SPC FAQs

The Student Progress Committee (SPC) is a group comprised of about 12 faculty members who have been delegated responsibility by the Dean of the School of Medicine for monitoring medical students’ progress toward graduation and determining if the standards of the UWSOM are being met in individual cases. All areas of student progress are monitored, including promotion, remediation, probation, leave of absence, expansion, reprimand, suspension, dismissal, licensing exam performance, compliance, and graduation.

In cases of unsatisfactory performance, the SPC reviews students’ records on a routine basis in all areas of academic performance and professional behavior and conduct specified in the graduation requirements. These include, but are not limited to:

• Performance in Foundations coursework
• Completion of Foundations and Patient Care Phase OSCEs
• Completion of USMLE Step 1 and Step 2‐CK
• Performance in clerkships
• Completion of required clerkship exams
• Attitudes and behavior which demonstrate fitness for clinical contact
• High standards of conduct within the medical school and community

Professional behaviors outside of coursework are also considered within the context of the School’s graduation requirements.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting.

If this was your first block fail and you are not on academic probation, SPC will automatically approve you to take the block remediation course.

If this was your second or third block fail, you have additional deficiencies, or you are on academic probation, SPC may take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

More information about remediation, including timelines for remediation, is available here.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting.

If this was your first or second thread deficiency, you are not on academic probation, and you have no additional deficiencies, SPC will automatically approve you to take the thread remediation course.

If this was your third thread deficiency, you have additional deficiencies, or you are on academic probation, SPC may take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

More information about remediation, including timelines for remediation, is available here.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting.

If the original fail was a block, you will typically be required to retake the block with the subsequent cohort of students. If the original fail was a thread, you will typically be required to retake the thread remediation course.

If you have additional deficiencies or are on academic probation, SPC may take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

To request that you be allowed to retake any courses you have failed with a subsequent class (also called “restarting”), you will need to submit a petition to SPC. Please be sure to include the quarter and year you plan to return as well as any courses that you are requesting that you not be required to retake.

More information about petitions is available here. Please make sure you understand the submission deadline for your particular case as well as what information to include before submitting your petition.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting to decide if you will be allowed to retake the clerkship as well as whether any additional actions are needed to support your progress in the clinical curriculum.

SPC may recommend that you engage with a Clinical Learning Specialist or take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

If you have questions or need additional support, please contact Proactive Advising or a Student Affairs dean.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting.

If this was your first or second clerkship exam fail, you are not on academic probation, and you have no additional deficiencies, SPC will automatically approve you to retake the clerkship exam. You do not need to wait to receive approval from SPC before scheduling a retake of your exam.

If this was your third, fourth, or fifth clerkship exam fail, you have additional deficiencies, or you are on academic probation, SPC may take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

More information about clerkship exam fails, including information about scheduling a retake, is available here.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting to determine what actions, if any, will be taken.

SPC may recommend that you engage with a Clinical Learning Specialist or take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

If you have questions or need additional support, please contact Proactive Advising or a Student Affairs dean.

If you have received a letter from SPC related to Step 1 and/or Step 2, it will typically include a deadline by which you must have taken or passed Step 1 and/or Step 2.

If you have not received a letter from SPC specifying a Step 1 and/or Step 2 deadline, you will need to meet curricular deadlines. More information is available in the USMLE Step 1 Policy and Curriculum Overview.

If you have questions about your deadline(s) or need additional support, Proactive Advising or a Student Affairs dean can help you explore options, formulate a plan, and outline what to include in your SPC petition, if needed.

If you anticipate that you will not be ready or able to take your exam by the deadline set by SPC, you will need to submit a petition requesting an extension. SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting.

More information about petitions is available here. Please make sure you understand the submission deadline for your particular case as well as what information to include before submitting your petition.

If you have questions about your deadline(s) or need additional support, Proactive Advising or a Student Affairs dean can help you explore options, formulate a plan, and outline what to include in your SPC petition.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting and decide whether to extend your deadline. SPC may take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

If you do not submit a petition or your submission is not received within the appropriate timeframe, it may not be considered. SPC will make a decision based on the best available information for your individual case.

If there are concerns about your progress in the curriculum and/or lack of communication, SPC may require an interview with you to understand the barriers.

If you have questions about your deadline(s) or need additional support, Proactive Advising or a Student Affairs dean can help you explore options, formulate a plan, and outline what to include in your SPC petition.

SPC will review your case at their next scheduled meeting and decide whether you will be allowed to retake the exam. SPC will also usually set a deadline for retaking the exam.

If this was your first attempt, SPC will typically approve you to retake the exam with a deadline of the end of the quarter following the quarter in which you received your Step 1 score. You will be allowed to finish the current quarter’s clerkships, but SPC may require that subsequent clerkships be automatically dropped 6 weeks in advance of their start date until you retake the exam.

If this was your second or third attempt at a Step exam, SPC may take additional actions, depending on your individual case and any extenuating circumstances.

If this was your fourth attempt at a Step exam, please make an appointment with a Student Affairs dean to discuss next steps.

If SPC requires that you complete certain requirement(s) (e.g., take Step 1) before continuing in the clinical curriculum, your SPC decision letter will include information about impacts to your schedule. If you have clerkships scheduled, they will be automatically dropped 6 weeks in advance of their start date until the requirement(s) are met.

If you anticipate meeting a requirement on or close to the scheduled drop date, please reach out to Registration as soon as possible. You may be asked to provide additional information or documentation.

If you would like to request that you be allowed to take a clerkship without meeting SPC’s requirements, you will need to submit a petition to SPC. SPC will consider your plan at their next scheduled meeting and decide whether your request is reasonable. More information about petitions is available here. Please make sure you understand the submission deadline for your particular case as well as what information to include before submitting your petition.

If SPC requires that you complete certain requirement(s) (e.g., take Step 1) before continuing in the clinical curriculum, you will not be allowed to readd a dropped clerkship until all requirements have been met.

Once you have completed all requirements, please reach out to Registration to request any changes to your schedule. You may be asked to provide additional information or documentation.

If you would like to request that you be allowed to take a clerkship without meeting all requirements, you will need to submit a petition to SPC. SPC will consider your plan at their next scheduled meeting and decide whether your request is reasonable. More information about petitions is available here. Please make sure you understand the submission deadline for your particular case as well as what information to include before submitting your petition.

Yes. If you would like to appeal the decision you received from SPC, you will need to submit a petition to SPC at least 10 days prior to the SPC meeting immediately following your decision letter (or as soon as possible, if SPC’s decision has immediate impacts on your schedule). More information about petitions is available here.

If SPC votes to overturn their previous decision, you will receive a decision letter detailing the plan you must follow to continue in the curriculum. If SPC votes to uphold their previous decision, you can request to appear in person to explain your plan further.

More information about SPC review processes is available in SPC Policies, Principles, & Guidelines and in SPC’s bylaws.

In most cases, yes. If you would like to request an exception to the decision you received from SPC, you will need to submit a petition.

Common reasons for requesting an exception include:

• Permission to take specific clerkship(s) without meeting an SPC requirement
• Extension of Step 1 and/or Step 2 deadline(s) to accommodate an additional study period or to apply for testing accommodations through NBME
• Additional leave of absence (if you have already taken 4 quarters of leave)

More information about petitions is available here. Please make sure you understand the submission deadline for your particular case as well as what information to include before submitting your petition.

It is not the role of SPC to assign or change a grade. SPC does not consider the accuracy or appropriateness of grades and evaluations submitted by course, block, thread, and clerkship directors and does not determine whether you have met the requirements for a course or clerkship.

If you would like to contest any aspect of your grade you will need to initiate the grade review, petition, and appeal process. More information is available in the Academic Grading Policy and the Academic Grievance & Appeal Policy.

Information about petitions is available here. Please make sure you understand the submission deadline for your particular case as well as what information to include before submitting your petition.

Urgent petitions may be considered on a case-by-case basis and must meet one of the criteria here.

The purpose of an informational interview is to provide students with an opportunity to present their perspective on their progress toward graduation to the SPC. Dismissal is not considered at informational interviews.

The purpose of a dismissal consideration interview is to provide students who are not progressing satisfactorily towards graduation an opportunity to present their perspective before a dismissal recommendation is issued.

In both cases, the interview is your best opportunity to provide relevant input about your performance. You should be well prepared to provide information that you believe SPC needs to know before making a final decision.

You are encouraged to prepare a written statement outlining the issues that have interfered with your performance and your plan for addressing them. Additionally, you may have others write a letter of support on your behalf. Some students who have health issues interfering with their performance choose to have their health care provider write a letter, but this is not required and SPC will not ask about personal health issues. All written materials that you want the committee to review need to be submitted to SPC at least 10 days prior to your interview. They will be distributed to SPC members before your interview.

Additionally, you may choose to ask any faculty member at UWSOM (most often your College faculty mentor) to attend your interview as your advocate. You are responsible for identifying an advocate and informing them of the meeting. The Student Affairs office can help you coordinate with that person. If you plan to have a faculty advocate attend your interview, you must provide their information to SPC at least 10 days prior to your interview.

In addition to providing insight and support, Counseling and Wellness Services can help you prepare for an SPC interview.

A list of SPC’s voting members and all ex officio (non-voting) deans and staff who may attend the meeting will be provided with your SPC decision letter. It is not appropriate for you to speak with any SPC members about your interview outside of the meeting.

If there are any members of SPC that may have a conflict of interest in voting on your case, please let SPC know as soon as possible. Any faculty members who were involved in assigning a failing grade to you will automatically recuse themselves when your case is being discussed. More information about conflict of interest and recusal is available in SPC’s bylaws.

Before you arrive, SPC will review your entire medical school record and any letters or documents that you have submitted. You and your faculty advocate will be admitted to the meeting at your designated interview time. You should take the first 10 minutes or so to give a statement to SPC that outlines why your performance has been below standard, what steps you have taken to resolve those issues, and what strategies you have for improvement going forward. This should include a specific plan for successfully completing your coursework. Next, your faculty advocate will have a chance to add any comments about you they believe to be relevant.

After you and your faculty advocate have both had a chance to share with SPC, members will ask any questions they have about your academic record and the plan you have presented. Once all the information that you want to share with SPC is presented and there are no more questions, you will have an opportunity to make closing remarks before the interview concludes.

After your interview, SPC will discuss your case and make a decision about what you need to do to continue progressing toward graduation. A Student Affairs dean will inform you of SPC’s decision as soon as possible after the meeting.

SPC’s decisions following an informational interview are final with no further review within UWSOM or the University of Washington.

After your interview, SPC will discuss your case and make one of two decisions:

• If SPC thinks it is reasonable for you to continue in medical school, a remediation plan will be set.
• If SPC thinks that you should not continue in the program, they will issue a dismissal recommendation.

A Student Affairs dean will inform you of SPC’s decision as soon as possible after the meeting.

If SPC issues a dismissal recommendation, you may appeal this decision. More information about the dismissal appeal process is available here.

Resources are available through UW and UWSOM to help you succeed in the curriculum. For additional support, contact Proactive Advising or a Student Affairs dean.

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