The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine at Joplin (KCU-COM, Joplin) has been educating medical professionals since 1916. You don't keep your doors open for over a century unless you turn out top-tier doctors who understand the rigors required to practice medicine.
The medical profession isn't an easy path. Doctors must be on call around the clock; they must be passionate about lifelong learning; they must have a tireless commitment to improving public health. At KCU-COM, Joplin, then education isn't just about learning anatomy or genetics. It's about learning how to be the very best professional you can, maintaining the highest ethical standards, always striving to provide the best in patient care.
If you're looking to succeed in this field, you need to be your best. None of us is perfect, though, not even doctors. If you feel you're being held to standards that are simply too high, or if your school is so rigid that you've wound up accused of making a mistake you didn't actually make, there is help out there. Don't let one slip-up or an unfounded accusation jeopardize your entire future. An attorney who specializes in student defenses can help you get your career back on track.
Academic Standards at BCOM
A medical school's first obligation is to properly educate its students. No one wants incompetent doctors out there practicing medicine. As with any other school KCU-COM, Joplin doesn't just provide necessary coursework; it keeps a close eye on your progress through that coursework.
In keeping with its academic obligations, KCU-COM's Student Progress Committee (SPC) reviews every student's academic record at the end of each year and makes recommendations as to promotion, makeup examinations, remediation, and dismissal.
Curiously, the school's policy makes no mention of an appeals process. This suggests the SPC's decisions are generally treated as final. If you should find yourself facing an academic sanction, you'll likely need an attorney at your side to help you convince the SPC to consider reinstatement.
Maintaining Professional Standards
KCU-COM, Joplin doesn't just want you to excel as a student. They also expect you to maintain high standards in terms of ethics and overall professionalism. For instance, you are required to follow the American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) 19 separate sections, including such strictures as those against false advertisement and abandoning patients. Likewise, the school demands you develop and maintain “qualities that will earn the respect of [your] patients, [your] colleagues, [your] family, and [your]self,” and that you practice these “at all times both off and on campus.”
Here again, the school's policy is somewhat vague when it comes to details about professional standards violations. The policy does note that, as with academic progress, your professionalism is evaluated at the end of each semester and that lapses can jeopardize your future in the program. However, it doesn't indicate who is responsible for these evaluations. Even more troubling, it doesn't explain how a student might go about challenging an evaluation or a sanction. It is vital, then, that you know who to contact should you find yourself accused of misconduct since only someone trained in medical school judicial procedures will be able to help you navigate the complexities of your situation.
Why Would You Need an Attorney?
You may think you'll never have need of an attorney. After all, you're in medical school. You're smart, capable, and dedicated to your profession. What could possibly go so wrong that you'd need a lawyer?
The fact is, medical schools do sometimes get things wrong. Students can and do get falsely accused. Or maybe you did make a mistake, but the sanction the school has assigned is all out of proportion to the offense. You don't have to just accept what's happening to you. A qualified attorney, someone with experience serving as a student advisor, can help you get the justice you deserve and get your medical career back on track. Here's just a sampling of what an attorney can do for you.
- Remediation: KCU-COM, Joplin offers a remediation program for students who are struggling to keep up academically. This can be a valuable safety net. However, it isn't free. Remediation costs both time and money. In fact, you may have better options. You may, for instance, be able to appeal your original grade and avoid remediation altogether. Your school may not tell you about these other options. An attorney-advisor will, and they can guide you through the process.
- Cleaning up your transcript: Remediation and other kinds of sanctions may show up on your permanent record. Even a warning can cause you future problems if it's noted on your transcript. It might interfere with scholarships or even give you problems trying to establish your career. An attorney will have suggestions for how you might go about cleaning up this record.
- Dealing with dismissal: Dismissal can be traumatic in and of itself. Worse, it can have serious and long-lasting repercussions. For example, you'll probably find it difficult to enroll at another school. Even if you should find another program to accept you, you'll likely have to start at the beginning again. Even if you succeed in graduating from another school, your past mistakes may still appear on your transcript. This is why it is so important to contest any accusation and any sanction. An attorney can help you craft your defense strategy, help you draft documents, even help you present your case.
It's important you recognize, though: Not just any attorney will do. You want to look for an attorney who has experience serving as a student advisor, who understands medical school programs, and is familiar with their judicial procedures.
Joseph D. Lento Can Help
Joseph D. Lento is a fully-licensed, fully-qualified defense attorney. His work extends well beyond the courtroom, though. Joseph D. Lento built his practice defending students' rights and helping them get justice. Joseph D. Lento has served as legal advisor to hundreds of medical students. He knows the law; he knows how to deal with faculty and administrators. Most importantly, Joseph D. Lento is a fighter. He's ready and willing to stand up for you and make sure your school treats you fairly.
If you're facing a sanction from your medical school, don't wait. Contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-555-3686 or use our automated online form.
