VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

on the exam. Students should come to the peer tutoring session prepared to participate by being aware of their areas of strength and weakness in relation to the curriculum and bringing suggestions for topics or questions. Students are informed in the beginning of the year of the existence of the peer tutoring program and schedules are provided throughout the year. After VCOM’s Medical Education Department publishes the block calendars, tutoring sessions are scheduled in preparation for upcoming exams and published for the class. Recruitment of Peer Tutors First and second year students serve as peer tutors for their respective class year. This is important to ensure that the tutor is up to date on the curriculum being taught as well as being familiar with the current faculty expectations and teaching styles. Tutors must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.6 or greater, score an 86% or greater on the exams for the course they are tutoring, pass all courses and portions of courses with a 70% or greater and not have to remediate a course or portion of a course, and maintain a minimum of a 70% in all courses or portions of coursed during the block. Any students interested in becoming a peer tutor must complete the “VCOM Peer Tutor Application Form”, which details expectations of the tutors. A meeting for tutors is held once in the fall (for orientation) and once in the spring (for continued training). Orientation is provided by The Center for Institutional, Faculty, and Student Success. Tutors must participate in orientation prior to their first tutoring session. VCOM keeps a record of students who serve as peer tutors and includes this information on the student’s MSPE or Dean’s Letter, which is provided as a part of residency programs application. Assistance for Matriculated Students with Disabilities Students should first refer to the Technical Standards for Matriculation and Continued Enrollment section of this H andbook . Each Technical Standard listed in this Handbook was derived from standards that Osteopathic physicians deem necessary for the safe and effective practice of osteopathic medicine and; therefore, VCOM faculty and administration require the Technical Standards to be met (mandatory). Students with disabilities must read the Technical Standards for Admission and Continued Enrollment in the Admissions Section of this Handbook . VCOM recognizes that there are varying levels of disability and student needs to be successful. VCOM is committed to supporting those students with disabilities who, with accommodation, can meet the Technical Standards. VCOM has provided reasonable accommodations to many students with various handicaps that have enabled the student to be successful. Reasonable accommodations do occur if the student qualifies for such accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the accommodations allow the student to meet the Technical Standards designated to safely practice osteopathic medicine and to be successful in the VCOM curriculum. Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. It prohibits discrimination against individuals who meet the definition of disability in the act, and it is applied to entities that receive federal funding. Under 504 and the ADA, a person is considered to have a disability if that person: has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. The student is required to function with independence, to learn and perform all the skills described in the Technical Standards that include coursework; pathology, microbiology, and anatomy laboratories; clinical physical diagnosis experiences; osteopathic manipulative medicine laboratories; and frequent and routine testing. Students must also meet the Technical Standards to provide safe and effective clinical care, with reasonable accommodation to complete third- and fourth-year rotations in the hospital and ambulatory settings. VCOM is committed to assuring patient safety and to assuring a safe and effective environment that does not place patients and/or VCOM students, faculty, and staff at risk. VCOM facilities are handicap accessible.

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