Question:

Are there any plans for an in-person Graduation, at least for students only?

Answer:

At this time, there are multiple plans for the medical school commencement ceremony.  One plan is for an in-person ceremony.  The final plan will be determined as we near the May 24 ceremony date, and depends upon guidance from the City, the KC health department and CDC about gatherings.  The year 6 class officers will be included in commencement ceremony decisions, just as they were for Match Day ceremony decisions.

Announcement:

When the University is closed for in-person learning but students on clinical rotations are required to be present, the HSD UMKC parking garage is available for student parking regardless of having a parking permit.  You may park anywhere on the fifth floor on those days without fear of a parking ticket.

This Week’s Town Hall Q&A

In place of the weekly student Town Halls, Drs. Pirani and Rogers will answer questions in writing for the foreseeable future. Please send us your questions weekly, and we’ll respond! (Feel free to contact us individually for specific student-related questions.)

Question:

What is the priority status of medical students in regard to receiving the coronavirus vaccine once it becomes available?

Answer:

This information is unclear, as a distribution plan has been proposed but not finalized. The CDC met last week to suggest a distribution plan, and it focuses on healthcare workers and those affiliated with long term nursing facilities as the first recipients. It did not provide details about prioritization within those institutions; the discussion is ongoing. Initially there is limited supply, including not enough for frontline healthcare workers, so medical student vaccination will likely not occur in the first round of administration of the vaccine. As we learn information and have updates, we will share those with you.

Student COVID Guidance

If you are instructed to stay home from the medical school or clinical site by Occupational Health or UMKC Student Health in relation to COVID19, you must notify Dr. Rogers (rogersbr@umkc.edu), Dr. Chelladurai (chelladuraic@umkc.edu) or Dr. Jones (bljones@cmh.edu) promptly. (If one is out of the office, please notify another one of us.) We will work with the curriculum office, your ETC, your instructor and you to adjust your learning schedule to accommodate for your absence.

Our goal is to identify alternate learning experiences so that you learn the subject matter as well as receive credit for your experience. If you do not notify us in a timely manner, you will be at risk for a grade of “incomplete” or “fail.” If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Rogers.

Take care, be safe, always wear your mask, and wash your hands.

How to Access Student Services This Fall

Please see below for how students can access campus-wide student services this fall. This is a great comprehensive list and one to bookmark for future reference.

https://www.umkc.edu/coronavirus/docs/umkc-student-services-2020-21.pdf

Announcements go here.

Announcements go here.