There's no doubt about it: medical school is tough. It's not just the classes and the instructors, though passing your courses is certainly no walk in the park. It's also the fact that you're held to an extraordinarily high standard of personal and professional conduct. Argue with a patient, disagree with a supervisor, or get a DUI, and you could easily find yourself looking for a new career path.
Fair enough. Doctors aren't just health care professionals. They frequently hold the power of life and death in their hands. Literally. So, if medical schools need to hold students to higher standards, so be it.
Where is the line, though, between high standards and impossible standards? Should you lose your spot at the UC Riverside School of Medicine over one mistake? The Lento Law Firm doesn't think so. You're a student, after all, and still learning. Mistakes should be part of the process.
Our Student Defense Team is committed to the idea that students deserve fair treatment. We want to make sure your medical school respects your rights and gives you every reasonable opportunity to earn your MD degree. If you've made a mistake—or even two or three—and your school is talking about dismissal, you owe it to yourself to find out how we can help. Call us today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
Two Reasons for Dismissal
Medical school is tough. We might have mentioned that already. It's not so tough, though, that UC Riverside's School of Medicine (SOM) can just dismiss you on a whim. The school must have a legitimate reason to dismiss you. The most common reasons for dismissal include
- Academic Deficiencies: Your first job at UC Riverside SOM is to be a student. You'll find that every class and every clerkship there matters. Both are graded on a Pass/Fail system, and you are required to pass all assigned curricula before you may graduate. A failed unit won't necessarily lead to dismissal. In most cases, the school will either require you to retake the unit or assign you some form of remediation. In more serious cases, you can also be asked to repeat an entire year. Should you continue to struggle, though, you can ultimately be dismissed.
- Misconduct: Being a physician isn't just about what you know. It also has a great deal to do with your temperament. As a result, UC Riverside SOM keeps just as close an eye on your behavior as it does on your coursework. You can find yourself in trouble for a variety of different types of misconduct. For example, like all UC Riverside students, you're accountable to the university's Standards of Conduct. You're also subject to federal Title IX regulations regarding sexual harassment. Finally, the SOM itself has its own policy on professionalism that requires you to adhere to principles of academic honesty, maintain the highest ethics and values, and develop a facility for working in teams. Any violation of any of these policies can lead to dismissal.
Your status at UC Riverside School of Medicine is entirely in the hands of the school's Progress and Promotions Committee (PPC). This committee meets annually to consider students' academic progress and, on an as-needed basis, to respond to misconduct allegations. It has the power to assign remediation and to issue sanctions up to and including dismissal.
Defending Yourself
UC Riverside SOM's judicial procedures aren't like those you'd encounter in a court of law. In fact, the school is under no obligation to provide you with any particular rights. However, the school does afford you the due process of a sort.
- Ordinarily, the PPC evaluates student progress and makes recommendations behind closed doors. However, if your status at the medical school is in question, you are invited to appear before the committee before it deliberates. You have the right to inspect all evidence in your case. You may then present your case. You're also expected to answer committee questions.
- The PPC then communicates its decision to you, both verbally and in writing.
- You further have the right to appeal the PPC's decision. Such appeals must be filed in writing within 15 days of being informed of that decision.
- Grounds for an appeal are limited to procedural error, personal bias, and mitigating circumstances.
- Appeals are heard by the school's Faculty Executive Committee (FEC). As part of these hearings, you may present evidence, call witnesses to testify, and raise questions for any witnesses against you.
- Should the FEC uphold the PPC's recommendations, you may further appeal—in writing—to the dean of the School of Medicine. Their decision is final.
Note that should your case go to the appeals stage, you are allowed to bring a “representative” with you to the hearing, and this representative may be an attorney. However, attorneys are not allowed during meetings with the PPC.
Further note, though, that your Lento Law Firm attorney is not just available to accompany you to hearings. They play a far more crucial and wide-ranging role in your defense. As a starting point, they'll help you design your overall strategy. In addition, they collect evidence, draft documents, suggest witness questions, and even work with you to create your presentations. Most important of all, though, they monitor your case from start to finish to ensure you are being treated fairly. That's especially important at a school like this one, where your due process rights are limited.
The Lento Law Firm Can Help
You already know this, but it's worth emphasizing it again: in a dismissal case, literally everything is on the line. You've worked for many years to get to this point. You earned an undergraduate degree; you spent dozens, maybe hundreds of hours studying for the MCAT; you filled out applications, convinced referees to write on your behalf, and sat through demanding interviews. If the UC Riverside School of Medicine decides to dismiss you, all of that will have been for nothing.
There's simply too much on the line to go into this situation alone. As should be clear by this point, judicial rules and procedures can be complex, and the playing field is not even. Plus, your school is decidedly not on your side in this instance. You need someone who is, someone who has your best interests at heart and who is willing to fight for those interests. You need an attorney from the Lento Law Firm.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is highly experienced with all aspects of investigation, adjudication, and appeals processes and has 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 Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
