If you've been in school at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine for more than a minute, you know just how hard the program can be. You were expecting courses and clinic hours to be tough. You likely heard the horror stories before you arrived—late nights, lack of sleep, instructors and supervisors who seem like they're never satisfied. Medical students are often surprised, though, by just how strict schools are about their professional and even personal behaviors. One disagreement with a patient, one argument with a teacher, and one DUI can be enough to earn a dismissal.
Whether your struggles are academic or professional, you don't have to endure them alone. Sure, studying is up to you, as is the responsibility to behave yourself. We all make mistakes, though, and the Lento Law Firm wants to make sure yours don't cost you your chance at a medical degree.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was founded to make sure students receive fair treatment from their schools. We know how the University of North Dakota School of Medicine system works. If you've got a problem, we know who to talk to, and we know what to say. We've helped hundreds of medical students defend themselves and salvage their careers. What can we do for you? Call 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form to find out.
Common Reasons for Dismissal
As we've already alluded to, medical school is about meeting expectations in two areas: academics and professionalism. Problems in either area can lead to dismissal.
- Academic Deficiencies: Your first responsibility, of course, is to learn everything there is to know about medicine and its practice. It's not just that you have to complete courses in anatomy and pathology or satisfy a certain number of clinical hours. You have to master the material; you have to shine during clinic. You're not just proving that you know things or that you can do what's asked of you; you're demonstrating that you have the extraordinary abilities and temperament to care for patients and communities.
As you might expect, you'll receive course grades and written evaluations from all of your courses and clinic experiences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. In addition, the Medical Student Academic Performance Committee (MSAPC) keeps a close eye on all of your work. The MSAPC must approve your promotion from one year to the next. If you're struggling academically, it's the MSAPC that will assign a remediation plan to get you back on track. And, if you should fail to complete remediation or continue to struggle, it is the MSAPC that issues sanctions, including probation, suspension, and dismissal.
- Misconduct: You can almost certainly recover from a failed course. Maybe even two. Personal and professional misconduct, though, can get you expelled immediately if the misconduct is serious enough. Like any other University of North Dakota student, you are expected to follow the Code of Student Life with its rules against academic dishonesty and general misbehavior. The School of Medicine takes your adherence to these rules as a given. As the med student handbook points out, you're also held to “additional standards for knowledge, skills, and behavioral performance.” Among the behavioral expectations, you're expected to demonstrate ethical behavior and to comply with all “laws, rules, and regulations.”
As with academic issues, the MSAPC has jurisdiction over issues of misconduct. Here again, the committee is empowered to sanction students for any policy violations, and sanctions can include dismissal.
Fighting Dismissal
You can challenge both academic and misconduct dismissal decisions. Both kinds of challenges are handled by the MSAPC. However, the details of the process are somewhat different depending on the type of dismissal you face.
- Academic Dismissals: Academic dismissals are normally based on objective facts: how well you've done on exams, what grades you've received in class, and whether or not you've met the technical standards required of you. As a result, the MSAPC doesn't usually consult students before making its decisions. If the committee decides to dismiss you, you do have the right to appeal this decision to the SMHS Committee on Student Appeals. Grounds for appeal are limited: you must be able to show that the committee failed to follow school policy, made a biased decision, or in some other way violated your rights. However, as part of the appeal process, you have the right to make your case in person at a formal hearing. This means you can submit evidence, call witnesses, and raise questions about the committee's evidence.
- Professional Misconduct: In contrast to academic deficiencies, misconduct must usually be proven, and actions can be subject to interpretation. As a result, the MSAPC typically holds hearings on such matters to determine whether or not you are guilty of an infraction and what the proper penalty should be. As with academic appeals, these hearings give you the right to make your entire case. And, should you be found guilty, you further have the right to appeal, using the same process as outlined for appealing an academic dismissal.
You have a number of due process rights any time you're facing a disciplinary sanction at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. For example, you are entitled to a presumption of innocence, you are entitled to review all evidence against you, and you are entitled to advanced notification of any meetings or proceedings.
Perhaps your most important right is the right to an advisor. Further, this advisor can be an attorney. This means someone from the Lento Law Firm can accompany you to hearings. While they cannot speak on your behalf, they can be on hand to offer advice throughout.
A Lento Law Firm attorney can do far more, though. They can help you develop your defense strategy, work with you to gather evidence, draft documents on your behalf, and suggest questions for witnesses. Of course, their most important job is keeping an eye on your case and making sure your rights are protected.
Fighting for Your Future
You probably already realize this, but it bears emphasis: in a medical school dismissal case, everything is on the line. You've worked for many years to get to this point. You earned an undergraduate degree; you spent dozens, maybe hundreds of hours studying for the MCAT; you filled out applications, convinced referees to write on your behalf, and sat through demanding interviews. If the University of North Dakota School of Medicine decides to dismiss you, all of that will have been for nothing.
There's simply too much on the line to go into this situation alone. Judicial rules and procedures can be complex, and your school is not on your side in this instance. You need someone who is, someone who has your best interests at heart and who is willing to fight for those interests. You need an attorney from the Lento Law Firm. Our Student Defense Team is highly experienced with all aspects of investigation, adjudication, and appeals processes and has helped hundreds of students just like you get the justice they deserve.
If you're facing disciplinary action, don't wait to see what might happen. Find out exactly what the Lento Law Firm can do for you. Contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
