Going to dental school is incredibly exciting. You've taken all the entrance exams, excelled in your undergraduate program, and convinced an admissions board that you deserve a place in their program. Unfortunately, many graduate students fail to consider how difficult the program might be. The obstacles seem to take students by surprise, forcing many of them to behave in ways they wouldn't normally.
The University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) understands how oral health is closely linked to an individual's overall wellness. Thus, they endeavor to provide dental education and training that improves, shapes, and advances the healthcare landscape. As such, it is committed to fostering lifelong learning and evidence-based research in its dental students. If UMSOD discovers that a student is struggling to maintain these standards, they will be referred for a remediation plan, disciplinary action, or a dismissal hearing.
If you or someone you love is facing one of these meetings, an attorney-advisor can help defend you. Call Lento Law Firm today.
University of Maryland School of Dentistry Code of Conduct
At UMSOD, students are expected to abide by a specific code of conduct, which is distributed at the beginning of the year to every student in the program. This code stipulates both academic expectations and professional ones. For instance, students are expected to:
- Follow certain social media guidelines
- Wear professional attire each day
- Keep their hair and nails groomed
- Not wear any facial jewelry
- Refrain from committing an act of sexual misconduct
- Abstain from discrimination
- Maintain satisfactory grades
- Maintain patient health information and patient confidentiality
- Meet the standards of the dental profession found in the ADA Code of Ethics
- Providing treatment to patients without faculty supervision
Additionally, students must avoid committing, or helping other students commit, academic misconduct. At UMSOD, academic misconduct includes:
- Cheating: using, or attempting to use, materials on an exam, clinical lab work, or other assignments without the instructor's permission; helping, or attempting to help someone else do it
- Plagiarism: using another person's work, thoughts, or ideas as if they were your own; failing to cite a reference correctly
- Violating examination procedures
- Submitting work someone else's work as your own
If a student is caught violating the code of conduct, their place at UMSOD will be reviewed. An attorney-advisor can help ensure you are not being unfairly judged for your behavior and are provided with all the due process rights owed to you.
Remediation at University of Maryland School of Dentistry
At the end of each academic year, dental schools review the progress of each student in the program. At UMSOD, the committee to review student progress is called the Committees on Advancement and Graduation (CAG). CAG will determine if a student is eligible for unconditional advancement, conditional advancement, probationary advancement, summer remediation, or academic dismissal.
If a student is recommended for a summer remediation plan, they will be given the opportunity to retake their examination, a course, or a clinical over the summer with the hopes that they will pass and be able to rejoin their class in the fall. UMSOD allows students up to three academic years to complete their first and second year of the dental program. If they cannot successfully remediate and are thus unable to complete those two years in that allotted time, they will be considered for dismissal.
There are some cases where students are not notified of the option to remediate and are sent straight to a dismissal hearing. If this has happened to you, or you are having a hard time remediating successfully, an attorney-advisor can help advocate for you.
Dismissal Proceedings at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry
As explained above, students at UMSOD can be dismissed for a myriad of reasons, including code of conduct violations and unsuccessful remediation attempts. CAG will refer such a student to the Faculty Assembly for Academic Dismissal. The Faculty Assembly will notify the student of a dismissal hearing, date, and time.
At the hearing, the student will have the opportunity to defend themselves from dismissal. You will want to present a strong defense, witness testimony, and any relevant evidence you can unearth. The Faculty Assembly will review the information and determine if a dismissal is appropriate. If they determine it is, they will notify the student quickly.
It is important to remember that you have the ability to appeal this decision. Appeals must be made to the Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies within ten days of receiving the written decision. Additionally, the appeal must include the following:
- The decision the student is appealing
- The specific ground for the appeal
- And the academic status the student is requesting
Further, the only grounds that appeals can be made on are (1) if there is newly discovered evidence available now that was not available prior and would affect the outcome of the case, or (2) there was a lack of due process in the original hearing that affected the outcome of the case.
After the Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies reviews the appeal, they will make their decision to either uphold it, strike it down, or amend it in some way. Whatever they decide, it is final and cannot be appealed further.
Why You Should Work With an Attorney-Advisor
Dental students are so focused on their future that they fail to realize the kind of lifelong implications a disciplinary action, dismissal hearing, or a failed remediation plan can have on their future. For instance, if you are dismissed from the program or suspended because of a disciplinary issue, those punishments will be noted on your transcripts. When you try to continue your education at another institution, you will have to explain their existence on every application. Punishments like these can negatively affect your ability to get into that new program and should be avoided at all costs.
Attorney Joseph D. Lento and Lento Law Firm have years of experience helping dental students navigate these proceedings, guaranteeing them the best possible outcome for their case. Working without an attorney-advisor is taking a significant risk with your future prospects. Don't fall victim to the negative consequences you are sure to face. Let Lento Law Firm help. Call our offices today at 888-535-3686 to schedule a consultation or visit us online.
