Earning a dental degree is hard work. You're training for a profession now, and that means you must master all the material. There's no room for mistakes, and you can't slide by if you're struggling with a subject. Just as important, you have to demonstrate you can act professionally. Your personal conduct is under immense scrutiny, and even small lapses in judgment can put your career in jeopardy.
You want your school to be demanding. A degree from the UT Health Science Center at Houston lets your patients and your community know that you're fully qualified and that you can be trusted to look after the public's health. Just as important, it gives you the confidence to handle whatever situations you might encounter as a dentist.
There are high expectations, though, and there are unreasonable expectations. If you should find yourself facing demands you just can't meet, falsely accused of some form of misconduct, or facing dismissal when a lesser punishment seems more appropriate, you have the right to defend yourself.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm are dedicated to the notion that a mistake—or two or three—shouldn't stand in the way of earning your degree. We know what you're up against, just how tough dental school can be. We also know how the UT HSC Houston system works and how to use it to your advantage to make sure you get the justice you deserve.
Common Reasons for Dismissal
Let's start with the basics: What qualifies as a dismissible offense at the UT Houston School of Dentistry?
- Academic Deficiencies: First, you're expected to excel in all your coursework. The UTSD Student Guide to Academic Studies notes that you are evaluated on your didactic studies, preclinical labs, and clinic performance. In more concrete terms, you must maintain a 76 GPA in all of these areas. In addition, a failure in any single subject is grounds for academic sanctions. In most instances, a single academic deficiency isn't cause for immediate dismissal. Instead, you'll likely be placed on probation and issued a set of remediation requirements. However, if you cannot meet these requirements, or if you consistently struggle to pass your courses, you can also be dismissed.
- Misconduct: Misconduct can get you dismissed much faster than an academic deficiency. You'll find that the School of Dentistry has little patience for misbehavior of any type. Of course, you're expected to follow the basic rules of student conduct, the UT Health Academic Honor pledge, and federal Title IX guidelines regarding sexual misconduct. Note that these policies include prohibitions against breaking the law. Even a minor charge, such as a DUI, can get you dismissed. In addition, though, you're also expected to master the basic tenets of ethics and professionalism. Mishandling patient records, disobeying a superior's instructions, or getting into disputes with other members of your team can all get you into trouble.
The dean of the school has ultimate authority when it comes to assigning sanctions, including dismissal. However, the dean generally acts on recommendations from the school's Evaluation and Promotion (E&P) committee. This committee meets five times a year to consider student progress and to respond to allegations of misconduct.
The Adjudication Process
At the UT Health Houston School of Dentistry, issues of professionalism are treated as academic matters. That means the decision-making process is roughly the same, no matter what type of dismissal you're facing.
E&P recommendations are based solely on student records. You aren't allowed to address the committee or even to submit documents in your own defense.
Once the committee has assigned dismissal, though, you have the right to appeal that decision.
- Appeals are heard by the school's Appeals Committee.
- You must file your appeal within three days of receiving the E&P committee's decision.
- Appeals should include a statement explaining the rationale behind your appeal and any documentary evidence to help support this statement.
- The Appeals Committee reviews all material but may also meet with you and any other individuals involved in the case to gather further background.
- The Appeals Committee conveys its decision to the dean, who, again, has ultimate authority to enact those recommendations.
You may have noticed that School of Dentistry cases don't provide you with the opportunity to defend yourself at a formal hearing. While you may have the chance to address the Appeals Committee in person, you're not allowed to call witnesses or to cross-examine any witnesses against you. Further, even if you are called before the committee, you have no right to bring an attorney with you. You might well ask, then, just what an attorney can do to help.
The fact is, an attorney from the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can be even more useful in these sorts of appeals than in campus hearings. Virtually your entire case comes down to how you express yourself on paper and what type of evidence you can provide. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm know exactly what appeals committees are looking for in these cases and how to make you look your best on paper. Perhaps more important than anything else, though they can help safeguard your rights, monitoring how the school treats you and raising objections any time you're being treated unfairly.
Fighting for Your Future
Make no mistake: if you're facing dismissal, everything is on the line. You've worked for many years to get to this point. You earned an undergraduate degree; you spent hours studying for the Dental Admissions Test; you filled out applications, convinced referees to write on your behalf, and sat through difficult interviews. You've also put in the work since you were admitted to dental school: long hours of studying and even longer hours of clinical work. Expulsion means all of that work comes to nothing. It means trying to find an entirely new career. It means having to pay back any student loans you've accumulated without a dental degree to help you do it.
You don't want to go into this situation alone. Not only is everything at stake, but if your school is considering dismissal, it's already actively working against you. You need someone who's on your side, who has your best interests at heart, and who is willing to fight for those interests. You want an attorney from the Lento Law Firm Team.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team was built to help students. The Lento Law Firm Team knows the law as it applies to education. They also know how campus judicial systems work. They're highly experienced with all aspects of investigation, adjudication, and appeals processes and have helped hundreds of students just like you get the justice they deserve.
If you're facing disciplinary action, don't wait to see what might happen. Find out exactly what the Lento Law Firm can do for you. Contact the firm today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
