For students interested in studying at a university consistently ranked among the top in the nation for biomedical education, clinical care, and research, Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia, ticks a lot of boxes.
Here, future medical professionals can select from a variety of programs to pursue, whether a doctor of medicine degree, a master’s degree, a dual degree, or postdoctoral training. In all disciplines taught at Emory, from Biomedical Informatics to Medicine to Neurology to Urology and all areas in between, there is an expectation that students reflect the school’s vision, mission, and objectives, including its expectation of professionalism.
Emory strives to “[e]nsure the highest ethical and professional standards” in all its endeavors and to “[d]evelop outstanding clinicians and investigators who are lifelong learners, who will provide the highest quality compassionate care, and who will serve the needs of their community and the world in the best traditions of our profession.”
Most Emory students wouldn’t dream of ever committing unprofessional behavior in medical school – or of being accused of it. On the contrary, it’s precisely because of academic integrity and ethical conduct, among other reasons, that students here have been invited to study at such an esteemed institution.
That’s why an allegation of unprofessional conduct can come as such a shock to an unassuming student – someone with no intention of violating school policy and likely without a history of having done so anywhere else. If you’re in this position, don’t despair. You aren’t the first conscientious, hard-working medical student to encounter such an obstacle, and you can take on this challenge, no matter how hopeless you might feel at this moment.
If you’ve been accused of breaching a professional standard at Emory, don’t immediately jump to worst-case scenarios – failing a course, being suspended, or even being expelled. Take a deep breath and commit to fighting for your reputation and all you’ve worked toward, with the help of the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team.
We work with students and medical schools nationwide to resolve cases involving allegations of unprofessional conduct in students’ best interests. Call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to initiate a discussion about how we can help you.
What Exactly Does Emory University School of Medicine Mean by ‘Professionalism’?
Promoting professional standards among their student bodies is a definitive goal for any university. In the best cases, universities make their standards of professionalism transparent and easy to understand and access through publicly available student handbooks or policy guides.
At Emory, various programs within the medical school publish their own handbooks, some of which are publicly available and some of which are tucked behind the university intranet, as is the case with Emory’s MD program student handbook. Standards might be consistent across all programs, or they may vary.
To take one example, the Expectations for Professional Conduct contained in the most recently available student handbook for the Master of Medical Science Program in the Department of Anesthesiology includes substantive descriptions of the types of professional conduct students are to demonstrate. Categories include:
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Honesty
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Patient confidentiality
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Trustworthiness
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Respect for others’ rights
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Personal accountability
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Concern for patients’ welfare
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Responsibility to duty
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Professional communication and demeanor
With each category is a description elaborating on the expectation. The handbook describes the last category – professional communication and demeanor – as being thoughtful and kind, maintaining composure under pressure, having a neat and clean appearance, dressing professionally, refraining from being intoxicated, and not using illegal drugs.
Another program, the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, includes in its student handbook a small section on expectations of professional conduct in the classroom relating to punctuality, engagement in class, keeping phones put away, and communicating courteously with others. Elsewhere in the handbook, it details expectations about academic honesty and acceptable behavior, but these expectations aren’t associated explicitly with professionalism, even though one could argue they are one and the same.
In all programs, it is incumbent on the university to ensure students receive, review, and understand expected standards of professionalism.
Can ‘Professionalism’ Mean Different Things to Different People?
The obvious answer is yes. The fact that different programs in the medical school describe different expectations for professionalism is an example of this. Additionally, even when standards of professionalism are published and available to students, the nature of these standards tends to be more subjective than objective, leaving ample room for differences of opinion in what professionalism can mean or look like in different scenarios. Having a neat and clean appearance or dressing professionally might mean one thing to one person. But to another, a certain hairstyle, manicure, or clothing choice by a medical student could be construed as unprofessional, depending on that person’s frame of reference and perhaps cultural bias or age.
Another example: Students in Emory’s Master of Medical Science Program in the Department of Anesthesiology, as a requirement of professional conduct, are prohibited from administering care while under the influence of drugs, including legally prescribed drugs. This puts students who take vital prescribed medicine in a vulnerable position, opening them up to potential disciplinary action for taking medically needed drugs in the classroom, lab, or clinic.
Students in this program, too, are expected to undertake all duties with “alacrity, eagerness, enthusiasm.” There are many subjects studied in medical school, and many duties in the clinic or hospital, that are gravely serious and somber in nature. Working with sick, injured, and dying patients can be incredibly stressful and traumatic. Add to that any personal experiences that may add to a situation’s upsetting nature, and it isn’t hard to imagine that not all duties can be undertaken with eagerness.
These are factors that our Student Defense Team looks out for and takes measures to guard medical students against.
How Our Student Defense Team Can Help You in the Face of an Unprofessionalism Allegation
We are committed to ensuring that accusations of professionalism violations at Emory University School of Medicine don’t derail your education and professional goals. If you are facing possible sanctions for violating professional expectations, such as warnings, grade reductions, additional work, completion of an ethics course, extension of time in the program, probation, or dismissal, we will work hard to keep you in class and keep your transcript and student record clean.
When we take on your case, we will promptly assess the potential consequences you may face and negotiate with Emory to land on the best possible outcome for you. The LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team:
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Secures evidence and testimony supporting your story and not the accuser’s claim.
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Works with you to create a personalized defense strategy.
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Prepares you for each step of the disciplinary process.
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Fights for the outcome you deserve.
When an appeal is necessary, we’re ready to move that forward quickly as well. Let’s get working on your case now. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to tell us about your case and learn about the next steps in protecting your future.