If you are a student at Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCU-COM) at its Joplin campus, congratulations – you’ve distinguished yourself just by being admitted to the school. All of your hard work in college and many hours studying for and taking the MCATs have paid off. Of course, if you encounter issues while at KCU-COM Joplin that could jeopardize your enrollment there, it is important that you take it seriously. That means understanding what is happening and taking careful steps to defend yourself and your future as an osteopathic physician.
The best way to make sure you are doing everything you can to protect your enrollment at KCU-COM in a situation where you may face dismissal from the medical school is to work with one of the experienced attorneys from the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team. We understand not only the different types of issues that can result in a medical student being dismissed from KCU-COM, but also what it takes to defend against that kind of extreme outcome. Don’t hesitate if your status as a student at KCU-COM Joplin is in danger. Call the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or submit our online contact form, and we’ll schedule a confidential consultation to learn more about your case and explain how we can help.
Common Reasons for Dismissal
KCU-COM Joplin has a wide range of policies and procedures that can affect a student’s enrollment status. Many of these can be found in the KCU Student Handbook, while more are available to students via KCU’s online policy library. If you are a student at KCU-COM Joplin and haven’t carefully reviewed the school’s policies that apply to students enrolled in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, it is important that you do so. You do not want to have your enrollment at KCU-COM jeopardized because you failed to follow a requirement that you knew nothing about.
Of course, students who commit serious misconduct at KCU-COM Joplin can find themselves facing possible dismissal from the medical school. KCU-COM’s Student Handbook warns that students “are held to standards of professional conduct.” They are expected to maintain the same ethical standards that the osteopathic medical profession is expected to follow, and to adhere to “the highest standards of integrity, honesty, and personal conduct at all times on and off campus.”
Earlier versions of the Student Handbook provided more detail. For example, students who engaged in any form of dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism, or providing false information to the school, could expect to face discipline. Using or possessing illegal drugs, or attending classes or clinical sessions while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, is also prohibited. Current students should carefully review the school’s online policy library for the most current version of the school’s detailed Code of Professional Conduct.
That said, almost all medical schools, including KCU-COM, will give themselves a wide range of latitude when it comes to reasons for disciplining students. As the school has noted, “It is not possible to enumerate all forms of inappropriate behavior” that can lead to disciplinary action.
In addition to its Code of Professional Conduct, KCU-COM Joplin is also required to enforce Title IX, the set of federal laws, regulations, and rules that protect students against sexual and other types of discrimination. KCU-COM has a separate set of procedures that apply in Title IX cases, and make no mistake about it – students who are found to have committed Title IX misconduct can be dismissed from the medical school.
Misconduct is not the only reason a student at KCU-COM Joplin can face the possibility of being dismissed from the medical school. KCU-COM has its own policies that apply to academic progress issues, which are reviewed and decided by the school’s Student Progress Committee. While generally a single failed course or even two failed courses will not lead to the student being dismissed, any student who fails more than two courses, sections, or clerkships will find themselves in danger of being dismissed from KCU-COM. More detail is available in KCU’s Student Academic Progress Policy, which students can review on KCU’s private network.
Failing a course typically does not happen out of the blue. Most students who are doing poorly in a course know well in advance that they may fail it because they have been receiving poor grades or evaluations throughout. This is why it is so important to pay close attention to each grade that you get as you progress through each of your courses. In some cases, you may find that the grade you receive is lower than what you believe you should have been given.
When this happens, the first thing you should do is raise your concerns with your Course Director. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can help prepare you for these kinds of informal meetings. Your chances of improving your grade go up considerably if you show up to your meeting with detailed information supporting your request for a higher mark. We can help you compile that information and prepare you for your meeting, so that you have the best chance of achieving a favorable result.
While final grades can be appealed, it is important to pay close attention to the timing: KCU-COM requires grade appeals to be submitted within 8 business days after the last day of the course. That’s not a lot of time to prepare and file a strong grade appeal.
You also need to provide specific information in your appeal. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can help you draft a comprehensive appeal that meets KCU-COM Joplin’s appeal requirements and is as persuasive as possible given the facts of your particular case.
The Adjudication Process
Whether you are facing potential dismissal from KCU-COM Joplin because of academic issues or because of allegations of misconduct, there are specific (and different) procedures that the school will follow. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can review your case and make sure you follow the specific procedures that apply when it comes to defending yourself against the possibility of being dismissed from KCU-COM Joplin. You don’t want to try to navigate what can be a confusing process by yourself while at the same time trying to build a strong defense and also attending medical school. When you work with us, we can focus on your defense, and you can focus on continuing your learning.
The LLF National Law Firm Can Help Defend You
In any academic or misconduct situation where dismissal is a possibility, you need a strong and effective defense. The attorneys at the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team have years of experience helping students who are facing similar situations. Whether your issues are with your academics or your conduct, we are here for you. This is what we do for students all across the U.S., in colleges, graduate programs, and of course, medical schools.
Our attorneys know the laws, rules, policies, and procedures that schools like KCU-COM have in place for academic progression cases as well as misconduct proceedings. When you work with us, we’ll use our experience for your benefit, to do everything we can so that you can continue to learn at KCU-COM Joplin.
To learn more about how we can help you with your particular case, contact the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team. You can reach us at 888.535.3686 or by submitting our contact form. Let us schedule a confidential consultation where you can explain the issues you are facing, and we can explain how we can help.