Family Planning in Medical School

The MD Program at the Icahn School of Medicine is committed to supporting students who wish to take time away for birth or adoption of a child. The timing of such an event, individual need and where the student is in their academic journey will determine whether a student can maintain an on-time graduation or if there will be an extension to their time to degree.

Students planning for the birth or adoption of a child during medical school should consult with the Associate Director of Student Success in the Office of Medical Student Affairs. The Associate Director of Student Success curates the discussion according to where the student is in the MD program and works to understand how any time needed may impact progression and time to degree. Student Affairs partners with various offices across Medical Education to ensure students receive the appropriate guidance, support, and referrals.

Students who are pregnant should also contact the Title IX coordinator to discuss any needed support. Contact information can be found here: https://icahn.mssm.edu/education/titleix

The structure of the MD curriculum varies across the phases of the MD program, and an approach will be developed to meet a student’s need. The following options are available to students wishing to take time away from the curriculum without delaying their graduation year:

1. Pre-clerkship phase: Modules are offered once a year. Due to the structure of the pre-clerkship curriculum, students who give birth to or adopt a child may request up to 5 consecutive weeks away. A plan will include support to return to the curriculum and finish any missed requirements before progressing to the next academic phase. Those requirements and the timing for making up missed material and exams will vary depending on which module and which parts of a module are missed.

2. Clerkship and post-clerkship phases: Students in the Clerkship and Post-clerkship phases of the MD program who give birth to or adopt a child may request up to 6 consecutive weeks away. Depending on timing, a make-up plan will be implemented to account for disruption to a clerkship and/or deferral of a clerkship to the start of the next academic phase. The post-clerkship phase offers the most flexibility for taking time for family building.

3. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences has separate parental leave guidelines. MD-PhD students in the PhD phase should refer to the Graduate School Student Handbook for guidance.

Students who wish to extend their time away from the curriculum beyond what is listed above may request a Personal Leave of Absence and will return to the curriculum to resume coursework where they left off in the following year. In addition to the Office of Student Affairs, students should discuss the impact of a LOA on housing, health insurance, financial aid and loan repayment with the appropriate offices.

Any student may utilize the attendance and absence policies for purposes such as emergency childcare and required doctors’ appointments. Students who need additional time above the policy for childcare needs should meet with the Associate Director of Student Success to discuss their unique needs.

Contact Information:

Jillian Palmer, MA, Associate Director of Student Success Schedule via MARC or email [e-mail]

Office of Student Affairs [e-mail]

Guideline created in collaboration with the Advocates for Family Building in Medicine student group.