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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Medical Student Portal

Adverse Weather Procedure for MD Students

In the event of Adverse Weather, please review the adverse weather procedure on this page and follow the alerts from Medical Student Education and your respective campus leaders.


Phase 1 Student Procedure

  • Students should follow instructions provided by their home IUSM campus.
  • Students will hear from their respective Campus Deans and Course Directors for further instructions.
  • During adverse weather, students should never report for FCP clinical activities if they do not feel safe doing so. Please contact your preceptor to reschedule your visit and let your Site Leader and campus course coordinator know the new date.
  • Students should also review the helpful winter weather information below.


Phase 1 Exam Day Protocol

If adverse weather falls on an exam day, information about altered exam plans will be posted to the respective course Canvas site.


Phase 2 and 3 Student Procedure

  • Please note that students should never report for in-person clerkship-related activities, including clinical duties if they do not feel safe doing so.
    ○ If services/clinics are not canceled due to weather and a student decides they cannot report for their scheduled service/clinics safely, students should fill in the time away request form and contact the statewide clerkship coordinator and regional campus clerkship coordinator (if applicable) to inform them you cannot attend scheduled clerkship activities.
  • Time away requests are not needed if School of Medicine campuses are closed.
    ○ Note an IU “campus” may be closed, but that does not automatically mean that School of Medicine services/clinics are canceled. Always look for confirmation from the communication(s) sent directly to you by IU School of Medicine and/or your clerkship teams (Statewide/Regional).
  • If the campus is not closed, but services/clinics are canceled at your site, please fill out the time away request.
  • Clerkship teams should inform preceptors of the status of clerkship clinical/in-person activities.
  • Students on service/in clinic on a regional campus should follow additional instructions provided by IU School of Medicine at that campus.
  • Students should also review the helpful winter weather information below.


Information for each IU School of Medicine campus:


Helpful winter weather information:

Check conditions before you go
Don’t leave your safety to chance. Emergency management experts encourage people with smartphones to use weather apps, which often provide alerts for hazardous conditions, such as tornadoes and heavy winds. Travel advisories can be found online, too.

See weather forecast on your campus

Travel advisories

Things you should do

  • Dress appropriately for cold weather any time you go anywhere, with multiple layers of clothing underneath a water-resistant coat; protect your extremities with a hat, gloves, or mittens, and waterproof shoes with good traction.
  • Protect your face and lungs with a scarf.
  • Charge your phone fully before going anywhere.
  • Have an emergency kit at home and in your car.
  • Always have at least three days of food, water, and any other supplies you might need should you not be able to leave your home.

Things you should not do

  • Don’t go anywhere underdressed. Your warm car may break down, or your destination could be without power, so plan for the worst.
  • Don’t rush. Allow for more travel time during and after any wintery precipitation.
  • Snow can melt and refreeze as ice on the road or sidewalk after a sunny day.
  • Don’t use an oven to warm up your home. If you must use a space heater, carefully follow its instructions.
  • Don’t stock up at the last moment before a storm hits, be prepared days before.
  • Don’t travel during a storm unless it is necessary.