An M.D. Degree's Enormous Value
One hardly has to remind a physician of the enormous value of an M.D. degree. The core of that value is in the healing gift that the M.D. credential confirms in the degree holder. If you have an M.D. degree, you know how human physiology works, and you have considerable skill in improving its working. That capacity alone is worth worlds to those who need healing. But your M.D. degree means other important things, too, like your gainful employment and support for your family. And the M.D. degree confers on you elevated respect among friends, status within the professions, and standing within your community. You've earned a fabulous credential when you hold an M.D. degree, and you appreciate it.
M.D. Degree Revocation Happens
The possibility exists that your medical school could revoke your M.D. degree. M.D. degree revocations happen. UCLA's Student Code of Conduct, for example, applicable to students and graduates of UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, expressly states, "For degrees issued by the David Geffen School of Medicine, authority to revoke degrees is the responsibility of the David Geffen School of Medicine Dean of Students." Medical boards, like the Medical Board of California, regularly discipline physicians whose practice threatens patients or the public. The California Medical Practice Act and similar laws in other states authorize license revocation for things like criminal convictions relating to medical practice. But medical schools share responsibility for ensuring the profession's integrity. And they sometimes do so by revoking a medical degree. A federal appeals court recently upheld another prominent medical school's revocation of an M.D. degree relating to alleged sexual assault and other unprofessionalism the graduate had shown when completing the program.
What M.D. Degree Revocation Means
M.D. degree revocation means more than returning the physical diploma or certificate, although your medical school may demand that action, too. M.D. degree revocation means that your medical school will change its academic records to remove your medical degree while instead indicating its revocation. Your medical school's records won't reflect that you failed to earn the degree. Your school's records will reflect that your school took it away from you for misconduct. And that record will be available to any medical school, medical board, medical employer, or other agency, official, or representative having a need to know your status with respect to medical education. Degree revocation policies may expressly allow the school to publicize degree revocation. And schools do publicize degree revocations when their interest is to do so. You won't get to hide your M.D. degree's revocation.
First Issues When Facing M.D. Degree Revocation
You need prompt, concerted, and strategic action to effectively defend your M.D. degree. Your first issue when facing an M.D. degree revocation is to hire the qualified national education attorney you need for your best defense. Defending an M.D. degree is no place to go it alone. Your M.D. degree defense attorney should have the substantial skill and experience to guide your strategic defense approach. That approach should begin with your retained attorney's prompt action in notifying school officials of the attorney's appearance to handle all critical communications and deadlines. Your retained attorney will then need to help you understand the disciplinary charges, the evidence you may face, and the evidence you need to marshal in defense. Your retained attorney will also need to advise you on critical steps to take to defend your medical license and employment. Get qualified help now. That's your first and most important issue.
Your School's M.D. Degree Revocation Issues
Your medical school also faces issues. And those issues can be critical to your effective defense when your retained attorney leverages them strategically. Your medical school will, of course, be considering the strength of its case against you. But your medical school will also be considering how its pursuit of M.D. degree revocation will distract, demoralize, encourage, or otherwise affect the medical school community. Your medical school will also be considering how alumni, accrediting bodies, employers, and donors may regard its pursuit of M.D. degree revocation. Your medical school will also be considering the cost and availability of resources for M.D. degree revocation. And your medical school will also be evaluating how you respond, especially the reputation, skill, and experience of the attorney whom you retain to defend you. Your attorney should cast these medical school interests to your own defense advantage.
Fraud Grounds for M.D. Degree Revocation
Medical school officials may most commonly seek an M.D. degree revocation when they discover after graduation that the degree recipient committed some form of academic fraud to obtain the degree. UCLA's Student Code of Conduct, applicable at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, states, for example, that degree revocation applies when "a degree recipient is found responsible for a violation of the UCLA Student Conduct Code involving academic dishonesty or fraud committed while a Student…." If the student should never have earned the M.D. degree because of falsified or fraudulent submissions, then the medical school might well consider revoking it. Falsified or fraudulent research data is indeed a common ground to remove a doctoral degree awarded based on that research. Plagiarizing another's research or forging academic records are similar forms of academic misconduct and degree revocation grounds.
Other Grounds for M.D. Degree Revocation
Academic dishonesty and research fraud are not the only grounds on which a medical school might revoke an M.D. degree. Serious behavioral misconduct like sexual assault or persistent unprofessionalism could also lead to M.D. degree revocation. Title IX sexual misconduct policies, for instance, including at universities with medical schools, may include a degree revocation remedy. Medical schools typically deal with behavioral misconduct and unprofessionalism when it occurs before awarding a degree. Unprofessionalism and sexual assault were the alleged grounds on which one medical school recently withheld a medical degree and then after a federal court ordered that the school bestow it, revoked the degree after successfully appealing the award decision. M.D. degree revocation based on serious misconduct may occur if a complainant comes forward after the medical school awards the degree.
Authority for Revoking a M.D. Degree
Courts have generally upheld college, university, and medical school authority to revoke an awarded degree. But that school authority can have limits. Higher education media reports on a recent court case holding that the University of Texas at Austin exceeded its authority when revoking a doctoral degree without court proceedings. Colleges and universities must generally provide due process protections in discipline proceedings affecting the substantial property or liberty interests of the accused student or graduate. Your retained attorney advisor can evaluate your medical school's authority to revoke your M.D. degree and the limitations on that authority.
Medical School Policies for M.D. Degree Revocation
Medical schools have a greater argument for M.D. degree revocation authority when they have a policy providing for it. When UCLA's Student Code of Conduct expressly indicates that the dean of its David Geffen School of Medicine has M.D. degree revocation authority, the school has a significantly better argument for it. But other medical schools rely by implication on their university's degree revocation policies. Duke University School of Medicine, for example, adopts university-wide student conduct rules, one of which warns students of degree revocation. Your retained attorney advisor can investigate your medical school's policy on degree revocation.
Possible Impacts of M.D. Degree Revocation
How revocation of your M.D. degree could affect you depends on your individual circumstances. Consider the following potential impacts when preparing to defend your M.D. degree.
M.D. Degree Revocation Impacts on Jobs and Careers
M.D. degree revocation can have severe job and career impacts. Whether M.D. degree revocation affects your job first depends on whether you are in active medical practice. If you lose your M.D. degree, then you'll lose your medical license and medical practice. If, instead, you are a medical administrator or have another significant role in healthcare but are not in medical practice, your M.D. degree's revocation could still cause your job loss. Revocation of your M.D. degree could put an end to your healthcare-field career. If you don't work in the healthcare field, then losing your M.D. degree may have less of a job and career impact depending on your employer's interests and concerns.
M.D. Degree Revocation Impacts on Family and Finances
If you lose your medical practice or other healthcare field job due to an M.D. degree revocation, you are likely to face serious financial impacts, especially if you haven't practiced long enough to develop substantial savings or other income. With medical practice loss, you could lose your ability to pay school loans, mortgage, and other ongoing obligations. Your family dependents could lose health insurance, housing, transportation, and other essentials right along with you. You can likely readily imagine how an M.D. degree loss could harm your family circumstances and relationships. Account for those risks when determining to defend your M.D. degree against revocation.
School Procedures to Fight M.D. Degree Revocation
Medical schools must generally provide due process protections before revoking an M.D. degree. You likely have constitutional, statutory, and contractual rights to a fair process that allows you to fight for your M.D. degree. UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine is an example. UCLA's procedures for revoking a degree specifically apply to professional school degrees, including M.D. degrees. Those procedures require the dean of students to recommend revocation to both an academic senate chair and graduate division dean. If those officials agree, the medical school must notify the accused graduate. The graduate may then invoke a formal hearing before an appeal committee. Hearing procedures provide other protections, including for defense attorney advisor representation. If the graduate suffers an adverse decision, the graduate may appeal to the school's chancellor.
Attorney Advisor Defense of M.D. Degree Revocation
Your retained attorney advisor plays a critical role in your effective defense of M.D. degree revocation. Medical school and university disciplinary proceedings have their own rules, unpublished practices, and academic customs. Your retained education attorney advisor should have the skill and experience to put those rules and customs to your strategic defense. Your attorney advisor's actions may include any or all of the following, among many other discerning acts:
- answering the charges, denying false allegations, and setting forth your affirmative defenses;
- evaluating not only the school's charges but also the weight and credibility of any supporting evidence;
- researching the school's procedures and discerning the school's practices to ensure your best opportunity to contest the charges;
- gathering, organizing, and presenting your evidence exonerating you from misconduct and mitigating any potential penalty;
- discerning and creating opportunities for informal communications and negotiations for early informal resolution;
- conducting hearings and appeals, including challenging the school's evidence; and
- as necessary, pursuing alternative special relief through the school's general counsel or other school oversight officials.
Premier Nationwide M.D. Degree Defense
Your medical degree and career deserve the best defense. The Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team and national education attorney advisor Joseph D. Lento have successfully defended hundreds of graduates, professional program students, and other students nationwide in cases seeking degree revocation and other discipline. For your best possible outcome to M.D. degree revocation proceedings, call 888.535.3686 or go online now to retain the Lento Law Firm.
