Founded in 1797, Geisel School of Medicine has long aimed to ensure that its students cultivate comprehensive educations in a collaborative and diverse environment. As the fourth oldest medical school in the United States, the university has been on the cutting edge of modern developments in the medical field for centuries.
Students attending Geisel School of Medicine have a lot of pressure placed on them, then, once they get accepted. There are circumstances, however, in which Dartmouth College's public reputation can work against them. If any student is believed to have violated the Geisel School of Medicine code of conduct or engaged in academic dishonesty, that student may face abrupt sanctions.
While the university works to ensure that all of its attending medical students have as many opportunities as they need to finish their degrees, there may still be moments where the university violates its students' trust to save its public reputation.
Student Expectations at Geisel School of Medicine
Every university has a code of conduct that it expects its students to uphold. Medical schools tend to take this code a step further, though. Universities like Dartmouth College want to maintain a sterling public reputation, meaning that medical students are expected to present a public face of integrity and success.
More specifically, the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University expects its students to:
- Behave respectfully towards faculty, staff, university visitors, and one another;
- Cultivate a collaborative community with their fellow students;
- Uphold professional standards while on or representing the campus;
- Represent the university's best interests when posting online;
- Report students whom they believe may violate the university's honor code or academic code of conduct.
Students, in this vein, are expected not to plagiarize their work, seek out unofficial aid on exams or assignments, falsify medical data, inappropriately use university materials, or otherwise compromise their peers' opportunities to learn effectively on campus. Any student accused of engaging in these behaviors may face academic and professional consequences.
Geisel School of Medicine Remediation
Students accused of violating Geisel School of Medicine's honor code will not immediately face the same sanctions as their peers in other Dartmouth colleges. Instead, any student experiencing progression issues will work with the Associate Dean and other applicable parties, including an academic coach, to establish a remediation professionalism growth plan.
Any remediation plan created by a student and attending coach need to be approved by the Associate Dean for Preclinical or Clinical Education before it may be put into effect. Once a student's plan is approved, that student will be expected to continue meeting with their coach while enacting their created plan. The coach in question will monitor the student's progress and report back to the Associate Dean of Preclinical or Clinical Education.
This dean will determine whether or not the student in question seems committed to the plan that they have created. Students who the dean believes to have made sufficient progress throughout their plan will have their remediation completed and noted in their portfolio. Students who the dean believes have not made progress throughout their remediation will be required to revise their plan with an applicable coach.
Consequences for Academic Misconduct
Students who show little to no signs of improvement after going through a remediation period may have their cases brought before the Chair of the CSPC at Geisel School of Medicine. Based on the severity of the student's alleged misconduct, they may face consequences including:
- Additional on-campus counseling
- Letters of concern
- Suspension
Even if the consequences a student faces after accusations of academic misconduct seem minor, they often have long-lasting effects on that student's career. Students who've lost out on a semester of study may not have had the opportunities they needed to network with professionals in their field.
Dismissals at Geisel School of Medicine
Under rare circumstances, Geisel School of Medicine will remove students from its program. Referred to by the university as “separation,” students who fail to follow their remediation programs or who otherwise experience severe progression lapses may be removed from the school at the behest of the CSPC.
All students facing dismissal from the Geisel program will have the opportunity to defend themselves through the aforementioned hearing process. The CSPC will decide, at this hearing, whether the student may continue with their remediation programs or if they must separate from the university. Students receive committee decisions a day after their hearing.
Note that Geisel School of Medicine does not consider program separation and program suspension to be the same thing. Students who are suspended from the Geisel track have the opportunity to re-enroll at a later date. Students who are separated from the program must reapply to the school and are not guaranteed readmission.
Sanction Appeals
All medical students brought up on charges of academic misconduct have the right to file an appeal with the CSPC. Students must submit these appeals with a week of the implementation of their sanctions or separation from the university.
Upon receiving a student's appeal, the Chair of the CSPC and other applicable parties can either uphold the student's sanctions or reverse them.
Students facing separation from the Geisel School of Medicine can still take exams and complete their academic work. However, university staff may not record that student's grades. If a student's separation is reversed, then the grades they received during their separation will be recorded on their permanent records. Should the student's separate be upheld, however, then the student's record will show that they either failed or withdrew from any applicable courses.
What Can An Attorney-Advisor Do?
While institutions like the Geisel School of Medicine may work to make life as simple as possible for its attending students, it still has to keep the ideals of its stakeholders and the general public in mind. With that in mind, students facing academic challenges or accusations of professional misconduct can face consequences that seem unfounded, abrupt, or overly severe.
Students experiencing academic issues or accused of academic misconduct at Geisel School of Medicine can reach out and connect with attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm. Schedule a case consultation by calling (888) 535-3686 or via an online form.
