The policies outlined in this handbook apply to all PA Program students, staff, principal faculty, and the program director. Students are expected to follow all policies of the university as delineated on the University of South Florida Student Catalog webpage and the guidelines set out in this handbook.
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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, 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 a short, waist length lab coat embroidered with an MCOM patch, their name, and the PA Program designation. 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:
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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 Student 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 from Exam 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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- 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.
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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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 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.
PA Program 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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