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Student Rights and Responsibilities

As part of its review, the É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Committee on Admissions evaluates each applicant in the areas of personal and academic integrity and personal values. An invitation to join the É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM community indicates that the institution believes that the applicant has a well-developed set of values and a high level of integrity. The faculty and administration are committed to fostering this integrity and to developing students' increasing awareness of the multifaceted demands of professionalism ­as student physicians who are ultimately responsible for their own learning, as people who need to reflect and reappraise themselves consistently and honestly, and as future physicians who must learn to cope with an ever-­evolving set of demands.

Student physicians are expected to behave professionally and ethically with respect and integrity, to face new situations and people with open minds, to maintain their intellectual and personal curiosity, and to meet their obligations. These expectations form the basis of student responsibilities.

Likewise, student rights are based on the premise of reciprocity. Students should expect to be met with the same sense of integrity, respect, and openness.

Statement on the É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Student Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct Policy

The proper practice of medicine requires the physician to maintain an unwavering standard of professionalism and ethics. The medical student, by accepting the invitation to join the medical profession, acknowledges their responsibility to uphold these high standards.

Ethics are a body of moral values that govern a particular group. The terms ethical and unethical used in this document pertain to what is right and wrong.

Any violation of the É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Student Ethics Code can result in referral to Committee on Student Progress (CSP) and may result in probation, course failure, and/or dismissal.

Professionalism is the behaviors and attitudes and individual exhibits within a particular profession. The É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Student Professional Conduct Policy was designed to set a minimum standard of behaviors society should reasonably expect of a physician in training.

Professionalism is one (1) of the competencies assessed and graded in each course. Failure to learn and meet expectations for professionalism can lead to a grade of unsatisfactory (U) or failure (F). Details are provided in course syllabi. In some cases, including unprofessional behaviour outside of the curriculum, a referral to the Committee on Student Progress (CSP) will be made. CSP will recommend what actions should be taken. The appropriate Associate Dean will render a decision.

It is the responsibility of all É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM students to:

• Uphold and have knowledge of university policy including the Conduct Rules and Regulations as defined in the É«ÏãÊÓƵ Student Handbook
• Abide by the É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Student Code of Ethics
• Abide by the É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Student Professional Conduct Policy
• Abide by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Code of Ethics

É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Student Code of Ethics

A É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM student will:

• Act honorably and honestly at all times
• Not tolerate dishonest or deceptive actions
• Confront or report any dishonest behavior

É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM Professional Student Conduct Policy

Satisfactory completion of the curricular requirements for graduation from the University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine (É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM), includes the demonstration of acceptable professional behavior and conduct. Students must meet the standards as outlined in the COM Student Handbook Supplement and uphold the Code of Ethics throughout all years of É«ÏãÊÓƵ COM training to maintain eligibility for graduation.

Registration

The University conducts a registration confirmation for students during the initial days of each term. Students are expected to have finalized payment of tuition and related fees, including filing appropriate documents and photos with the following offices: Registrar, Student Financial Services, Business Affairs, and Recruitment, Students & Alumni Services by their respective due dates.

Individuals who fail to confirm program registration by the established process and deadline may be administratively withdrawn from the program. Students may request special consideration, and if approved will be assessed a late registration fee and will not be allowed to participate in any learning activities until the requirement is completed.

Students must be cleared by a background check and immunization compliance prior to matriculation. Additional background checks will be required prior to the start of rotations and prior to certain clerkship rotations in year four (4). Students failing to comply may be administratively withdrawn from the program.

Academic Records

Complete records and related documents are maintained by the Office of the Registrar. Under the terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students have the right to review and inspect all education records pertaining to their academic enrollment. However, letters of recommendation submitted on the basis of a pledge of confidentiality prior to January 1, 1975, need not be shown to students, and a student may be allowed but not required to waive their right of access to letters of recommendation received after that date. FERPA requires post-­secondary institutions to provide students not only access to official records directly related to them, but also an opportunity for a hearing to challenge such records on the grounds that they are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate. It is the right of students to file a complaint with the Department of Education concerning an alleged failure by an educational agency or institution to comply with Section 438 of the Act that guarantees such rights.

University students wishing to review their records may do so by providing a written request to the Office of the Registrar.

Student Access and Annual Notification

FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their education records, specifically the right to:

• Inspect and review the student's education records within forty-five (45) days of the day the University receives a request for access. The student should submit to Registration Services a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The office will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
• Request the University to amend the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. The student should write to the University Registrar, clearly identifying the part of the record they wish to be changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If it is determined not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding hearing procedures will accompany this notification.
• Consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One (1) exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff) ; a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, or assisting another school official in performing their task; or the Veterans Administration for students registered for various GI Bill programs. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility.
• File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failure(s) by the É«ÏãÊÓƵto comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
  Family Policy Compliance Office
  U.S. Department of Education
  600 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC 20202­4605

FERPA permits the University to disclose "directory information" without a student's consent. Directory information is defined as name, address, e­mail address, telephone listing, photograph, date and place of birth, level of education, academic major, degrees, honors and awards received, and educational institutions in which a student was enrolled.

Active students who wish to have directory information withheld from release must do so in writing on a ‘per­-academic­-year’ basis. Request forms are available in Registration Services or Office of Recruitment, Student, and Alumni Services. Requests must be submitted prior to September 30 (if first-time enrollment for academic year is fall semester) or January 30 (if first-time enrollment for academic year is spring semester) to affect a "withhold" status.

Student Enrollment Status

The É«ÏãÊÓƵclassifies student credit load status for the purposes of financial aid loan deferments. See enrollment classifications.

Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examinations

The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examinations (COMLEX-­USA) are administered by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) and are divided into three (3) levels. Levels one (1) and two (2) are completed during the predoctoral years and Level three (3) is given to qualified graduates during their first year of postgraduate (residency) training.

Details of student eligibility for the Level 1 examination are described in the COM Student Handbook Supplement. Students must pass COMLEX Level 1 as a condition to start core clinical rotations.

Students must take and pass the Level 2 CE examination as a condition of graduation.

Students are allowed a maximum of three (3) attempts to pass COMLEX-USA Level 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 2. Any student who fails to pass any individual component of the COMLEX-USA examination series after three (3) attempts will be recommended for dismissal from the college.

Students are allowed a maximum of six (6) years to complete all of the College of Osteopathic Medicine curriculum, including passage of COMLEX-USA Level 1, and Level 2 CE. At the conclusion of six (6) years, students who have not met all graduation requirements will be recommended for dismissal from the College.

Registration and scheduling of the exams is the responsibility of the student. Students should also plan to register and take the COMLEX-USA Level 1 and 2 (CE) with sufficient time allowed to receive exam results and be able to comply with any deadlines for clinical rotations or graduation. Students applying for residency should have registered for and taken COMLEX –USA Level 2 CE prior to the start of residency interviews. Students should plan on taking COMLEX-USA Level 2 no later than May 31st of their third year and COMLEX-USA Level 2 CE no later than July 31 of their fourth year. This timing should allow sufficient time to receive scores for residency interviews and allow time to meet graduation requirements. Students are responsible for being current in their knowledge of residency application guidelines and graduation requirements and take steps to ensure they meet all requirements in a timely manner. This may require registration and scheduling with NBOME up to twelve (12) months in advance. It is recommended that these exams be taken early enough to ensure that the exams are passed with sufficient time to allow for any necessary retesting.

Laptop Requirement

The College has instituted a mandatory laptop computer requirement. Specifics regarding the minimum configuration are updated and made available annually.

Course Grade Reporting

The process of determining grades and the criteria for passing a course are described explicitly in each course syllabus ratified by the Curriculum Advisory Committee (CAC) and posted prior to the beginning of the course.

A final course grade is determined by the course director and must comply with the standards and principles endorsed by the Curriculum Advisory Committee.