Medical notes

For COVID-19 concerns

Find out the procedure for a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.

For students

Short-term absence

Students can submit a short-term absence form for short-term medical accommodation without documentation like a medical note. Short term absence forms are not applicable for final exams. 

Missed final exams, major course requirements or extended absences 

• If you miss a final exam because of an unexpected medical situation, you may be able to write it at a later date with a DEF notation. Follow the steps here for missed final exams. Note that many cases do not require medical notes.

• If a long-term medical situation interferes with your final exams or major course requirements, your first step is verifying if you need a medical note. For information about missed final exams, you can consult with the Exams Office. For missed coursework, please contact your professor. 

If your case does require a medical note (for example, replacing a grade with a MED notation), the medical note should:

• Be issued by the medical practitioner who knows your situation best – medical notes do not need to be from Concordia Health Services. 
• Indicate the presence of objective (measurable and observable) symptoms of an illness or injury that is serious enough to justify the absence.
• For missed final exams, medical notes must be written by a doctor and the examination must take place prior to the final exam. 

Note that a medical note is not a guarantee that you will be excused from course requirements. Final discretion is left to your professor and/or the Exams Office. 

For staff and faculty

If a student, staff or faculty member cannot work because of an illness or injury, a doctor may provide a medical note under the following conditions:

• the doctor must evaluate the person at the time of illness;

• the medical examination indicates the presence of objective* symptoms of an illness or injury; and

• the illness or injury must be serious enough to justify absence from work.

Consult HR (Carrefour) for more information on Concordia employee disability plans.

*Objective symptoms are those that are measurable (e.g., fever, swelling, redness) or observable (e.g., discharge or fracture).