How to Apply to PURCH or LEAD@Lahey:

Interested applicants are able to opt-in to the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track even if they have already submitted their application. Applicants who applied to the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track during the secondary application and wish to opt-out can do so, if they choose. Details on how to opt-in or opt-out of the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track are outlined below.

Opting-out of the PURCH or LEAD@LaheyTrack:

Applicants may opt out of the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track through the following process.

Opting out prior to matriculation: 

An applicant who has not yet been accepted to the T.H. Chan School of Medicine may elect to opt out of the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track after admissions interviews are complete by emailing the Office of Admissions at admissions@umassmed.edu to request this change in application status within seven days of their PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track interview. The applicant must state the reason(s) for the request.

An applicant who has been admitted to the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track may later request to opt out of the track prior to matriculation and remain in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. The applicant must make the request, including the reason(s) for the request, by email to the Office of Admissions at admissions@umassmed.edu. Decisions to grant such a request will be made after consulting with admissions subcommittees at UMass Chan’s regional campuses and will be informed by capacity.

Opting out after matriculation:

A student who has matriculated as a PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track student may request to opt out of the track and remain a student in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. The reason(s) for the request must be made via email to the associate dean for student affairs by the end of the first week of the academic year. Decisions to grant such a request will be made after consulting with admissions subcommittees at UMass Chan’s regional campuses.

Timing of Transfers In and Out of PURCH and LEAD@Lahey:

The PURCH and LEAD@Lahey tracks are longitudinal experiences with integrated threads in the curriculum that are specific to the track. Additionally, students in the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track develop long-term mentoring and career development relationships with their Learning Community mentors. As such, requests to transfer in or out of a track must be thoughtfully considered and articulated with clear reasoning. These requests will only be entertained at specific times during the curriculum to facilitate student progress and ensure student success.

 Opting in or out of the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey tracks is not permitted in the Horizons phase.

 Note:

• At all transition points, students must articulate a clear reason for requesting the change.
• Entry to/exit from the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey cannot be related to mentor issues.
• Life-changing events may prompt a student to opt in or out of a track at a point other than those mentioned above and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Process for Transfer:

If the request for a transfer into or out of the PURCH or LEAD@Lahey track is granted, the associate dean for student affairs will notify the following people and offices to initiate the transition process:

• The student
• Office of the Registrar
• Office of Undergraduate Medical Education
• Assistant dean for clinical curriculum
• Director of early clinical learning at UMass Chan-Baystate or UMass Chan-Lahey
• Learning Communities co-director
• Associate dean at UMass Chan-Baystate or UMass Chan-Lahey
• Vice provost and senior associate dean for educational affairs

	Timing	Rationale	Notes
Entering PURCH OR LEAD@Lahey (“opt-in”)	DISCOVERY: First semester, by the end of the first week	Early Clinical Learning (ECL) has not been firmly established so curricula remain similar.	Later in the year the student will have a relationship with their mentor; ECL curricula will be out of sync so students may review a topic twice or miss a topic.
	DISCOVERY: Second semester, by the end of the first week		Transfer at this time will only be considered in extraordinary circumstances and with unanimous approval of the committee. Curricula will be out of sync, mentoring and LPP programs disrupted; if the choice is made to allow this timing, the request must address those issues. Make-up work may be required; redundancy should be expected by the student.
	DISCOVERY: Summer before 2nd year or by the end of the first week of the 3rd semester	Curricula will align	The student must change mentor and will have missed some PURCH OR LEAD@Lahey-specific sessions. Make-up work may be required; redundancy should be expected by the student.
	Exploration and Horizons: not permitted		Student will have missed the majority of the PURCH OR LEAD@Lahey curriculum
Leaving PURCH OR LEAD@Lahey (“opt-out”)	DISCOVERY: First semester, by the end of the first week	Students will not have made a mentor relationship or be deeply engaged in track specific curricula yet
	DISCOVERY: Second semester, by the end of the first week	Transfer at this time will only be considered in extraordinary circumstances and with unanimous approval of the committee.	Later in the year curricula will be off cycle for ECL; if a student switched later in the year they would keep LPP at PURCH OR LEAD@Lahey for the remainder of the year
	DISCOVERY: Summer before the 3rd semester or by the end of the first week of the 3rd  semester	Limited impact on curriculum
	Exploration/Horizons	Permitted, but students would complete rotations and courses as previously assigned at their former regional campus	Any site change requests would follow the usual Office of Student Affairs process

Revised December 2023

 

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