The Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University is a public dental school established in 1965. It is the sole public dental school in Georgia. The college emphasizes early patient exposure and offers a rigorous and diverse curriculum. Upon graduation, students can look forward to multiple career opportunities within the state or nationwide. The dental school is part of the Augusta University complex, a public research university with satellite campuses throughout the state.
If you're a dentistry student, you must abide by the code of ethics established by the college that emphasizes ethical behavior and academic progress. And while dentistry school is an exciting part of any future dentist's life, it also comes with undeniable challenges and expectations. Because of the pressure to succeed and keep up with your peers, you may falter and commit actions you didn't intend. In other cases, you may be the victim of false or unsubstantiated charges. When your degree is on the line, an attorney-advisor helps you work towards the best possible outcome.
Code of Conduct at Augusta COD
The Dental College of Georgia imposes conduct standards for dental residents. It considers actions that go against this policy as violations. The extensive list describes behavioral and ethical issues and clinical violations. Imposing such heavy restrictions is necessary at Augusta, especially given your future role as a dentist who works with patients. According to the code, the following actions constitute violations:
- Falsification, forging, altering, or destroying a record or document that belongs to the college
- If performing research, failure to abide by Federal Regulations and university policies regarding work with patients
- Engaging in unprofessional behavior among professors and peers, such as professional dishonesty or unbecoming conduct
- Cheating and assisting others without a professor's authorization
- Capturing, recording, sending, or receiving material from the university or by professors without their consent
- Plagiarizing work without giving credit to the original author
Many of these violations, while clear, are open to interpretation. If you violate the code, you may attend a hearing. The repercussions for engaging in these activities range from repeating a grade to permanent dismissal. Without proper representation, you may face graduation delays because of sanctions.
Academic Issues
That a dentist should always maintain ethical and professional behavior is a given in any dentistry school. However, academic performance is just as crucial as professionalism and ethics. If you are facing educational issues and cannot keep up with your peers, you'll have a few chances to get your grades back on track before you face dismissal. Because you're in a position of public trust, you are responsible for your patients.
Remediation at Augusta is the ideal scenario for this challenge. If you need to improve your grade, you can retake an exam or receive assistance in a particular segment of your program. However, you may not need remediation or receive an unfair score due to specific circumstances.
When you face academic issues, you may delay your graduation date or have to repeat a class. If you need help assessing your options, speaking to an attorney-advisor helps you avoid unnecessary delays or remediation courses.
Consequences of Dismissal and Expulsion
Receiving an expulsion or dismissal from the College of Dentistry comes with insurmountable challenges that may impact your future and career. In terms of suspension, it delays your graduation date. It keeps you from accomplishing your goals of either further study or starting your career. The more damaging sanction is expulsion. With a permanent dismissal, you'll have to start over in another school – which is no easy task in Georgia. Fortunately, this sanction is only for the most severe violations or repeated offenses.
Some of the issues you may face after an expulsion include:
- Enrollment Troubles: If you want to continue dentistry after getting expelled, you must find another dentistry college. Unfortunately, admissions officers only choose the most promising students to attend their programs, especially in private universities and colleges. These officers prefer students with unblemished records ad high grades.
- Reputation Damage: You'll suffer from reputation damage because a permanent dismissal is on your transcript. Some employers ask for your transcript and may refuse to employ you due to the expulsion.
- Loss of Time and Effort: No matter where you are in your program, getting expelled returns you to the starting point. All the years and effort you spent no longer count toward your degree, and you may lose years of progress.
- Financial Repercussions: An expulsion comes with unprecedented expenses that come from your pocket. You'll also lose scholarships and funding because of the charge, including housing. These factors contribute to higher debt, and you pay more than expected but sans the degree.
With so much that can go wrong, tackling the issue yourself is never ideal. Even a seemingly minor charge may turn into an investigation that leads to sanctions. If you receive notice of a violation and must attend a hearing, talk to an expert for the best results.
Contacting an Attorney-Advisor
You worked hard to get into dentistry school. With so much pressure and stress, making mistakes is highly likely and happens to everyone. However, some mistakes are costlier and may lead to suspension and expulsion. If you receive a violation notice, you have a higher chance of success if you contact an Attorney-Advisor.
Making mistakes isn't unheard of as a student, but it may cause issues later that upend your dreams of becoming a dentist. Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento has many years of experience working with dental students nationwide facing academic and behavioral problems. Advisor Lento specializes in student defense, taking on each case with care and attention to detail.
If you face conduct or academic issues at The Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, help is available. Call the Lento Law Firm today for a consultation at 888-535-3686.
