Scheduling
The Commitment:
We ask for 2 shifts per week from each AA, and also request your attendance at a few evening training sessions each semester. The shifts for Spring 2012 run from January 30, 2012 to April 29, 2012 (inclusive).
The training sessions will be an opportunity for us to discuss upcoming studies and to discuss existing ones. Generally these workshops concentrate on anatomy, physiology, and medicine related to the studies we do. At some sessions we'll teach and show you study-related medical procedures such as endotracheal intubation or lumbar punctures. This includes showing you how physicians perform these procedures (usually you will get to try on mannequins) and why they are performed.
Missing shifts is bad. Also, you MUST BE ON TIME. The prime directive of the program is research enrollments, therefore any absence is detrimental to this goal. Shifts will be “doubled up” usually, meaning 2 AAs will be scheduled to work at the same time and it is your responsibility to assure that your shift is covered by someone on days when you know that you will not be able to be there.
If during a random day or night you find yourself unexpectedly available, we encourage you to check the schedule and/ or empty shifts list and just show up if there's room for you. This is less preferable than pre-arranged shifts, but would love to fill any open shifts.
If you plan to miss a shift you must email your partner(s) from that shift. You must also cc Lindsey Mitrani (lrm2143@columbia.edu) and Monica Chawla (mchawla00@gmail.com) on that email. The subject line must read “Missing shift on __/__/__”. It is crucial that you tell your partners that you will not be at your shift because any shift that is not covered will result in a double absence for everyone assigned to that shift.
If you take time off for a holiday, you must inform both your partner and Lindsey in advance. The shifts you miss will count as absences. It is crucial that you tell your partners that you will not be at your shift because any shift that is not covered will result in a double absence for everyone assigned to that shift. Time off for religious holidays or illnesses also count as missed shifts -- any missed shift counts as an absence. Remember that you need to fulfill the attendance requirement (no more than 3 absences per semester) to qualify for a letter of recommendation from Drs. Quaas and Bania, so plan accordingly.
AA's need to make up the shifts that they miss. The policy of import here is that:
- We need to know in advance (as soon as possible!)
- When you take a shift, you own that shift. That is to say, your shift needs to be covered whether you're covering it or not. If your shift goes uncovered, and particularly if there isn't evidence of substantial efforts made to cover it, we consider this an unexcused absence (UA). UA's are bad. During class the consequences are immediate on one's grade, while during this and other non-class semesters we simply mark it down and it becomes part of one's record. To avoid this AA's should make visible and multiple efforts to get their shifts covered if and when they will miss them.
- On a national holiday we can suspend this policy of UA's, but efforts to have shifts covered should still occur.
- If you have a training session during your shift, attend your shift until or starting when the training session starts or ends, respectively. For example, if you have an 8pm-midnight shift, go the training session from 8:00-10:00pm, then your shift from 10:00pm-midnight. You don't have to make up the missed two hours.
You can only change your shift (permanently) once during the semester. There are two ways to do so. You can look at the currently empty shifts on the schedule by going to the "Current Schedules" link on the "Scheduling" page then switch to a shift with an opening. Alternatively, you can find another AA and swap. To make the swap valid, you must email Lindsey informing her that you would like to swap.
New AA Orientation Sessions
ALL NEW AAs (whether new to the program or new to a specific hospital) must attend an Academic Associate orientation session at the hospital to which they've been assigned. The sessions will last approximately 60 minutes. If you cannot attend the orientation you may attend a make-up orientation session. To be eligible you must contact Simon Baarbé (sfb2133@columbia.edu) in advance.
The orientation sessions will take place on September 17 and 18, 2011. Times TBA.
Simon Baarbé will run the orientation sessions. He will contact new AAs who need to attend one after the summer 2011 schedule has been posted in mid-September 2011.