The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is a public medical school established in 1946, and headquartered in Seattle. The UW School of Medicine is one of the country's top medical schools and leading research institutes.
The school is affiliated with 4 UW Medicine hospital campuses in the greater Seattle area for medical training. These are: UW Medical Center — Montlake, UW Medical Center — Northwest, Harborview Medical Center, and Valley Medical Center.
While the school provides one of the finest physician training experiences in the country, it also has strict guidelines regarding student conduct, academics, and professionalism. The Policy on Professional Conduct lays out the standard of conduct students at UW School of Medicine are expected to adhere to, and lists the behaviors that may result in sanctions, including dismissal.
Medical school sanctions can happen for many reasons, including deficient academic performance or failure to complete a course, violation of academic or professional conduct standards, ethics violations, sexual harassment, and more. The most severe of these violations may result in suspension or dismissal.
Dismissal from medical school is likely to have a severely negative impact on your career and academic record, in addition to being a blow to your mental health and confidence. However, trying to deal with a disciplinary case or impending dismissal single-handedly may not be the best course of action. A potential dismissal is a serious concern, and it is best to consult with a professional student defense attorney-advisor who can help you put up a strong defense and advise you. With the help of a skilled and experienced attorney-advisor, you can reduce your chances of receiving a severe sanction and protect your future.
Common Reasons For Dismissal
Getting dismissed from medical school can be a serious blow to your career. While there are multiple reasons a student can face dismissal from UWSOM - such as failure to progress in a course, academic misconduct, issues with professional ethics, disruptive or violent behavior – not every infraction results in dismissal.
But keep in mind that multiple minor violations can also end in dismissal, just as a single, severe violation can. Before dismissal, a student usually faces a hearing where they are allowed to plead their case and defend themselves. Having an attorney-advisor present to guide you through this process can significantly impact the outcome of a case, and result in a more favorable outcome.
At UW School of Medicine, some of the most common reasons for dismissal include violations of the Policy on Professional Conduct, discrimination, harassment, ethical violations, and unsatisfactory academic performance.
Adjudication Process at UWSOM
The Program Policies Handbook contains information on student transgressions, the process of dealing with disciplinary or academic cases, and the adjudication and appeals process. As per the handbook, the Student Progress Committee (SPC) looks at issues of student progress, including promotion, remediation, probation, leave of absence, expansion, reprimand, suspension, dismissal, licensing exam performance, and in case of an allegation of unacceptable conduct, a separate panel designated by the UWSOM looks into it and shares their recommendations with the SPC for review and action.
If there is a complaint or concern about a student's academic performance or conduct, the SPC will review their case and take the student's past record into account. If the record does not show satisfactory progress, or unacceptable conduct is involved, the SPC may decide to take action against the student. This can include:
- Allow Remediation
- Disciplinary Warning/Letter of Reprimand
- Requirement for Work to be Re-done
- Academic Probation
- Disciplinary Probation
- Mandatory Leave of Absence
- Advanced Information
- Suspension
- Dismissal
Suspension or dismissal may only result from a vote by the full SPC. The SPC chair or subcommittees are not permitted to recommend suspension or dismissal.
- After reviewing a student's record, the SPC may recommend dismissal without putting the student on probation first.
- The SPC can make a recommendation at any time during a student's medical school enrollment.
- If the SPC recommends dismissal, the student is interviewed at the next SPC meeting, and informed of the decision and of the concerns about their performance or conduct.
- A student must be given notice of 15 business days if they are required to appear at an SPC meeting if they are under consideration for dismissal.
- The student may be accompanied by one advocate who is a member of the medical school faculty at this interview, but they may not be accompanied by legal counsel.
- The student must give their advocate's name to the Student Affairs Office at least 10 business days before the meeting.
- The student must provide a written statement addressing the concerns leading to the dismissal consideration at least 5 business days before the interview. They may also provide letters of support and other relevant documentation from outside parties.
- Before the interview, the SPC will review reads the student's written statement, letters of support, their school record, and reports from the UW Community Standards and Student Conduct Office. The student may present their defense at the dismissal consideration interview and take questions from SPC members. The student's advocate may also share information and answer questions.
- After this interview, the SPC votes to recommend dismissal or another sanction.
- If a dismissal recommendation is made, the student may request an appeal within 10 business days of the recommendation. Appeals are heard by the Dismissal Appeal Committee (DAC), which is composed of 3 neutral faculty members appointed by the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. This committee must be made up of members who do not participate in regular SPC meetings.
Even though the UWSOM does not permit the presence of an attorney-advisor at these dismissal interviews, Attorney Lento and the Lento Law Firm Education Law Team can still be of assistance by helping put together your written defense and prep you for the interview questions.
They can also help prep your advocate on answering questions and sharing information that will help your case.
Appeals Process
Even if the SPC recommends dismissal, students can appeal the decision within 10 business days. Students must submit a request for an appeal to the chair of the SPC in writing.
Once a student submits a request for an appeal, the DAC is convened. The DAC is appointed by Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs and is made up of 3 faculty members who are not part of the SPC. The DAC will then consider the case at a meeting at which the student, their faculty advocate, a Student Affairs Dean, and the Chair of the SPC are present.
The DAC will not re-consider whether there were originally appropriate grounds for dismissal, but will consider:
- any new information that was not reasonably available during the initial SPC deliberation,
- review any evidence suggesting that discrimination or bias impacted the students' academic participation or evaluation
- evidence that the SPC's decision-making was arbitrary or capricious.
The DAC will then vote to affirm or overturn the dismissal recommendation, which will be shared with the student in writing within 5 business days.
Once the DAC affirms the dismissal, the Faculty Council on Academic Affairs (FCAA) will review the case to ensure proper procedures have been followed. If the FCAA is satisfied, this dismissal recommendation is then forwarded to the Dean. The student may contact the Dean to set a meeting to discuss the dismissal up to 10 business days after the FCAA's decision.
The Dean's decision is final. No appeals are possible after this.
You may continue attending your classes until the final decision, unless the SPC seeks to limit your attendance. After the Dean's final decision, no further appeals are possible unless your advisor appeals to the Office of General Counsel. Since this process is so serious and integral to your future, do not try to deal with it alone. Speak to a student defense attorney-advisor at the earliest and get their help in creating a strong request for an appeal.
Contacting A Student Defense Attorney-Advisor
If you are facing dismissal, don't lose hope. Get attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his team on board as early as you can. With attorney Lento and the Lento Law Firm Education Law Team, your chances of getting a favorable outcome, or less severe punishment, go up significantly. Attorney-advisor Lento and the student defense team at the Lento Law Firm have years of experience and have helped many medical and dental students across the country achieve less severe outcomes in disciplinary cases.
Attorney-advisor Lento and his team can help you collect and present evidence in the best possible way, and help you formulate relevant cross-examination questions. The presence of an attorney-advisor shows your school that you are serious about your case, and will not let your rights be violated.
Attorney Joseph D. Lento and his team can help you, even if your hearing ends in expulsion, by putting together a strong appeal for you.
If you or someone you love is facing dismissal from the UW Medical School due to professional concerns, ethical issues, or lack of progress, consider reaching out to the Lento Law Firm and increase your chances of achieving a better outcome. Contact us online or call us at 888-535-3686.
