The policies outlined in this handbook apply to all PA Program students, staff, principal faculty, and the PA Program Director. PA students program director. Students are expected to follow all policies of the university as delineated on the the University of South Florida Student Catalog webpage . Students are also expected to follow and the guidelines set out in this handbook.
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Students are expected to be on time for each scheduled class. Students should be seated and prepared to take notes at the time the lecturer is scheduled to speak and ready to begin. A tardy may be equivalent to an absence. Leaving early may be equivalent to an absence
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Roll may be taken at the start of each day of class and may be taken at any time thereafter you are expected to be in class. Any time roll is taken and you are not present, it will be considered an absence.
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Students should be attentive and respectful to lecturers and instructors. Talking, surfing the internet, communicating on social networks, or causing general disturbances during class time is inappropriate and may be grounds for disciplinary action by the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC). Part of the educational experience is to professionally participate in all didactic and clinical activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, didactic lectures, small group sessions , and workshops, performing physical examinations on standardized patients, and participating in clinical experiences under the direction of clinical preceptors. Any student who is unable or unwilling to participate in these required components may be subject to dismissal.
Dress Code and Professional Demeanor
PA Program 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 short waist length with wear a short, waist length lab coat embroidered with an MCOM patch, their name, and the Physician Assistant PA Program designation embroidered on their coat. ID badges during the clinical training years, and/or any time students have contact with patients, are to be worn prominently 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.
Business professional attire is required to be worn at all times. The following items are considered inappropriate:
- Short skirts or dresses
Tube tops
Excessive jewelry
Facial piercings
Flip flops
Open-toes shoes
Jeans
Low cut tops
Shorts
Tee shirts
Visible tattoos
Clothing that reveals shoulders or midriff
The PA program 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 program for unprofessional behavior may, subsequently, jeopardize the student’s eligibility for admission to any other college in the university.
Examples of standards for professional behavior include, but not limited to the following: accepting personal responsibility for the care of one’s patients; demonstrating appropriate truthfulness and honesty with colleagues; communicating an attitude of caring (empathy) in the course of health care delivery; recognizes personal beliefs, prejudices, and limitations; demonstrates respect for patients, families, members of the health care team, and colleagues; demonstrates initiative in patient care and a consistently good work ethic; and respects patient confidentiality at all times in verbal and written communication with others. Inadequate communication and/or failure to respond to communication initiated by the PA program Program is also considered unprofessional, and may result in a substantial reduction in professionalism grade on any given rotation.
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Students who are in not in adherence with the professional standards set forth by the program will have a hearing of the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC). If the Committee determines that unprofessional behavior was demonstrated by a student, the following steps may be taken:
- Depending on the severity of the behavior, the student may be warned in writing that the behavior is unacceptable and that if the behavior is continued, it may lead to their dismissal from school. Such a letter will provide examples about what is or what is not acceptable, and may encourage the student to seek professional help from an appropriate resource. The letter may state that counseling, therapy, and anger management sessions may be considered as options. Some types of behavior may be so egregious
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- to justify immediate dismissal of a student
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- , such a criminal acts or substance abuse.
- If there is a second documented case of unprofessional behavior, the student must appear before the APPC and address why he/she should not be dismissed from school.
Criminal Background Checks/ Drug Screening
If a felony conviction occurs between the date of submission of the CASPA application and matriculation into the PA programProgram, the specific details including: (1) date of charge(s), (2) type of offense and (3) disposition of the case must be reported to the Program Director’s the program director’s office immediately. Any felony convictions that occur subsequent to matriculation or at any time during your enrollment in the program must also be reported immediately providing the same information as previously enumerated. Failure to comply will be grounds for dismissal from the PA Program.
During the clinical phase of the program, students will be required to undergo one or more national criminal background checks, which may include finger printing. Some clinical sites used by the PA program Program may require additional background checks, fingerprinting, and/or drug screening for students to have practice opportunities at those institutions. The student may be responsible for these costs.
A criminal record or failure to pass a drug screen may impede clinical training and may negatively affect a student’s status in the PA program. By accepting admission to the program, a student agrees to submit to national criminal background checks as well as drug screening and to pay any associated expenses.
Before beginning clinical rotations or clerkships, select facilities, including both the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, require fingerprinting of PA Program students. The fingerprinting activity is coordinated through the PA programProgram's Clinical Director and clinical director and local law enforcement during the pre-clerkship orientation period. Occasionally, elective clinical rotation sites may require students to provide documentation for fingerprinting and a criminal background check analysis. Costs of background checks are the responsibility of the student.
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All students, faculty and staff at the University of South Florida have a right to expect that the University will reasonably accommodate their religious observances, practices, and beliefs. Students are expected to attend classes and take examinations as determined by the University. The University and PA Program will attempt, at the beginning of each academic term, to provide written notice of the class schedule and formal examination periods.
Any student who believes that he/she has been treated unfairly with regard to the above should contact the Program Directorprogram director.
Filing a Grievance
The University of South Florida System (USF System) is committed to mutual respect among all constituents of the University community. This commitment includes students, faculty, staff, and administration alike. In all concerns about fair treatment, we seek to work together to understand and address those concerns in an informal setting. As there are several offices designated to address grievances throughout the University, with specific processes applicable to the to MCOM, students should first identify the topic or substance of a grievance and file the grievance with the appropriate office. The USF Student Grievance Policy can be found here: http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-30-053.pdf
Absences
Didactic Courses - Year 1
Unplanned or Emergency absences for Personal Illness, Family Illness, etc.
The student must contact the Academic Director 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 the Student Absence Report Form . Specifics on planned and unplanned absences, as well as unexcused absences, are listed below. The completed Student Absence Report form 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 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 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 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 course directors in consultation with the Academic Directoracademic 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 FormReport Form for approval to the Academic Director 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 from Exam Form to the Academic Director. The Academic Director 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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Consideration will be given for activities such as elected student representation to various committees and/or organizations. The PA program Clinical Director Program clinical director will respond to the student’s request in writing. Students who miss scheduled hours are expected to acquire the same level of competency as other students involved in the clerkship. Lectures, reading assignments and work load will not be re-created or offset to accommodate any absences.
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Students are expected to attend all scheduled clerkship didactic conferences, lectures, workshops, and daily patient rounds. Mandatory sessions and participation requirements in the clinical phase are determined by the individual clerkship. Recognizing that situations arise that require students to miss time from their lectures/clinical responsibilities, the procedures presented below will be followed when an unplanned absence is necessary.:
In the event of an illness or emergency necessitating absence from the clinical rotation, students must notify both the PA program Clinical Director (CD) and Program clinical director and the clinical preceptor by 9:00am 00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Students should also contact the PA program Program Office by e-mail or telephone (paprogram@health.usf.edu or 813-974-8926). Students should make every effort to reach the clinical preceptor and Clinical Director clinical director rather than utilizing voicemail or email.
Students are required to complete and submit the Student Absence Report Form with appropriate documentation supporting the reason for any unplanned absence(s). The completed Student Absence Report form Form will be kept as part of the student’s record.
Failure to report an absence the student will be required to make up the time missed from the clerkship and a 5 point deduction on the Clinical Preceptor clinical preceptor End of Rotation Clinical Performance Evaluation.
Students are required to submit a written request for approval of any anticipated absence, to the Clinical Directorclinical director, prior to the absence. The Clinical Director clinical director will communicate with the student regarding details of the anticipated absence, preceptor notification and preceptor approval. Students should not seek approval from the preceptor without prior approval by the Clinical Director clinical director lest this be considered an unexcused absence.
- If a student misses up to five (5) days on any rotation, he/she must discuss with the preceptor ways to make-up the missed time. If there is no opportunity for the student to make up the missed days at that clinical site, the student must discuss make-up time at another clinical site with the Clinical Directorclinical director. If there are no available clerkship site contiguous with the current cycle, the student will receive a grade of Incomplete until the hours have been made up.
In the event that a student misses more than five (5) days on any rotation for an excused absence, they will be required to repeat the rotation.
Students may be required by some clinical sites to engage in clinical or educational activities during the evenings and/or weekends.
If the preceptor or his/her designee is unavailable to work with the student for 2 or more scheduled clinical days (e.g. vacation, scheduled days off, etc.), the student is required to notify the Clinical Director clinical director so that an alternate assignment may be made.
Absence from a clinical site during a PA educational conference (e.g., AAPA, FAPA) for the purpose of conference attendance may be permitted with the permission of the Clinical Directorclinical director. The student is still responsible for ensuring that any rotation benchmarks are not compromised by conference attendance.
Students are required to return to campus at the completion of each rotation for academic and professional activities that may include case presentations, End-of-Rotation Exams, OSCEs, and other designated program endeavors.
Tardiness
If a student arrives to the clinical site 30 minutes late or leaves the clinical site 30 minutes early, he/she is required to notify the Clinical Preceptor clinical preceptor and the Clinical Director clinical director immediately.
If a student accumulates lateness hours totaling 5 hours this constitutes 1 unexcused absence. The procedure and policy for unexcused absences will then be applied.
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Students are limited to a maximum of 80 duty hours per week including in-house call, averaged over four weeks.
Students must be given one day out of seven free from all clinical and educational responsibilities, averaged over four weeks.
Students cannot be scheduled for in-house call more than once every three nights, averaged over four weeks.
Students may not work more than 28 consecutive hours.
Students should be given at least ten hours for rest and personal activities between daily duty periods and after in-house call. Violations should be reported to the PA Program Clinical Director, Program Director or the Vice Dean clinical director, program director, or the vice dean of Educational Affairs.
Students, preceptors, and faculty are not permitted to allow/require deviation from the above rules. Violations should also be discussed with the clinical preceptors, either directly or via the Clinical Director, Program Director clinical director, program director, and then with the Vice Dean vice dean of Educational Affairs if not satisfactorily resolved.
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- Voluntary Leaves of Absence must be for a specified period of time with an expected date of re-enrollment.
- A student in Good Academic Standinggood academic standing, without deficiencies, may request and be approved for a Leave of Absence for a fixed period of time to conduct research or as a result of a health problem or other personal circumstances that prevent concentration on the academic program.
Involuntary
- The Program Director program director may place a student on a Leave of Absence for good reason at his/her discretion. If a student disagrees with such action, he/she may ask the APPC for a review which shall be conducted with a hearing as established in Appeal Mechanism for of Disciplinary Action or DismissalDismissal section outlined below.
- The APPC may recommend that a student be placed on a Leave of Absence if the student is judged to be capable of completing the PA Program within the allotted time limits of the PA Program, but has current academic or non-academic problems that make ongoing enrollment detrimental to the student’s best interest. If the student disagrees with the recommendation, the procedure for an appeal will be followed as established in the Appeal Mechanism for of Disciplinary Action or Dismissal section Dismissal section outlined below.
Petition for Readmission Following Leave of Absence
- The student must notify the Program Director and the Academic or Clinical Director of program director and the academic or clinical director of intent to resume enrollment in writing at least one month prior to return to the PA Program.
- 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 the PA Program.
- 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 Committe, 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.
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Students withdrawing from the program must submit a withdrawal letter to both the PA program 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 the Refund of Fees policy on the website and this handbook in the Tuition, Fees, and Medical Equipment Requirements section in this handbook.
ACADEMIC GUIDELINES
Communication
E-mail is the official method of communication between the PA program 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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Preparation for a career as a Physician Assistant demands the acquisition of a large fund of knowledge and a host of special skills. It also demands the strengthening of those virtues that undergird the provider/patient relationship and that sustain the profession of medicine as a moral enterprise. This Compact serves both as a pledge and as a reminder to teachers and learners that their conduct in fulfilling their mutual obligations is the medium through which the profession inculcates its ethical values.
Guiding Principles
- DUTY - Physician Assistant educators have a duty, not only to convey the knowledge and skills required for delivering the profession’s contemporary standard of care, but also to inculcate the values and attitudes required for preserving the medical profession’s social contract across generations.
INTEGRITY - Learning environments conducive to conveying professional values must be suffused with integrity. Students learn enduring lessons of professionalism by observing and emulating role models who epitomize authentic professional values and attitudes.
RESPECT - Fundamental to the ethic of the practice of medicine is respect for every individual. Mutual respect between learners, as novice members of the medical profession, and their teachers, as experienced and esteemed professionals, is essential for nurturing that ethic. Given the inherently hierarchical nature of the teacher/learner relationship, teachers have a special obligation to ensure that Physician Assistant students are always treated respectfully.
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- We pledge our utmost effort to ensure that all components of the educational program for Physician Assistant students are of high quality. As mentors for our students, we maintain high professional standards in all of our interactions with patients, colleagues, and staff.
We respect all students as individuals, without regard to gender, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation. We will not tolerate anyone who manifests disrespect or who expresses biased attitudes towards any student..
We pledge that Physician Assistant students will have sufficient time to fulfill personal and family obligations, to enjoy recreational activities, and to obtain adequate rest. We monitor the time required to fulfill educational objectives, including time required for “call” on clinical rotations, to ensure students’ well-being.
In nurturing both the intellectual and the personal development of Physician Assistant students, we celebrate expressions of professional attitudes and behaviors, as well as achievement of academic excellence.
We do not tolerate any abuse or exploitation of students.
- We do not allow students to substitute or function as instructional faculty. Students with specific prior knowledge, experience and skills may assist faculty in didactic and laboratory session to share their knowledge and skills, however, students are not to be the primary instructor or instructor of record for any component of the curriculum.
We encourage any student who experiences mistreatment or who witnesses unprofessional behavior to report the facts immediately to appropriate faculty or staff. We treat all such reports as confidential and do not tolerate reprisals or retaliations of any kind.
Filing a Grievance
The University of South Florida System (USF System) is committed to mutual respect among all constituents of the University community. This commitment includes students, faculty, staff, and administration alike. In all concerns about fair treatment, we seek to work together to understand and address those concerns in an informal setting. As there are several offices designated to address grievances throughout the University, with specific processes applicable to the MCOM, students should first identify the topic or substance of a grievance and file the grievance with the appropriate office. The USF Student Grievance Policy can be found here: http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-30-053.pdf
Commitments of Students
- We pledge our utmost effort to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors required to fulfill all educational objectives established by the faculty.
- We cherish the professional virtues of honesty, compassion, integrity, fidelity, and dependability.
- We will honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of the faculty who help direct our learning, and respect the effort of the faculty as they help us become physicians and colleagues.
- We pledge to respect all faculty members and all students as individuals, without regard to gender, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation.
- As Physician Assistants in training, we embrace the highest standards of the medical profession and pledge to conduct ourselves accordingly in all of our interactions with patients, colleagues, and staff.
- In fulfilling our own obligations as professionals, we pledge to assist our fellow students in meeting their professional obligations, as well.
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The reporting of faculty conduct violations, as it relates to students, shall be to the Program Directorthe program director. An alternate site of reporting is through the Vice Dean for Educational Affairs. Violations of the standards of conduct by faculty as enumerated in the Faculty Medical Learner Compact or of University Policies shall be relayed to the Faculty Affairs for appropriate action.
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- 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 PA program the MCOM PA Program for academic or other reasons
- Readmission to the PA programProgram
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 program medical studies. This must be documented in a letter to the student from the Chair of the APPC.
- 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.
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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 PA programUniversity 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 the USF policy regarding consensual relationships.
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 PA students, is viewed as professional misconduct and is a violation of academic standards. As such, any professional misconduct is subject to disciplinary action by the APPC.
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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