COVID-19

COVID POLICY

Educational Program Committee Approved: September 28, 2021, Revised: August 16, 2023

1. Vaccination Guidelines

  1. Vaccine Requirement - Completion of the COVID-19 vaccine series is REQUIRED FOR ALL PERSONNEL - INCLUDING MEDICAL STUDENTS - working and learning in UofL Health clinical facilities. This includes all students participating in preceptorships at UofL Health facilities.
  2. Proof of vaccination - Campus Health collects and tracks compliance with this requirement for all medical students. Student vaccine status is confirmed centrally through public health system tracking for students who received the vaccine in Kentucky. Students vaccinated outside Kentucky are required to provide official documentation of completion of their vaccine series to the Campus Health Office.
  3. Falsification Misrepresentation of Vaccine Status – Any misrepresentation of vaccination status is a serious breach of professional conduct and will result in severe, immediate disciplinary action.
  4. Vaccination Exemption Request - Students who cannot comply with this clinical requirement for medical or religious reasons should seek an exemption through Campus Health, (502)-852-6446. Any unvaccinated students will be required to follow public health regulations.

2. Exposure / Infection Guidance

If students show signs of infection or exposure, please contact Campus Health at 502-852-6446 for Antigen testing. Any student testing positive (whether at Campus Health or another facility) needs to consult Campus Health for isolation guidance and a time to return to clinical duties. Students should follow any instructions given to you by Campus Health. For Madisonville students, Baptist Urgent Care will provide the local clinical evaluation and testing necessary, and you will get a return to work/school note from them as you would with any illness.

  1. All students will be required to complete the mandatory Covid-19 infection training from Campus Health to ensure they know the symptoms of infection and the precautions they are expected to take to minimize the risk of infection.Procedures for students who must be absent due to COVID quarantine or isolation: a. The full ULSOM absence policy is linked here under item 6.1. (https://catalog.louisville.edu/professional/medical-bulletin/som-policies/#text)
  2. COVID Patients: Students are currently allowed to care for patients who are known COVID positive or are under investigation/evaluation for COVID. Students must comply with and use each facility’s provided PPE for care of any patient, including COVID patients. If students are uncomfortable caring for a certain patient due to COVID status, they are free to contact their clinical care team/supervisor or clerkship director to discuss their concerns.
  3. Immunocompromised Status: Students who are pregnant, postpartum/ breastfeeding, immunosuppressed, or with other health conditions that place them at increased risk and questions about their work in the clinical environment should contact Student Health for a specific answer to their question(s) regarding safety and precautions in the clinical environment.

4. Professionalism and Illnesses / COVID

  1. COVID Related Professionalism
    1. Failure to comply with COVID policies, including self-isolation, testing, and symptom development will result in disciplinary action. These actions will be under the direction of the Office of Student Affairs. If you are found to be symptomatic on campus and have not followed UofL policies, you will be immediately removed until you have complied with these policies.
    2. Knowingly coming to campus or reporting to the clinical environment with symptoms of COVID and no medical clearance or known COVID positive status, will result in swift, severe adverse action that may affect your enrollment with UofL School of Medicine, referral to the Residency Match, or other actions.

5. Guidelines for Supervising Faculty and Institutions
 

  1. Students must have standard personal protective equipment (PPE) provided to them for patient care that would be provided to any staff or physicians seeing patients and are expected to follow the facility’s isolation precautions. Masks should be limited to those provided in the clinical environment – homemade, cloth, or other mask types are not permitted. Students may also choose to wear eye protection, caps/hair coverings, shoe coverings, at their discretion.
  2. Students must follow any protocols or guidelines that attendings and residents follow at specific facilities regarding donning, doffing, and preservation of PPE and supplies. If a PPE shortage develops and you cannot be protected effectively as instructed by the training resources below, halt your clinical activities regarding that patient immediately and notify your Clerkship Liaison / Coordinators / Elective Director / Dr. Suzanne Kingery.
  3. Donning and doffing PPE– Please see the following attached resources provided by the CDC for the use of PPE:
    1. YouTube Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch/? v=qk6ai3JUL9U&feature=youtu.be)
    2. PDF (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2Findex.html)
  4. Students have a responsibility to protect themselves and their patients. Students should immediately remove themselves from any environment where practitioners are clearly violating practices regarding the management and treatment of COVID – i.e., denying vaccines to
  5. Suzanne Kingery immediately. This WILL NOT affect your grades, your graduation date, or your residency match.