Class Excuse form
View and print the Class Excuse form (PDF) available on UI Registrar's website. It does not need to be signed by a physician.
Class Excuse Policy
One of my professors wants me to get a medical excuse form because I missed class - what do I need to do about this?
Thank you for your interest in finding out about the class excuse policy and procedures here at The University of Iowa. Some time ago, we changed our policy and no longer routinely provide medical documentation of illnesses. This decision was made with the support of the College of Liberal Arts and in consultation with various other collegiate offices. I am happy to provide you with the following explanation and to discuss with you any questions you may have about it.
Prior to the policy change, Student Health Service received hundreds of requests from students to provide documentation of medical visits. The students generally asked for documentation even before they had discussed their illness with their professors. Many students made appointments with physicians for the express purpose of obtaining a written note; they would not otherwise have needed a doctor's evaluation (e.g., for simple colds, a typical migraine headache, etc.). This caused an undue burden on our staff since each of these requests required time from receptionists, practitioners, and nursing personnel.
In addition, we discovered that practitioners often had difficulty making assessments regarding the appropriateness of giving an excuse. For example, some students with simple colds would request a medical excuse while others with similar illnesses appeared to be able to remain in class and perform well. Since medical personnel remain, by definition the patient's advocate, we are not in a position of judging motives of patients in an attempt to determine whether any given request for an excuse is valid. Moreover, many requests are made by students who may have been legitimately impaired, but who did not visit a clinician while ill. It is difficult and often impossible to assess the seriousness of a condition retroactively in the absence of signs or symptoms.
Finally, a part of the mission of SHS is to teach appropriate health care consumerism. The practice of providing medical excuses seems to send mixed messages to students about the appropriate use of health care resources.
If you are interested in finding a class excuse form, there are two absence forms available on the University of Iowa Registrar's website. If absent because of flu-like illness, fill out the Abence because of flu-like illness form. All other abences should use the Absence From Class form available on The University of Iowa Registrar's website. These forms will not need to be signed or looked at by a physician or medical staff at Student Health. You may also wish to read "A Medical Perspective on Illness" (below) -- information we provide to faculty members who ask about our class excuse policy. I hope this is useful for you. Please contact me if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Ann Laros , M.D.
Interim Medical Director
A Medical Perspective on Illness
The following information provides a medical perspective on how students deal with the effect of illness on academics. The physicians at the Student Health Service (SHS) hope it will be useful to faculty in evaluating student requests for special academic treatment. Please feel free to call the Medical Director, Dr. Ann Laros at 335-8392, if it would be helpful for you to discuss specific circumstances. Within the bounds of SHS policy on patient confidentiality, we are happy to help faculty respond fairly to students who make such requests.
1. We have found that most students want to be cooperative about complying with professors' expectations of them. In fact, they are often willing to sacrifice their rights to medical confidentiality in order to convince an instructor they were legitimately ill. We encourage faculty to assume that a student is being honest about the need for their requests, unless you have a concrete reason to doubt it.
2. All people are not equally equipped to function optimally when ill, even when the illness is minor. One student, while experiencing a headache, may perform adequately on an exam, while another may feel too compromised and may ask, quite legitimately, for an opportunity to make-up the exam.
3. Today's students contend with a variety of personal and/or social problems that may contribute to or be exacerbated by other illnesses. For example, medical problems such as anxiety disorders, depression, panic disorders, attention deficit disorders and issues of abuse are in abundance on campus. Such conditions may be exacerbated by other illnesses such as simple upper respiratory infections or by stresses such as project deadlines. In an effort to salvage their dignity or protect their right to keep such conditions confidential, students are more likely to explain that "I had a bad cold" than to say, "I have an anxiety disorder and my bad cold made me have a panic attack."
4. Although college students are generally a healthy population, many students have chronic illnesses and their academic pursuits may be disrupted frequently. Faculty may become suspicious of these students' motives because the students may ask repeatedly for special arrangements. It can be helpful in such cases to encourage the student to be as open as possible in sharing with you how their condition has been affecting their studies. Together, you might be able to reach a mutual agreement about special arrangements. SHS clinicians are always willing to discuss with faculty how a specific condition could influence a students' academic performance.
Page updated: 10/27/09
