Registrar's Office

Working Hours: 8:00 to 5:00 Monday to Friday

Welcome to San Juan Bautista School of Medicine. Our main responsibility at the Registrar’s Office is the confidential handling and custody of the permanent record and documents pertaining to students at the institution as they progress from enrollment until completion of the program. We are responsible for student enrollment, grade reporting, and certifying that the student has complied with the established graduation requirements.

Registration Process

Prior to registration, students will be verified if they qualify for enrollment to the corresponding academic period. The Registrar will send out a communication indicating with the date for registration. On the corresponding date of enrollment, students will be required to present:

• evidence of a health insurance plan. In the event that the student does not have one, they will be enrolled with the school's health insurance plan. No student may enroll without a health insurance plan.

• Students will be required to present updated copies of the following documentation as it applies to them:

  • Physician Report
  • Medical certificate including tuberculin test, VDRL blood test, chest X-ray and evidence of being vaccinated against the diseases that are required at the time of registration, according to the requirements of each student under 21 years of age and third year students. Law 25 of September 25, 1983.
  • Negative criminal record report
  • HIPPA, OSHA, Mask Fit, Blood borne exposure and CPR certifications
  • Law 300 certificate
  • PVAC Vaccine report
  • Influenza vaccine
  • Tithers for Hepatitis B, Chickenpox and MMR
  • COVID-19 vaccine

After completing registration, student’s will be referred to the Financial Aid Office so that they may complete their student grant/loan if they have not done it prior to their enrollment. The final stage of registration is the Bursar’s Office to make corresponding enrollment payment.

Clinical Sciences Registration Process

Third and Fourth Year students coordinate their rotations and/or electives with the Registrar during the Pre-Enrollment process. After being approved and the registration has been made official, students submit copies of their program to the Third and Fourth Year Coordinator for due process and follow up. The Coordinator assigns the rotation sites for third year students and supervises the rotation sites for fourth year students providing them with all the necessary information and documents to perform the rotation or external elective.

The Registrar certifies that clinical students have all their required clinical documents updated and available; and assist in uploading them in the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) web site.

Withdrawals

Students who wish to withdraw from the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine must contact the Registrar’s Office, complete the Withdrawal Request Form. The student must obtain the official signatures indicated on the application and return the completed application to the Registrar’s Office. Withdrawal will be considered effective on the date the completed application is received in the Registrar’s Office. Students who withdraw from the School must return the Identification Card and the Parking Card. Withdrawal, Transfers and Retention Policy

Grade reporting

Once all grades have been reported to the Registrar’s office and processed in the system, an official grade report for each student is processed and sent to them no later than two weeks from the date in which the grades were delivered to the Registrar's Office. A copy of the official grade report is kept in each student's file. Students who fail in a course or rotation will have to enroll and cover corresponding costs to repeat and approve the same before being promoted. Students will not be allowed to repeat a course more than one (1) occasion. Grade Submission Policy

Incompletes

In general, students who receive an Incomplete, must remove it during the first month of the following academic period, otherwise, they will receive the grade of "F" in said course.

A student in Biomedical Sciences courses who receives an Incomplete, must remove it before the next academic semester begins, otherwise, they will receive the grade of "F" in said course.

A student in Clinical Sciences who receives an Incomplete, must remove it before the end of the semester, otherwise they will receive the grade of "F" in said course. Students with more than one Incomplete will not be allowed to enroll in next academic period until the Incompletes are removed.

Grade Revision

Students are entitled to request a grade revision. The request must be submitted in writing to the head of the department concerned, within thirty (30) calendar days following the date of receiving a written notification from the Registrar's Office. A copy of this request must be submitted to the Registrar. The head of the department will notify the faculty member. The faculty member will submit to the Registrar the final decision regarding the grade review within ten (10) calendar days. The Registrar will notify the student of the final result and copy will be kept in the student's file after being processed in the system.

Evaluation System

• Institutional Catalog
• Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
• Leave of Absence, Withdrawal and Readmission Policy

Graduation Requirements

When students fulfill the criteria for graduation in their corresponding programs, the registrar will send them the Graduation Request Form. The candidates for the degree will be referred to the Evaluation and Promotion Committee for due process. The Board of Trustees will grant the corresponding degrees after recommendation by the Evaluation and Promotion Committee to students who meet the following criteria:

Bachelors of Science in Nursing

• Completion of all required courses of the BSN program
• Completion of the total number of credit/contact hours
• Minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.75
• Completion of all financial and administrative obligations contracted with the School, including return of all borrowed library resources and completion of all documents in the academic file
• Completion of all medical records

Master of Public Health

• Completion of the 58 credit-hours program
• Minimum overall grade point average (GPA) 2.50
• Completion of all financial and administrative obligations contracted with the School, including return of all borrowed library resources and completion of all documents in the academic file
• Completion of all medical records

Master of Physician Assistant Studies

• Completion of the 123 credit-hours program
• Completion of the summative evaluation (MPA 4403)
• Completion of the didactic and clinical graduate coursework, the master's capstone project (MPA 4404), as well as the community service project (MPA 4405)
• Minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 74.5%
• Demonstration of acceptable moral, ethical and professional standards at all times during the course of their study program.
• Completion of all financial and administrative obligations contracted with the school, including return of all borrowed library resources and completion of all documents in the academic file

Doctor in Medicine

• Completion of the Biomedical Sciences courses with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.50
• Completion of the Clinical Sciences courses established in the curriculum (both in the cognitive aspects as well as in the clinical skills, and professional behavior/attitudes) with a minimum grade point average of 2.50
• Passing the United States Medical License Examination (USMLE) Step 1, and Step 2 (CK)
• Passing a Clinical Performance Examination (CPX) during the fourth year of study and taking the Step 2 (CS)
• Demonstration of acceptable moral, ethical and professional standards at all times during the course of their study program.
• Completion of all financial and administrative obligations contracted with the School, including return of all borrowed library resources and completion of all documents in the academic file
• Completion of all medical records
• Minimum overall grade point average of 2.50

The honors to be awarded at graduation will be the following:

• Summa Cum Laude - students with 3.90 - 4.00
• Magna Cum Laude - students with 3.70 - 3.89
• Cum Laude - students with 3.50 to 3.69

*This honor scale is effective for graduating classes since 2015

Note: The average considered for the awards is obtained from grades of courses taken at our School during the years of study.

Student Records

All educational records and related documents will be kept in a vault located in the Registrar's Office. The records will be stored in security files whose combinations will only be known by duly authorized personnel.

Disclosure of educational records

Any student who wishes to review their educational file may submit their request to the Registrar. Registrar's Office personnel will always be present when the student reviews their educational file and will explain the information contained in the documents the student reviews. If there is evidence that the information in the educational file is incorrect, the student may request it be corrected. When a change of address has occurred, students fill out the Change of Address Request Form.

Students will not have access to letters of reference or recommendation and any other document marked "Confidential"; or documents where there is information from other people. For a student to see these documents there must be a written authorization from the person or agency that issued them, authorization from the corresponding Dean, or the rights of the people involved are not violated.

The information in the student's educational record may not be disclosed to any person without the written consent of the student. When for personal reasons a student requests a copy of their educational record, they will present a written request in writing expressing the purpose for which they request a copy of the file. The consent must be signed by the student, have the date on which it was issued and contain the following information:

• The information that will be revealed
• The person (s) to whom the disclosure of information is authorized
• The purpose for which the disclosure of information is authorized

Once the request is approved by the Registrar, it will be processed. A copy of all the requested documents will be provided, except those that are included in the section "Documents to which the Student does not have access", unless the condition of prior authorization applies. When information about a student's educational record is issued, the student will be provided with a copy of the information provided they require so.

Voluntary Waiver of Student Rights

A student may voluntarily renounce all or any of the rights that FERPA provides them if they do so in writing. The School at no time will ask the student to renounce their rights or violate them. If a student has signed a voluntary waiver of their rights, they may revoke the same when they deem it necessary, if they do so in writing (FERPA Consent Form)

Exemptions

The information in a student's educational record may be disclosed without the student's consent under the following circumstances:

• To school personnel when there is a legitimate reason of educational interest in the performance of their responsibilities
• To public law officers when there a court of justice requires so
• To representatives of accrediting agencies in the performance of their accreditation functions

When, information about the student is issued without prior authorization from the latter, the student will be provided with a copy of the information provided if he requires so.

The San Juan Bautista School of Medicine (SJBSM) complies with the provisions of the Buckley Amendment known as the Family Educational and Privacy Act of 1974, (FERPA). This law protects the privacy of educational records and establishes the right of students to inspect and review their records. It also provides guidelines to correct the accuracy of the information through informal and formal hearings. policies: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Annual Notification; and, Rules for Issuing Copies of Academic records

Students have the right to file complaints with the "Family Educational and Privacy Office," Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., W., Room 4524, Switzer Building, Washington, D.C. 20203, in relation to alleged breaches of the Law by the Institution.

Issuance of Official Documents

Rules for issuing documents

As custodian of student records, the Registrar's office will issue official documents as requested by students and alumni. When requesting documents from the Registrar's Office, students or alumni must fill out the corresponding Document Request Form, pay the corresponding fee at the Bursar's office and return both form and receipt of payment to the Registrar. Payments made be done electronically by filling out the Payment Processing Form. A period of three (3) to five (5) working days will be required for the processing of requested documents.

Among the documents that may be requested are: certification of studies, transcripts, Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), certifications for the Examining Board of Physicians of Puerto Rico, grades and other documents

Students who have are in some type of debt with the Institution will not have the right to be issued official documents. Special cases must have the approval of the Registrar.

Transcripts

Transcripts of student's grades will only be issued upon written request of the student duly signed by the student. Official transcripts will be processed from agency to agency only. The student will fill the Document Request Form and pay the amount of $5.00 for each transcript requested. Payments made be done electronically by filling out the Payment Processing Form.

Certifications

The School on several occasions may issue requested certifications to our students to legalize their condition and status. To request a certification student must fill out the Document Request Form and pay the corresponding fee. Payments made be done electronically by filling out the Payment Processing Form. These situations can be:

• As a regular student applying for scholarships financial aid, income tax return forms, etc. If the student requests a student certification for personal use, it will not bear the official seal. Only those certifications that are sent from Institution to Institution bear the official seal.
• To certify obtained degree after graduation.
• Certifications for medical licensure and credentialing. These certifications are required to be notarized.

Certification costs

• All certifications cost $ 5.00 each.
• Certifications for licensure and credentialing have a cost of $ 35.00 that is broken down as follows:
  • $ 30.00 to cover the cost of notarization
  • $ 5.00 to cover the cost of the transcript that is sent with the certification
  • If the applicant is a graduate, it will also carry a Certification of Title which has a cost of $ 5.00.

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)

The student or graduate may request the letter personally or in writing by filling out the Document Request Form and paying the corresponding fee of $ 10.00 for each MSPE requested. Payments made be done electronically by filling out the Payment Processing Form.

Other services

Student status/classification Report

The Registrar is responsible for updating the student's status in corresponding agencies. Students in a leave of absence and/or in an appeal process are classified as Inactive.

USMLE certifications

Students requesting the USMLE certification for any of the medical boards will be certified by the Registrar. Students must be active in order to be certified. Students who are in a leave of absence and/or in process of appeal cannot be certified for the USMLE Steps 1, Step 2 CK and/or CS.

Distribution of Academic Calendar

Students receive a copy of the Academic Calendar upon enrollment. Additional copies may be requested as needed.

Orientation regarding school policies

Although school policies are published in the school webpage, the Registrar's office ensures that students are aware of policies related to the issuance of academic records, satisfactory academic progress, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, grade submission, leave of absence, among others.

Diploma

It is responsibility of the Registrar's office the preparation and delivery of the student's diploma. Students requesting a translation of their original diploma may request so.