Countless Sun Devils, Wildcats, and other sun-drenched graduates of Arizona medical schools have accomplished great things in medicine. You, no doubt, plan to join their ranks. If you're reading this, though, you or your child may be facing a substantial medical student issue. This issue may even threaten your ability to graduate.
The issues we commonly see affecting medical students are:
- Academic struggles, which may lead to remediation, suspension, and dismissal
- Violations of a medical program's professional codes
- Violations of a medical program's academic misconduct codes
Attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento represents students facing medical school issues in Arizona. Attorney Lento and his expert team have invaluable experience overseeing hearings, appeals, and even negotiations with university Offices of General Counsel (OGC). If a resolution to your case exists, Attorney Lento and his team will work hard to find and secure a resolution for you.
We advise that you hire a qualified attorney-advisor for your medical school issue. First, there are several facts you should know about the processes ahead.
Academic and Professionalism Standards at Arizona Medical Programs
Academic and professional standards are part and parcel of any medical program. If you don't perform, and perform within a school's expected standards of conduct, then you don't graduate. Standards may vary from one program to the next, but every medical program has its rules.
Medical programs in Arizona will typically embed a paragraph within its student code that encapsulates behavioral expectations. At the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, the paragraph reads as follows:
Society entrusts the physician with vital responsibilities. Practicing physicians, faculty members in academic medical centers, house officers and medical students must adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.
Your Arizona medical program has a similar standard that you must follow—look within your student handbook, you may find it prominently featured. Medical programs may use statements like these to justify the suspension or dismissal of medical students like you.
Specific behaviors prohibited in most medical program codes of conduct include:
- Lying to professors or administrators
- Unprofessional behavior towards others, which may include disrespect, foul language, manipulation, dishonesty, and other prohibited behaviors
- Misuse of alcohol or prescribed drugs, or use of illicit drugs
- Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of data, and other forms of academic dishonesty
- Physical aggression towards anyone associated with the medical program
- Criminal behavior, even if it is only alleged
Medical programs will dismiss you for academic issues or alleged behavioral misconduct. Before a medical program orders a dismissal, though, it first executes several steps. This may include an investigation, hearing, and appeals process. Having an attorney-advisor to guide you through these processes is invaluable.
Your attorney-advisor will sit with you and explain your school's specific adjudication process. They will prepare your case and accompany you through as much of the process as possible.
Dismissal From Medical School in Arizona
Medical students in Arizona are, by nature, ambitious. They've chosen a field of study known for its rigor. As such, the idea of being dismissed may not have ever crossed your mind. Please, don't think that your medical program can't dismiss you.
Medical schools dismiss students for academic failures, especially when they've already exhausted probation or remediation. Your program may also dismiss you for a behavioral issue it considers serious or for multiple instances of misconduct.
Once you leave your medical school in Arizona via dismissal, you may not study medicine again. A dismissal may:
- Make it financially or logistically impossible for you to re-enter medical school
- End your goal of practicing medicine
- Require you to enroll in a low-tier medical program
- Limit your future job prospects in the medical field
- Require you to pursue a less fulfilling, lower-paying career
- Make your student debt more difficult to repay
- Cause psychological and personal problems
A medical school dismissal is quite serious. You still have time to act, though. By hiring an attorney-advisor, you will pull out all of the stops in your own defense. The Lento Law Firm has extensive experience helping medical students avoid a dismissal. We can do the same for you.
Remediation for Medical Students in Arizona
Medical schools are known for putting students to the test. Between clinicals, written exams, and other areas of study, you've likely been challenged academically like never before.
To struggle in medical school is human. When you do hit academic roadblocks, your school may order you to retake failed exams, classes, or even an entire academic year. This is called remediation and is often necessary—but not always.
We may meet with academic decision-makers, petition for a grade change, or take other steps to help you avoid remediation. We do this because repeating coursework:
- Adds additional time to your graduation date
- Costs money
- Generally appears on your academic transcript
These are not outcomes that you typically want. While remediation may prove the right option for you, we'll explore all other options. You may be able to graduate from your Arizona medical program without facing the downsides of remediation.
Appeals for Medical Students in Arizona
Medical programs in Arizona will generally allow you to appeal certain decisions. Any ruling involving dismissal is, in almost every case, appealable. You may need to have proper grounds for appeal, like:
- Exposure of bias, animus, or dishonesty in your adjudication process
- The emergence of new case-related evidence
- A ruling that does not jibe with the allegations against you
Not every decision is subject to appeals. At the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, for example, you may not appeal a remediation order. This only places more importance on the quality of your initial defense.
Handling appeals is part of an attorney-advisor's job description. Your appeal may be your last shot at remaining in medical school, and you should approach the matter with this gravity in mind. If your appeal is unsuccessful, Attorney Lento may be able to reach out to the Office of General Counsel at your medical school to negotiate on your behalf. Generally, these negotiations have a better outcome than filing a lawsuit might.
Hire an Arizona Medical Student Defense Advisor
Attorney–advisor Joseph Lento has seen the struggles that many medical students face firsthand. From lapses in judgment to false accusations, he's helped students through countless challenges attain the MD or DO degree they dreamed of. Attorney Lento will lead your defense at your Arizona medical school from start to finish. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
