Subject Examinations
Subject Examinations from the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) will be administered in core clinical clerkships for which these examinations are available. Assigned students must sit for the appropriate subject examination administered at the completion of each of their rotations. All students are required to take the subject examinations without prior determination that the course has been passed.
If a student misses a shelf exam, he or she must re-schedule the exam with Testing & Evaluation Services. Testing & Evaluation Services will inform the Director of Clinical Education of the re-scheduled exam.
Core Clerkship Subject Examinations will be graded and points will be added to each student’s score based upon the standard deviation of the national mean for that subject exam. A passing grade for each subject exam will be set at 70%. A student who fails a subject exam receives an incomplete in the course and must re-take the exam. The student must re-schedule the subject exam with Testing & Evaluation Services. A second failure results in failure in the course, and the clinical clerkship must be repeated. A second failure of a subject exam, whether in the same rotation or a different rotation, requires an appearance before the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) Student Performance Committee. The Office of Student Affairs notifies the student of the date and time to appear before the committee. The committee evaluates the evidence and makes a recommendation to the Chair of the Student Performance Committee (Associate Dean of Academic Affairs-TCOM) who then conveys the decision in writing to the student through an official form of communication as recognized by UNT Health Science Center (UNTHSC) and TCOM. The student may appeal the decision to the Dean of TCOM. Appeal must be made within five business days of receipt of the letter from the Chairman of the Student Performance Committee. The Dean’s decision is final. Scores for subject exams are reported to students, TCOM administration, including the Dean, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of Clinical Education, and the Office of Student Affairs.
National Board Examinations
Students who take and pass COMLEX 1, COMLEX 2PE, or COMLEX 2CE exam and passes will continue with core clinical rotations.
Any student who takes COMLEX 1, COMLEX 2PE or COMLEX 2CE exam and fails will go before the Student Performance Committee (SPC) and stop core clinical rotations. If allowed to repeat then the student will retake the exam and continue with rotations and await exam results. If the student fails a second time, s/he will stop rotations and go before the Student Performance Committee for a recommended outcome. If the recommendation is for dismissal, the student may appeal to the Dean of TCOM.
Promotion
Normal progression through the curriculum requires that a student complete each of the required courses and have no failing grades (below 70 or no credit) that have not been corrected. A deficiency in a Semester 1 or Semester 2 course must be remediated prior to Semester 3. A deficiency in a Semester 3 or Semester 4 course must be remediated before clinical clerkships begin. A deficiency in a clinical clerkship must be remediated before graduation. Achievement of this standard in each academic year is required for promotion to the next academic year. In addition, the graduating student must have passed Level I, Level II CE, and Level II PE of the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination administered by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners.
Students who do not meet the standards specified for promotion, for beginning clinical rotation or for graduation may be given an opportunity to correct their deficiencies either at specified times during the academic year or by adding an additional period of time to their medical education.
The Student Performance Committee may recommend to the associate dean of academic affairs that students be offered an opportunity to correct their deficiencies within a requisite time period or be dismissed. Students will be notified of a final decision in writing by the associate dean of academic affairs. It is recognized by the Student Performance Committee that each student’s situation should be evaluated as an individual case. If a student disagrees with the recommendation of the Student Performance Committee and the associate dean of academic affairs, he or she may appeal in writing within five days of notice to the dean of TCOM. The dean’s decision is final.
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