When you think of North Dakota, you think of the Badlands National Park, knoephla, and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Like other medical schools in America, their main focus is training physicians with excellent medical knowledge who can find new and innovative ways to help their patients without sacrificing an empathetic bedside manner. With such high expectations for their medical students, it can feel like you are never doing enough. Emotions like these might encourage students to behave in ways they normally wouldn't. If you think you are experiencing something similar, an attorney advisor will be able to help.
Academic and Professionalism Policies for North Dakota Medical Students
Just before the beginning of medical school, students are given a student handbook. This handbook has a particular set of conduct rules the medical school expects you to follow. Usually, these rules cover both your academic experience but also your professional responsibilities. For instance, at UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the student handbook explains the code for medical students, which asks them to:
- Meet all academic performance standards within the allotted timeframe
- Pass all evaluations and exams
- Refrain from cheating or plagiarizing or helping another student cheat or plagiarize
- Only perform medical techniques independently that correlate to the same level of training the student has
- Maintain patient confidentiality
If a member of the faculty believes a student has violated these guidelines, they will recommend them for a disciplinary hearing, a remediation plan, or a dismissal proceeding. The issue will be reviewed, and the committee overseeing the meeting will determine the next steps the student should take, whether that's retaking a test or leaving campus altogether.
Remediation at North Dakota Medical Schools
UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences expects greatness from its students, as do most medical schools. In medical school, you are literally learning how to save lives. No one wants to be known as the school that produced a below-average physician. Because this level of education and understanding is so important, they test their students on both their medical and professional knowledge at regular intervals. If a student has shown they are unable to keep up with the current coursework, they will be recommended for a remediation plan.
At UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, struggling students are allowed to retake entire courses, exams, and clinical rotations. But if a student fails a few classes in a semester, remediation may not be offered outright. Instead, the student will be recommended for dismissal, which is unfortunate. Some students don't learn the same way as others, and by not allowing them to remediate the course, the medical school is potentially making a mistake that would prevent an excellent doctor from graduating. If your school offers a remediation process and hasn't presented it to you, an attorney-advisor will be able to discuss the issue on your behalf with the dean.
Dismissal From a North Dakota Medical Program
Medical students are under review almost every moment of their medical school career. Whether it's answering questions while on call during rotations or actual exams and assignments, medical students are expected to be prepared to answer them. When a faculty member determines that a student is struggling academically or professionally, they will recommend them to the dismissal committee. It is really important that if you are notified of an impending dismissal hearing, you prepare appropriately. Students who don't prepare at all or have an insufficient defense will suffer greater consequences than just being asked to leave medical school early. For instance, they'll have to figure out how to pay back the loans they've already taken out, search for another school to accept them, or decide what other career they want to pursue. All these financial and personal hardships can lead to an increase in mental health issues. Working with an attorney advisor is the best way to ensure you are adequately prepared to defend yourself.
Appeals
Schools are required to give their students certain rights during committee hearings. The rights are supposed to be non-negotiable. You just get them. Generally, these rights include the right to:
- Face your accuser in disciplinary hearings
- Defend yourself and be heard
- Have an attorney advisor help advocate for you
- Ask for grade changes or join remediation programs
- Appeal decisions of the hearing committees
At the end of your disciplinary meeting, remediation conference, and dismissal hearing, the committee overseeing it will deliberate on the next steps. You'll receive notice of their decision within a few days. This notice will also explain how to appeal their decision – i.e., what to include in the appeal, what grounds it can be made on, who it should be sent to, and what date it needs to be submitted by. For students facing a suspension or dismissal decision, an appeal is your last chance to preserve your dream of becoming a doctor in North Dakota. But if you find the idea of filing the appeal on your own to be intimidating, an attorney advisor can walk you through the process, ensuring you take advantage of the opportunity.
Additionally, if your appeal does not go your way, your attorney advisor will be able to reach out to the Office of General Counsel at your school and attempt to negotiate on your behalf. Most of the time, these negotiations have a better result than a lawsuit against the medical school.
North Dakota Medical Student Defense Advisor
If you are brought before a disciplinary, remediation, or dismissal committee for review, it can be hard to know how to defend yourself. You might wonder who you can trust and where to turn for help. Attorney advisors have the skill and understanding to protect your dream of becoming a doctor in North Dakota. Attorney Joseph D. Lento is an expert in medical school defense. He and his team know that a fast defense is the best defense. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 to discuss your case or schedule a time online.
