Students should not schedule an elective surgery for themselves during the 36-month program. If an urgent or emergency surgery is needed, the student will communicate this need with the Program Director and the Clinical Coordinator(s). The student has the option to use PTO for urgent surgical time off needs. However, if there is not enough PTO bank, or the student chooses not to use PTO, it is possible that program matriculation may be delayed. This is related to the minimum time requirements from the COA and should not be viewed as punitive.