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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Professionalism during Attendance
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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
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.
Holidays and Religious Observances
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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
ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY
Attendance is mandatory throughout the SCPE as determined by the clinical preceptor in accordance with the clinical hour’s guidelines delineated below. Attendance is a demonstration of professional attitude and behavior. This behavior impacts all members of the healthcare team, including fellow students and patients. Any absence from the clerkship may have a direct impact on student performance, the broad-spectrum clinical experience, evaluation of professionalism, overall grade, and the successful completion of the clerkship.
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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.
Students must receive a passing grade in every course to be recommended for promotion and graduation. Any student with a deficient grade, who is granted approval by the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC) to remediate the deficiency, must complete the required remedial coursework with a passing grade. Remediation requirements will be determined by the appropriate Course Director and approved by the Program Director and the APPC.
Requirements for Graduation
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For a student to be recommended for graduation, he or she must have satisfied the MCOM PA 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.
Unsatisfactory Performance
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Physician Assistant Student Advancement, Remediation, Appeals, Deceleration, Dismissal and Due Process
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.
Composition
The Academic Performance and Professionalism Review Sub-Committee-Physician Assistant Program (APPRC -PA) shall be chaired by the Director of the Physician Assistant Program and shall be composed of the PA Program Clinical and Academic Directors, one MCOM core faculty from the PA program (principal faculty), and a core, USF Health faculty member (not a principal faculty member of the PA program). The Vice Dean for Educational Affairs, Morsani College of Medicine, may also attend meetings as an ex-officio, non-voting member. All members, voting and non-voting, are expected to attend all APPC meetings in order to contribute to discussion, present students with a deficiency in their course/SCPE, and maintain familiarity with student progress for times when they need to vote.
When a voting member is not present an alternate from the same year of the curriculum shall vote, as designated at the start of the meeting by the Chair.
Confidentiality
Proceedings of the APPC are confidential. Except as specified in this Handbook, the meetings will be closed to persons other than University representatives authorized by the Program Director.
Committee Process
The Program Director, or designee, will serve as Chair of the APPC for regular and called meetings.
A quorum for any regular or called meetings of the APPC shall be defined as more than half of the voting members.
All actions of the APPC will require a simple majority of those in attendance. In case of a tie vote, the Committee Chair will cast the deciding vote.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC)
Each student will be considered individually with emphasis upon quality of performance. The Committee may recommend continued pursuit of studies for any student who is justifiably assumed capable of completing the Physician Assistant Studies Program requirements within the program time limits.
The Committee will review the progress of all students at least once yearly.
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.
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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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Advancement of Students with Satisfactory Performance and Graduation
Performance Standards
The PA Program is a competency based program. Students are required to complete each component of the program successfully before progressing on to the next phase. The minimum passing score is 77% on all didactic exams and 60% on EOR exams, and a grade of “satisfactory” in professionalism. The minimum passing grade is a C for each course using a letter system.
Standards for academic performance in each Didactic course and Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE) are outlined in each course syllabus. Assessments tools measure student performance across the competencies of Medical Knowledge, Patient Care, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement and Systems-based Practice.
Student progress will be monitored and documented regularly allowing for prompt identification of apparent deficiencies in knowledge or skills. Students who are identified through self-referral or through faculty observation as being at risk for failure will be referred for remediation. Remediation may include tutoring, self-study, reading assignments, completion of specific tasks, written response to selected exam items, or referral to the Center for Student Success for counseling.
The following criteria must be met satisfactorily for a student enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program to be eligible for promotion to the next academic year or graduation:
Achieve a passing grade of C or better in all Year 1 didactic course to be recommended for advancement to year 2.
Fulfill all requirements established by the faculty of each course within the academic year.
Achieve a passing grade of C or better in all courses and SCPEs.
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DIDACTIC YEAR:
Didactic course grading follows this rubric.
Didactic Course Grading Rubric
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Grading Rubric
Score | Grade |
90-100% | A |
80-89% | B |
77-79% | C |
<77% | F |
Professionalism Evaluation | |
Score | Grade |
At Expected Level | Pass (Satisfactory) |
Below Expected Level | FAIL (Unsatisfactory) |
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For the didactic year, the course specific remediation policy is as follows:
If a student scores <77% on a test, it is considered a failing grade for the examination. All students will be required to remediate exam failures (grades below 77%). The goal of this policy is to help the student identify and master the material, not to improve the numerical grade.
The course director will be responsible for coordinating the remediation plan for the particular exam. The student will meet with the course director to review strengths and weaknesses. The student will be offered opportunities for additional instruction outlined by the Course Director. The student will then repeat the failed examination within one week after the original examination.
A student may only repeat an examination once. After successful remediation, the exam score may be adjusted to a maximum of 77% at the discretion of the course director. If a passing grade on the repeat attempt is not achieved, the higher of the two grades is awarded. Failing grades on two examinations after appropriate make up opportunities is considered a serious deficiency of knowledge and critical thinking skills. The student will meet with Course Director and an individualized academic remediation plan will be designed and implemented. This plan must be reviewed and approved by the program’s Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC).
If the student is unable to attain and demonstrate the expected learning outcomes and competencies to successfully pass the course, the APPC will make recommendations regarding remediation plan, academic probation, deceleration or dismissal from the program.
Each didactic course will also include a professionalism evaluation. An unsatisfactory grade on any professionalism evaluation will result in referral to the APPC for review and recommendations regarding remediation plan, academic probation, deceleration or dismissal from the program.
CLINICAL MEDICINE I, II, III
The Clinical Medicine sequence is divided into separate clinical modules. Each module has its own syllabus and functions as an individual course with the same grading rubric as outlined for other didactic courses. Course specific remediation for these modules follows the same policy as described above for other didactic courses. Failing grades on two examinations after appropriate make up opportunities is considered a serious deficiency of knowledge and critical thinking skills.
The student will meet with Course Director and an individualized academic remediation plan will be designed and implemented. This plan must be reviewed and approved by the program’s Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC). If the student is unable to attain and demonstrate the expected learning outcomes and competencies to successfully pass the course, the APPC will make recommendations regarding remediation plan, academic probation, deceleration or dismissal from the program.
In cases where a clinical module includes only a single examination, a passing grade on the examination is required to pass the module. The student will repeat the failed examination one week after the original examination. A student may repeat an examination twice. The highest score awarded on the repeat examination is 77%. A failing grade after two repeat exam attempts is considered a serious deficiency of knowledge and critical thinking skills.
The student will meet with Course Director and an individualized academic remediation plan will be designed and implemented. This plan must be reviewed and approved by the program’s Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC). If the student is unable to attain and demonstrate the expected learning outcomes and competencies to successfully pass the course, the APPC will make recommendations regarding remediation plan, academic probation, deceleration or dismissal from the program.
Each Clinical Medicine module will also include a professionalism evaluation. A failing grade on any professionalism evaluation will result in referral to the APPC for review and recommendations regarding remediation plan, academic probation, deceleration or dismissal from the program.
CLINICAL YEAR:
In the clinical year, student performance in SCPEs will be evaluated by the clinical preceptor for the competencies of medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal communication, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practice. Each rotation will also include a written examination.
SCPE grading follows this rubric:
SCPE Grading Rubric
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Written Examination – 50% | |
Score | Grade |
90-100% | A |
80-89% | B |
77-79% | C |
60-76% | D |
<77% | F |
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Overall Competency Evaluation – 50% | |
Score | Grade |
90-100 % | A |
80-89% | B |
77-79% | C |
Below Expected Level <77% | FAIL |
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Professionalism Evaluation | |
Score | Grade |
At Expected Level | Pass (Satisfactory) |
Below Expected Level | FAIL (Unsatisfactory) |
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Students must obtain a grade of C or better on the written examination and passing grades for overall competency assessment and professionalism to receive a passing grade in each SCPE. In elective rotations where an end of rotation exam is not given, the Overall Competency and Professionalism evaluations will form the basis for the rotation grade.
If the student is unable to attain and demonstrate the expected learning outcomes and competencies to successfully pass the SCPE, the student will be referred to the program’s Academic Performance and Professionalism Committee (APPC) for review and recommendations regarding remediation plan, academic probation, deceleration or dismissal from the program.
Repeating a SCPE may be scheduled at the end of the clinical year, and graduation may be delayed. The student who does not pass the SCPE will be required to repeat the rotation and be placed on academic probation, and/or may be subject to academic dismissal.
Grade Appeal Process
Basis for Appeal
A student may appeal a course grade if the student has evidence that the grade was assigned in an erroneous manner. This is not a process for appeal of established departmental grading policies. The following procedure provides guidelines for the appeal process. All persons concerned with this process should make every attempt to adhere to the time schedule outlined in the following description of the appeal process.
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Inappropriate touching; the display of sexually explicit or suggestive materials; use of sexually explicit or suggestive language or gestures; and subtle pressure for sexual activity, as well as demands for sexual favors or physical assault. Sexual harassment is a serious form of abuse.
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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