Granting the Doctor of Medicine degree by the Board of Trustees at Avalon University School of Medicine is based on the recommendations from the Promotions Committee. This recommendation is based upon the following criteria and processes:

To continue within the curriculum, receive promotion from year to year, and ultimately graduate from Avalon, each student must be deemed qualified by the appropriate faculty in addition to the Promotions Committee based on Avalon’s essential functions for admission, continuation, and graduation. A student must have a minimum of a satisfactory grade to be promoted as well as completing the comprehensive exams at the end of MD2 and MD4.

Assessments for students are based on fair principles and feedback is provided to students in a timely and effective manner. The purpose of assessments is to determine if the student has acquired comprehensive knowledge, skills, behavior and attitude. This enables the faculty to promote the student to the next level of education. The assessments also ensure the graduates have acquired fundamental knowledge and skills to safely practice in the communities they serve.

AUSOM’s course leaning objectives are developed using the verbs of Bloom’s Taxonomy. MCQ’s are widely used to assess knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis levels. Additional methods of assessment are employed to assess synthesis and evaluation levels.

Passing the NBME Comprehensive exam with a 64 or better is a requirement to receive school verification for the USMLE Step 1 exam which is a prerequisite to begin clinical rotations. Students will receive a maximum of 3 attempts to pass the exam. Students are not permitted to take the USMLE Step 1 without receiving a passing score of 64 or better on the NBME Comprehensive exam. (Please note, if you have passed the USMLE Step 1 this policy does not affect you). Students should take the USMLE Step 1 within 4 months of receiving a minimum passing score of 64.

If you do not receive a passing grade of 64 within the 3 provided attempts on the NBME exam you will have 1 of 3 options.

There will be no further exceptions granted for additional attempts beyond the 3 provided. There will be no exceptions to these options listed above. Just to reiterate, students must take all 3 attempts within the provided timeline and only if student does not pass the exam within those 3 attempts student will have to repeat MD5, withdrawal or get dismissed.

Students who have successfully passed the NBME Comprehensive Basic Science Exam (CBSE) must take USMLE Step 1 within four months after passing the NBME CBSE exam. This four-month period includes one month for registration and three months for scheduling and taking the exam. If any student wants to take USMLE Step 1 six months after passing the NBME CBSE exam, the student is required to retake the NBME CBSE exam and achieve a passing score of 64.

All students are required to take and successfully pass the OSCE exam prior to obtaining verification for the USMLE Step 2 CS. There will be 4 OSCE exam dates offered throughout the year. ALL core rotations must be completed prior to taking the OSCE.

Avalon students registering for USMLE Step2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) and requesting the school to verify their Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) application must meet the following:

Students who have successfully passed the NBME Comprehensive Clinical Science Exam (CCSE) must take the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) Exam within four months after passing the NBME CCSE Exam. This four-month period includes one month for registration and three months for scheduling and taking the exam. If any student wants to take USMLE Step 2 (CK) six months after passing the NBME CCSE, the student is required to retake (and pass with a score of 215 or 76) the NBME CCSE Exam.

It is the policy of Avalon University School of Medicine (AUSOM) that students pass USMLE Step 2 CK in order to graduate. This policy is applicable regardless of the origin or final practice of students. To register for USMLE Step 2 CK, applicants must meet several prerequisite requirements.

• Completion of all Core Rotations
• Passing NBME CCSE with a minimum score of 76 or 215
• Applicants must take USMLE Step 2 CK within 4 months of receiving their passing NBME CCSE Score Report.

• Examinees will receive a maximum of five attempts to pass the NBME CCSE with a score of 76 or 215.
• First attempt will be automatically scheduled 30 days after the final shelf exam of the final core rotation. If the student fails the exam on the first attempt, a mandatory counseling session will be required with a counselor provided by the student’s clinical coordinator. This session should be scheduled by the student within 7 days of receiving the score report.
• Second attempt Students will have a maximum of 60 days to schedule and take a second attempt from the date of receiving their score report and completing the mandatory counseling session.
• Third attempt Students will have a maximum of 90 days from the receipt of their previous attempt’s score report to schedule and take the third attempt. Students scoring less than the passing score of 76 or 215 will be required to complete a mandatory remediation course as stipulated by the Clinical Department. Once remediation is completed, the student will be eligible for a fourth attempt at the NBME CCSE.
• Fourth attempt – Students who require a fourth attempt must schedule this within 90 days of completing the required remediation course.
• Fifth / Final attempt – Students who require a fifth attempt must schedule this within 90 days of receiving their previous attempt’s score report. If a passing score is not achieved on the fifth attempt, students will be dismissed.

As of January 1, 2021, it is the policy of AUSOM to require passing USMLE Step 2 in order to graduate. Since Leave of Absence (LOA) policies do not apply for graduates, they may take the NBME CCSE whenever they feel prepared. As of August 1, 2023, all examinees will have a maximum of five attempts to pass the CCSE, if a passing score is not achieved within this attempt limit, the examinee will be permanently ineligible to take the exam with AUSOM.

Students who fail the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK on their first attempt will be scheduled for mandatory remediation counseling within 1 week. An NBME CBSE or CCSE is not required but self assessments are strongly recommended.

Students will be required to sit for their Step 1 or Step 2 CK retake (2nd attempt) within four (4) months of receipt of their original score report. (Please note that ECFMG informs AUSOM when the report has been sent.)

Any student who fails to sit for their retake USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK (2nd attempt) by the deadline will be referred to the Promotions Committee for review.

Any student who fails the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK on any subsequent attempt(s) would have to repeat the above steps.

NOTE: All USMLE score reports (pass or fail) must be submitted to the Office of Registrar within 7 days of receipt. (Please note that ECFMG informs AUSOM when the report has been sent.) Students who fail to submit their score reports will have a Registrar Hold placed on their account. Students must submit their failing USMLE Step score report to the Office of the Registrar prior to being certified for the retake.

Per ECFMG, students will have up to four (4) attempts to pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK respectively. Students who fail to pass USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK on their final attempt will be dismissed from Avalon University School of Medicine.

Please note that ECFMG has established rules on how quickly an examinee can retake the same Step exam. You may not take the same examination more than three times within a 12-month period. Your fourth attempt must be at least 12 months after your first attempt at that exam and at least six months after your most recent attempt at that particular exam. This includes incomplete attempts.

The goals and objectives of the student promotions committee are to review the student records and files and make determinations in the following circumstances:

The promotions committee process is designed to enforce specific guidelines for academic advancement, while at the same time providing an individual review of each student’s situation. A strong student support system is the underlying foundation of the promotions committee. The academic affairs staff strives to work with students in a proactive and sensitive manner to provide early intervention, enabling the student to make necessary changes and increase their chances of success. All promotions committee meetings are private, and the material presented and discussed is confidential. Each individual student is considered on a case-by-case basis and the student’s entire record is evaluated.

A student’s progress through the curriculum and continued enrollment is secured to specific academic performance criteria.

Any student placed on academic probation may not be permitted to register for an overload (i.e., more than three courses) during the probation period.

Students on academic probation are at risk for dismissal if they also meet one of the following criteria:

After discussion with the respective course instructor during the semester, the student has a right to appeal to the Promotions Committee if they feel that an error occurred in the grading system or if they would like to appeal for their promotion.

The Promotions Committee receives appeals of a course grade and/or placement on academic probation along with appeals regarding course load decisions made by other committees. The appeal must be submitted in writing (typed) and received within five days (5) of the grade distribution.

The Promotions Committee should receive the appeal letter in writing from the student within 5 business days for further evaluation. Any appeal after 5 business days will not be considered by the Promotions Committee. The committee will review and render the decision to the student.

If the student does not agree with the decision, the student must submit the appeal in writing within 5 business days to the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences/Dean of Clinical Sciences. The appeal should be forwarded to the appropriate dean, who will consider the circumstances of the dismissal. No appeals will be considered outside of this process.

If the appeal to the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences/Dean of Clinical Sciences is denied the student may further appeal to the Executive Dean. This appeal must be submitted in writing within 5 business days of the Basic Science Dean /Dean of Clinical Sciences’ decision. The Executive Dean will consider appeals based on “due process” only. There will be no reconsideration of any circumstances or justifications regarding the dismissal already presented in the appeal to the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences/Dean of Clinical Sciences.

The student must submit the appeal in writing within 5 business days to the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences/Dean of Clinical Sciences. The appeal should be forwarded to the appropriate dean, who will consider the circumstances of the dismissal. No appeals will be considered outside of this process.

If the appeal to the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences/Dean of Clinical Sciences is denied the student may further appeal to the Executive Dean. This appeal must be submitted in writing within 5 business days of the Basic Science Dean /Dean of Clinical Sciences’ decision. The Executive Dean will consider appeals based on “due process” only. There will be no reconsideration of any circumstances or justifications regarding the dismissal already presented in the appeal to the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences/Dean of Clinical Sciences.

The committee’s decision constitutes forwarding the minutes to the Associate Dean of Basic Sciences/Dean of Clinical Sciences. Decisions may include, but are not limited to, placing students on academic probation, dismissal, repetition of a semester, repetition of course work, or structured intervention to address personal, social or learning problems.

All committee deliberations and decisions must take into consideration public safety. In addition, committees consider the internal resources available to assistance a student experiencing difficulties and whether those resources are enough. A student needing more extensive help is encouraged to seek help, but the extent of the problem can influence the committee’s decision. A student experiencing academic difficulty who has extenuating “personal” factors affecting performance may require a leave of absence to resolve those personal issues.

At no point will a faculty member who is involved directly with the assessment of the student for the appealed grade will be involved in the decision-making process.