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The Fitness Center and adjoining lounge (MDC 1028 and 1029) are for the exclusive use of all students, faculty and staff in the MCOM. No guests are permitted to use these rooms.

It is the responsibility of everyone to keep these areas clean. You must bring a towel with you and wipe off equipment after use. Report any damaged or broken equipment to to MCOM MD program's Office Student Affairs (813-974-2068).

The he Fitness Center will Center is not be professionally staffed. Thus, with As safety as is the primary concern, you must be in the presence of another member of the USF MCOM community – staff, faculty or student – whenever you use the facility. Prior to using the Fitness Center you must watch a safety video and then notify, via e-mail the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (the MD program's Office of Student Affairs sspecter@health.usf.edu) that you have viewed the video.you must be in the presence of another member of the USF MCOM community – staff, faculty or student – whenever you use the facility.

Violation of this standard will result in the loss of privileges in the Fitness Center for six (6) months. A repeat offense will be referred to the PAP-APRC.

All other rules are posted within the Fitness Center.

Snack bar services are available in the USF Health Bookstore. The hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Food Trucks are present at the entrance of the W.E.L.L. Monday - Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Lockers are provided free of charge for first year PA students. You will be assigned a locker and you must supply your own lock. The Program Office will notify all students via e-mail when to remove all articles from their lockers at the end of the academic year.

Class members with children will find many nearby daycare centers. Checkout Childcare at USF.

A branch office of the Unites States Postal Service is located in room MDC 1415. Stamped mail may be dropped off between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:00 pm. Stamps are not available at this location. A full-service Post Office is located on USF Holly Drive.

The Campus Security office is located in MDC 1023. Their telephone number is 974-2417. If no one is present the phone reverts automatically to the University Police at 974-2628. The safety of students is a primary concern of the MCOM. The educational process involves long hours, many spent alone studying or working in the laboratory. Students must take extra precautions on and off campus. USF police suggest the following preventive measures: Avoid isolated sites; have access to other people or a phone; call the police department (974-2417) when working or studying on campus after hours so the area can be patrolled; secure doors behind you, and do not walk to the parking lot alone at night, call the SAFE (974-7233) on campus for a SAFE Team Escort.

A Security Officer is on duty at the USF Health Center on a 24-hour basis. Officers frequently check I.D.s so be sure to carry your student I.D. card with you when after regular hours.

If you have a true emergency, you should call 911.

However, if you are calling from a cell phone you will get the Tampa Police Department. You must tell them this is an emergency on USF property and that you are calling from a cell phone. You should be prepared to give your name and precise location. You should also state if you feel threatened.

Students have access to copy machines located in Nickels Student Computer Lounge and the USF Shimberg Health Sciences Library. Students must provide their own paper when using Nickels Lounge. There is a ten-cent per page charge when using the library. If you have a great deal of material to copy, you may want to use Pro-Copy located at 5219 E. Fowler Avenue, which generally discounts PA student copying with a USF ID Card.

Study space is available for students in the USF Shimberg Health Sciences Library, assigned small group space, and the student lounges. Students have access to the small group learning space on a 24-hour basis, but must vacate on demand for any scheduled class activities. The study areas in the library are available during normal library hours.

Prior to orientation, students should obtain their USF Student ID card from the USF ID Card Center (Marshall Student Center, Room 1505). The cost for a new card is $10 and the cost for a replacement card is $15.

Your official USF ID card will have a magnetic strip allowing door access to certain areas in USF Health. Your USF ID card is also used as your hospital identification tag. It must be worn on your white lab coat any time you are in a clinical setting. Please go to the USF ID Card Center if a problem occurs with your card or to replace a lost card.

You will need your USF ID card to take advantage of many University services and facilities. Pick up a Student Activities Calendar at the University Center Information Desk to see the schedule of University events for the current term. University activities include low-priced weekend movies, art films, jam sessions, concerts, plays, lectures and sports events. Use the campus newspaper, The Oracle, to keep up with current events.

Student lounges are located in the Fitness Center (MDC 1030), Nickels Student Computer Lounge (MDC 1050A, located adjacent to the bookstore), USF Shimberg Health Sciences Library, and the student kitchen (MDL 1001 – in the south courtyard on the opposite side from the USF Health Bookstore). MDC 1030, 1050A, and MDL 1001 are open 24/7, and are accessible with a USF ID card.

Check out current information for Student Organizations and Student Government online. A wide variety of student interest groups, Morsani College of Medicine, and local and national organizations are available for your participation.

Before beginning clinical rotations or clerkships, select facilities and both the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System require fingerprinting of Physician Assistant students. The fingerprinting activity is coordinated through the Physician Assistant Program and the University Police Department 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.

Students of the USF PA Program will be encouraged and assisted in developing a student society to allow further interaction with other PA programs, PA students and the FAPA and AAPA. 

The AAPA Student Society Handbook (PDF) is a guide for PA students, faculty advisors and program directors for establishing a student society, organizing and maintaining the society and making it successful. Program faculty will assist students in establishing and developing a unique society at the USF MCOM PA Program to the betterment of the students.

Honor and integrity should embody all that we, as medical professionals, undertake. How we act as students is highly indicative of what our character will be like in both the professional and personal realms of our lives. Practicing integrity now makes integrity in the work place so much more attainable. 

The Honor Code is a system that was developed and adopted by the charter class of the USF College of Medicine. The individuals who developed and approved the document believed strongly that the USF College of Medicine represented a community of professionals. 

The men and women who make up this community are at the beginning of their careers in medicine, and as such, should conduct themselves in a professional manner in the classroom as well as in the clinical setting. Therefore, all students of the College of Medicine are asked to sign a copy of the Student Pledge of Honor at the beginning of the Physician Assistant Program.  Additionally, students are asked to sign an Honor Pledge after each examination as a reminder and reaffirmation of our responsibilities as members of the professional community. 

As professionals, we have accepted a great deal of responsibility. The Honor Code represents a model by which we may begin to frame our professional behaviors. I hope you will take the time to read and understand the Honor Code and professional community. Essentially, it represents a description of the standards we, as students, aspire to have as physicians and researchers. A student whose actions are inconsistent with the spirit of the Honor Code may be identified by another student for violating the community of trust.