The policies outlined in this handbook apply to all students, staff, principal faculty, and the PA Program Director. PA students are expected to follow all policies of the university as delineated on the University of South Florida Student Handbook webpage. Students are also expected to follow the guidelines set out in this handbook.
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Dress Code and Professional Demeanor
PA students, at all levels of education and training, are expected to maintain a proper professional image in their behavior and personal appearance at all times. During the pre-clinical years, PA students are expected to wear clean, appropriate apparel (shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, etc.) and shoes to all academic functions and on the premises of USF (all campuses).
All students must wear white lab jackets with their name and MCOM Physician Assistant Program designation embroidered on their coat, and ID badges during the clinical training years, and/or any time students have contact with patients, or are in the patient care areas. Shorts are not to be worn at any time when there may be interaction with patients. Men should wear shirt and tie, and women should wear appropriate dresses or slacks and blouses, as well as closed toe shoes at times when there may be interaction with patients.
The PA Program expects all students to be professional in their dealings with patients, colleagues, faculty, and staff and to exhibit caring and compassionate attitudes. These and other qualities will be evaluated in the Professionalism Evaluation form by each preceptor during your clinical year rotations. Professional behavior is defined as behavior appropriate to the circumstances. Professional behavior reflects on a student’s qualification and potential to become a competent clinician. Attitudes or behaviors inconsistent with compassionate care; refusal by, or inability of, the student to participate constructively in learning or patient care; derogatory attitudes or inappropriate behaviors directed at patients, peers, faculty, preceptors, or staff; misuse of written or electronic patient records (i.e. accession of patient information without valid reason); substance abuse; failure to disclose pertinent information on a criminal background check; or other unprofessional conduct can be grounds for dismissal. Dismissal from the Master’s of Physician Assistant Studies Program for unprofessional behavior may, subsequently, jeopardize the student’s eligibility for admission to any other college in the university.
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Didactic Courses - Year 1
Unplanned or Emergency absences for Personal Illness, Family Illness, etc.
The student must contact the Academic Director and course instructor by e-mail or telephone (see specific course syllabus) and the PA Program Office by e-mail or telephone (paprogram@health.usf.edu or 813-974-8926) to report his/her absenteeism on the first day of being absent. He/she should indicate if the reason is an emergency or unexpected illness. The student must also complete and submit the Student Absence Report Form. Specifics on planned and unplanned absences, as well as unexcused absences, are listed below. The completed Absence Report form will be kept as part of the student’s record.
If the student has an unanticipated unplanned absence on the day of an exam, he/she must contact PA Program Office by e-mail or telephone (paprogram@health.usf.edu or 813-974-8926) by 8:30 a.m. on the day of the exam. When the student returns to school he/she must fill out and sign the Student Absence Report Form. Documentation for the absence to be excused (e.g. physician’s note, accident report, etc.) will be at the discretion of the Program Director.
Students who miss an examination for any reason are required to contact the PA Program Office (974-8926) prior to returning to class to determine the date and time of the make-up examination. Dates and times of make-up examinations are determined by the Course Directors in consultation with the Academic Director.
In general, make-up examinations must be taken within 48 hours upon return from an unplanned absence. A second unexcused absence for a make-up exam will require referral to the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC).
Planned Absence
Absence for attendance at a professional meeting or other educational or research related activity should be submitted via the Student Absence Report Form for approval to the Academic Director at least 3 weeks prior to the event. Each request for absence will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Personal travel plans should not be considered valid excuses for missing an exam.
To receive an excused planned absence for an exam, the student must submit a completed Student Absence Report Form to the Academic Director. The Academic Director or designee will make the final determination to grant or deny the request and will inform the student of the decision.
Supervised Clinical Patient Experiences - Year 2
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- The student must notify the Program Director and the Academic or Clinical Director of intent to resume enrollment in writing at least one month prior to return to medical studies.
- Students who are on a Leave of Absence specified by the APPC must fulfill all requirements specified in their letter from the APPC prior to return to medical studies.
- Students placed on Leave of Absence may maintain such status for a maximum of one (1) year. In order to return to enrollment the student must petition the APPC within the time period allowed. The APPC will consider petitions for readmission regardless of the reason enrollment was discontinued. When petitioning to the Committee the student must submit information that will support that return to enrollment is justified. This is required regardless of the reason for leave.
- Petitions for readmission may be considered at any regular or called meeting of the APPC. The time of readmission will be based upon that which is deemed most appropriate to the student’s status and schedule by the APPC. Students may be required to repeat parts of the curriculum that have previously been successfully completed.
Readmission may be denied if all available positions are filled even if a student meets all other qualifications for admission.
Withdrawal
ACADEMIC GUIDELINES
Communication
E-mail is the official method of communication between the PA Students withdrawing from the program must submit a withdrawal letter to both the PA program and the MCOM Registrar’s Office, as well as complete any paperwork needed by either office, and settle any university obligations. USF may refund some portion of the tuition. For details see Refund of Fees policy on the website and this handbook.
ACADEMIC GUIDELINES
Communication
E-mail is the official method of communication between the PA Program faculty and all students. Therefore, it is your responsibility to check your USF Health e-mail account daily. Timely response to e-mail correspondence is expected.
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For a student to be recommended for graduation, he or she must have satisfied the MCOM PA thePA Program faculty and the APPC in terms of ability and professional behavior by obtaining a passing grade in all courses of the established curriculum leading to the MPAS degree. In addition, the student must have made the appropriate arrangements to discharge all financial obligations to the university. The only exception is the repayment of loans that have a specified maturity date.
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All students are required to abide by the USF Academic Dishonesty and Disruption of Academic Process Guidelines that have been accepted by the university and are displayed in detail in the USF Student Handbook.
Consequences
Punishment for the violation of any of the academic honesty guidelines will depend on the seriousness of the disruption.
Appeal
Students have the right to appeal disciplinary actions to the appropriate committee through the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC). Such appeals must be submitted in writing within ten (10) business days of notification of the decisionin detail in the USF Student Handbook.
The University of South Florida expects students to be honest in all of their university coursework. Therefore, students are required to commit themselves to academic honesty by signing the following statement as part of the admissions process.
"I understand that the University of South Florida expects its students to be honest in all of their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty, and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the University."
This statement serves to remind students of the obligations they assume as students at the University of South Florida. Matters of pure violations of academic honesty are adjudicated pursuant to University regulations by the Health Science Center Student Conduct Committee.
Consequences
Punishment for the violation of any of the academic honesty guidelines will depend on the seriousness of the disruption.
Appeal
Students have the right to appeal disciplinary actions to the appropriate committee through the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC). Such appeals must be submitted in writing within ten (10) business days of notification of the decision.
Testing Policies
- Students are not permitted to talk once entering any testing facility. Do not communicate with other students in any way during exams or evaluation sessions.
- Students must turn off cell phones and place all personal belongings (including watches) in the designated areas in the room. No hooded coats or sweatshirts allowed
- Once the exam has begun, the proctor will not answer any questions. Students should remain in their seats at all times until they have finished the examination. Students may be excused during the examination one at a time in order to use the rest room.
- The duration of each exam will be determined by the Course Director.
- Testing areas are subject to video monitoring.
- Upon completing and submitting your exam, please leave the testing area.
- Students are not permitted to disseminate exam content after completion of the exam.
- Any questions or discrepancies regarding an exam during the academic year should be addressed in writing, citing the discrepancy and listing references, to the Course Director.
- Any concerns with test integrity should be raised within 72 hours of the examination.
In the event a student has a question or concern regarding an examination question, the student will address this issue in writing to the faculty member in charge of the examination. The issue must be made within 2 days of the review of the examination; emails are an acceptable form of communicating this. Communication through exam comments is not sufficient.
The student’s question or concern must address a specific issue regarding the examination question or assignment, such as having multiple correct answers, having no correct answers, etc. An explanation as to support the student’s argument must be made using supporting documents referring to specifics in the assigned readings.
The faculty member will consider the student’s challenge and will respond in writing (email is acceptable) within 3 days as to their decision regarding the question being challenged.
Requirement to Report Criminal Incident
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Medical Records and Patient Confidentiality
All data gathered about a patient and his/her medical condition, including verbal communication from a patient, is privileged information. Students are not to discuss a patient in any manner or situation that would reveal any information about that patient to any person not involved in the patient’s health care. Refrain from discussing your patients in public places, such as cafeterias and elevators, where your conversations may be overheard. Remind those who may be inappropriately discussing patient information, about patient confidentiality. In clinic or hospital, discussion about a patient with your resident/fellow is appropriate.
If you are asked to present information about a patient’s condition never discuss patients in a dehumanizing or insensitive manner. You are required by the PA program to complete HIPAA training.
Students will adhere to ethical principles and use practical reasoning when dealing with patients. Refer to the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct for the Physician Assistant Profession Policy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants Adopted May 2000 (see link under code of conduct).
No student should medically treat other PA students, friends, or family members while a student in the UF Master’s of Physician Assistant Studies Program.
ADVANCEMENT, REMEDIATION, APPEALS, DECELERATION, DISMISSAL and DUE PROCESS/APPEALS
The following sections define the composition, purpose, rules, and guidelines under which the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC) carries out its responsibilities.
Purpose
The APPC shall review the academic and clinical performance of each PA student at least once during each program year. This Committee shall recommend the appropriate action to be taken for each student, including the promotion to the clinical year, remediation, deceleration and dismissal from the program and readmission to the program. Specific students to be discussed are those who have failed a course(s), those who are performing at less than satisfactory levels after an interim evaluation, and those who have received a near or failing grade. Any other student will be discussed at the request of the Academic/Clinical Director or Instructional Faculty member. An attempt will be made to identify students in minor as well as major difficulty (academic or professional) in concert with the goal of providing help for those in need.
The remediation process is designed to help faculty identify and assist students who may experience academic or professional difficulty. The process is proactive, with the goal of identifying at risk students as early as possible. The Program will use the following processes to identify and remediate students deemed at risk.
Identification
The student is expected to be proactive and notify the instructor, course director or faculty if there are knowledge deficits
The instructor, course director, small group leader, preceptor, faculty advisor or other faculty identifies the at-risk student through weekly faculty reports, exam grades, and advisory sessions.
Evaluation and Assessment
Identified students will be referred to their Faculty Advisor for assessment of root causes. Referrals to campus assistance programs may be instituted (Student Health, the Office of Student Affairs or other practitioners).
Plan Development
The APPC, faculty advisor, student and any other parties will design a remediation plan. Clear expectations will be documented and a contract for remediation developed. The Program Director will then review the contract with the Faculty Advisor and student, placing the contract in the student’s program file. Depending on the action needed, a time line will be initiated for review of student progress.
Plan Implementation
The Faculty Advisor and student will receive a copy of the contract and begin remediation.
The student will be informed of all available resources for remediation.
Plan Evaluation
Depending upon the remediation needed, an evaluation instrument may be prepared to assess the student’s progress. The Academic Director and the Faculty Advisor may collaborate to design an appropriate tool to assess progress. Evidence of compliance of mastery of remediated knowledge deficit will be placed in the student file with the contract.
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The Committee will recommend:
Promotion of a student from one year’s study to the next.
Certification of a student as qualified to graduate.
Placement of a student, when necessary, on a leave of absence.
Disciplinary action for unethical and/or non-professional behavior or other misconduct when required.
Remediation as might arise during the course of the educational program.
Deceleration or dismissal of a student from the MCOM PA Program for academic reasons and/or readmission.
The Committee has the authority to take action in the following areas:
The formulation of a remediation program (the recommendations of the respective Academic/Clinical Director and Course Director concerning remediation will be the primary consideration for requirements, subject to review by the Committee).
These programs may include, but are not limited to:
Requiring a student to be re-examined or re-evaluated in a course, with or without a period of remediation.
Requiring a student to receive academic tutoring.
Requiring a student to repeat all or part of a year’s work or longer if necessary.
Placing a student on academic warning and probation.
Reviewing all petitions for readmission following a Committee recommended leave of absence, and recommending whether or not the student may resume medical studies. This must be documented in a letter to the student from the Chair of the PA-APRC.
Reviewing and making recommendations concerning a suitable course of study following a Committee recommended leave of absence.
Other actions referred to the Committee for an individual student.
ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Physician Assistants must demonstrate the knowledge and skills in order to provide high quality patient care in a variety of clinical settings. In order to achieve this goal, the faculty and director of each course/SCPE (for simplicity the term course will be inclusive of courses and SCPEs) define the criteria for acceptable academic performance in that course. Evaluation of academic performance may include (but is not necessarily limited to) measuring the student’s knowledge, measuring how the student applies such knowledge to specific problems, evaluating the judgment a student employs in solving problems and assessing the quality of the student’s psychomotor skills, professional conduct, ethical behavior and interpersonal relationships with medical colleagues, patients and patients’ families.
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In addition to being a violation of state and federal laws, behavior involving unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature is incompatible with faculty, staff, and student status in the University of South Florida - Master’s of Physician Assistant Studies Program.
Dating current teaching faculty (i.e. physicians, residents, teaching assistants, PA faculty, etc.) is highly discouraged. This can be viewed as a form of sexual harassment. See policy regarding consensual relationships: http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-1-022.pdf
Further information regarding sexual harassment policies is outlined in the USF “Sexual Harassment” policy 0-008, Diversity and Equal Opportunity: Sexual Harassment
Students should contact the PA program director immediately if they have felt as if they have been harassed.
The student is encouraged to directly contact the USF Center for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention with any concerns.
Sexual Battery
Sexual battery is a crime under the laws of the State of Florida and will not be tolerated at the USF MCOM as defined in USF Policy 0-014, Sexual Battery. As an integral part of academic performance, medical students are expected to maintain the high standards of professional and personal conduct traditionally associated with the practice of medicine. Any act such as sexual battery is a violation of University Policy, which in the case of medical students, is viewed as professional misconduct and is a violation of academic standards. As such, any professional misconduct is subject to disciplinary action under the PA Student Advancement Policies, Procedures and Due Process.
MCOM PA students who are victims of actual or threatened violence can obtain assistance from the /wiki/spaces/MCOM/pages/19396592255. Additionally, PA students should refer to the USF Policy concerning Sexual Battery.
Center for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention
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