine DVM Program Class Attendance Policy

The College of Veterinary Medicine class attendance policy is in accordance with the University policy.  According to the University attendance policy:

  • Instructors are expected to establish and clearly communicate in the course syllabus attendance policies relevant to individual courses including penalties for lack of attendance.
  • The University expects each student to be responsible for class-related work missed as a result of unavoidable absence; this work may be made up at the discretion of the instructor.
  • Only the instructor can excuse a student from a course requirement or responsibility.
  • When conflicts or absences can be anticipated, such as for many University-sponsored activities and religious observances, the student should inform the instructor of the situation as far in advance as possible and the instructor should strive to accommodate the student.

The designation of “excused absence” means that the instructor(s) will provide to the student an opportunity by which to address graded activities that occurred during the absence.  Alternative activities may be arranged with the instructor(s) such that the student will not jeopardize his/her academic standing due to the excused absence.  These activities may be the same as, or different from, materials completed by students present in the class.  Unexcused absences will be handled according to the policy stated in the course syllabus.

In the College of Veterinary Medicine, absences are grouped into three broad categories:

  1. University Senate-established absences:
    1. Grief absences:
      1. The University’s Grief Absence Policy provides students with a specific number of days of excused absence following the death of a loved one.
      2. The relationship of the individual lost determines the number of days that can be provided under the policy.
      3. Additional days may be available to account for travel considerations.
      4. A student should complete the Grief Absence Request Form to request that an absence notification be sent to instructors from the Office of the Dean of Students.
      5. Students must also complete the appropriate Student Absence form on PVMConnect.
    2. Jury duty absences
      1. Students summoned to serve as potential jurors or who have been empanelled as jurors in a criminal or civil trial may request an excused absence through the Jury Duty Absence Policy for Students.
      2. A student should complete the Jury Duty Absence Request Form to request that an absence notification be sent to instructors.
      3. Students must also complete the appropriate Student Absence form on PVMConnect.
    3. Emergent medical absences
      1. Purdue University recognizes that students may occasionally have to miss class and other academic obligations for urgent or emergent health related reasons, whether physical or mental health related in nature. This would include visits to an emergency room, being hospitalized, or being seen at a surgery center. 
      2. This regulation is not intended to provide extended arrangements for chronic medical conditions. The intention of this policy is to afford arrangements to students experiencing serious and short-term medical situations which cause them to miss coursework and/or exams. Students experiencing a chronic condition or diagnosis may have their initial absences accommodated, but long-term periods of absences will need to be addressed through students registering with the Disability Resource Center (DRC).
      3. Students requesting an emergent medical absence should contact the Office of the Dean of Students and their instructors concurrently.
      4. Students must also complete the appropriate Student Absence form on PVMConnect.
    4. Military training absences
      1. Purdue recognizes that those actively serving in the reserves or National Guard of the United States are required by their military contract to attend mandatory training, with failure to participate punishable under law.
      2. A student should complete the Military Absence Request Form to request that an absence notification be sent to instructors.
      3. Students must also complete the appropriate Student Absence form on PVMConnect.
    5. Parenting leave
      1. Students who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or need a leave of absence to care for a newborn, adopted, legal guardian, or foster care, may petition for a leave of absence though the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE).
  2. Illness-related absences
    1. Students who are ill are expected to stay home. Students must complete the appropriate Student Absence form on PVMConnect.
    2. Although most illnesses are not covered under the University Emergent Medical Absence policy, it states, “In all cases, students are urged to not attend classes while they are ill and/or contagious and to seek appropriate medical treatment.”
    3. Instructors-of-record (IORs) should work with students to help them make up work missed due to illness.
  3. Personal business absences
    1. This includes professional absences, such as to attend a continuing education conference or job interview, and personal absences, such as to attend a wedding or significant family event.

All absences must be documented by the appropriate absence request form submitted through PVMConnect. If an absence form is not submitted, the student is considered to be present and expected to complete all activities and assessments for that day.

Years 1-3 of DVM Program

  1. Students are expected to participate in all scheduled class activities during their veterinary education and are responsible for achieving the learning outcomes addressed by all materials/learning opportunities presented.
  2. Students are expected to consider their academic performance before requesting an excused absence for personal business. Full engagement in courses is important to achieve the learning outcomes. Absences cause a student to get behind and, due to the volume of material, it can be very difficult to catch up.
  3. Students in the first semester of the DVM program are not eligible for personal business absences because full engagement in the curriculum is essential for transitioning to professional school and developing supportive relationships with classmates. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
  4. For all absences, students must complete the 1st to 3rd Year Student Absence Form through PVMConnect so that their instructors-of-record can be notified.
  5. Students are responsible for arranging with the instructors-of-record to make up work that is missed due to absences.
  6. Some course experiences cannot be made up, such as some laboratory experiences and group activities, so excused absences may not be given in these instances.
  7. If the absence requires rescheduling of an examination, the student must complete the online Examination Reschedule Form through PVMConnect.
  8. Examinations are expected to be completed within 7 business days of return to campus. This date is determined by the date of the last 1st to 3rd Year Student Absence Form submitted.
  9. Students who are absent due to illness or quarantine will not be penalized to ensure that they do not come to class when they are ill. The student should work with their instructor to arrange to make up missed work or exams.
  10. Absences for funerals, court appearances, family emergencies, and religious observances should be excused by the instructor-of-record. Absences under these circumstances will not affect the number of days permitted for extracurricular educational activities in #12 below.
  11. Students elected to offices of professional organizations that require attendance at national meetings (e.g., Student American Veterinary Medical Association Purdue President, Student American Veterinary Medical Association delegates, national president of a national student organization) or requested to participate in PVM-sponsored events (e.g., Veterinary Practice Management Program) occurring during class time should submit a completed Pre-planned Absence Request Form at least one month before the requested absence to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA). Excused absences for these purposes will not affect the number of days permitted for extracurricular educational activities in #12 below. 
  12. Personal business absences:
    1. Valuable extracurricular educational experiences occur during the academic year, however, students’ first priority should be their courses.
    2. Students in the second through sixth semesters of the DVM program may request excused absences for personal business for up to 2.5 instructional days per semester.
    3. Students requesting an excused absence for personal business must not be on probation or have received a failing grade in the previous semester.
    4. The student must submit a Pre-planned Absence Request Form to the ADAA at least one month prior to the requested absence.
    5. The ADAA or their designee will determine if the absence request is consistent with the above policy. The ADAA’s assessment will be indicated on the request form and the request form will be forwarded to the IORs within 48 business hours of receipt.
    6. The IORs will be asked to respond within 48 business hours if they disagree with the assessment of the ADAA.
    7. The student will be notified of the decision within 6 business days of their submission. It is possible that excused absences may be granted for some, but not all, courses because of experiences that cannot be made up.
  13. Attendance at the Purdue Veterinary Conference is not counted in the 2.5-instructional day limit noted in #12 above. Students may attend the Purdue Veterinary Conference to the extent that they are excused from their classes.

Year 4 of DVM Program

  1. Students who are absent from a clinical rotation (for illness or personal business) must contact their senior clinician and submit a Clinical Rotation Student Absence form through PVMConnect. Students who are ill are expected to stay home. In the case of an emergency, the student must contact their senior clinician and the Assistant Dean for Clinical Education as soon as possible.
  2. Absences are divided into two categories (illness and personal business). 
    1. Illness absences
      1. Clinical rotation absences due to illness will be handled on an individual basis.
    2. Personal business absences
      1. Personal business absences include absences for family events, weddings, job interviews, professional conferences, state licensure exams, court dates and other personal events. These absences must be approved and are limited to a maximum of 2 days in a 3-week block and a total of 5 days in the academic year. 
  3. Any absences totaling greater than 2 days in a single block, regardless of the category, will result in the instructor-of-record making a determination of the number of days to be made up based on if the student has demonstrated at least minimal competency in the rotation objectives.
  4. Requests for preplanned absences (e.g., professional activities, weddings, etc.) must be made at least two weeks prior to the start of the block during which the absence will occur with approval at the discretion of the Assistant Dean for Clinical Education. Requests may be denied.  Students must submit the online Clinical Rotation Student Absence Form to initiate the request. 
  5. Students will not be allowed to leave one rotation to make up missed instructional days in another rotation (block change days included). Weekend days for rotations that do not have weekend activities could be used to make up days in a rotation that has weekend activities with approval of both instructors-of-record. In addition, students may make up days during their vacation block, their hospital practicum vacation, or at the end of their fourth year.
  6. Excused absences will not be granted for the day immediately before or immediately after the December-January hospital practicum period.
  7. Absence Policy for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)
    1. The NAVLE will be taken at a Prometric Testing Center. Scheduling of testing times will be coordinated through the Clinical Curriculum Coordinator.  Absence for the NAVLE does not require an absence form to be submitted, nor does the absence need not be made up. 
    2. NAVLE absences do not count toward the 5-day total for the clinical year. Students will be released at 3:00 p.m. the day prior to taking the NAVLE. Students should be relieved of all case responsibilities at 3:00 p.m. Students will assume case responsibility at the routine start time the morning following the NAVLE.

 

Faculty Document

College of Veterinary Medicine Student Handbook

Approved by the PVM Curriculum Committee on April 4, 2025.