VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

Responsibilities of the Student Students who are removed from clinical duties due to fatigue should rest at the hospital/clinical site (e.g. call room) prior to driving home or arrange alternative transportation. After resting, if they remain too fatigued to transport themselves home safely, the student should initiate a ride through a commercial service or have a friend/family member pick them up and drive them home. A student who is released from a clinical assignment due to fatigue must meet with the supervising clinical faculty member and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs/Associate Dean for OMS 4 and GME to identify the underlying reasons for impairment and discuss the circumstances of their release and fitness to return to duty. A student who is released from a clinical assignment due to fatigue must have permission to resume work from the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs/Associate Dean for OMS 4 and GME. Any student who notices a co-student’s fatigue has the professional responsibility to notify the supervising attending, DSME, and the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs/Associate Dean for OMS 4 and GME without fear of reprisal or retaliation. A student who feels excessively fatigued has the professional responsibility to notify the supervising clinical faculty member, DSME, and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs/Associate Dean for OMS 4 and GME without fear of reprisal or retaliation. Background Checks A background check is mandatory prior to matriculation and will be required on one or more occasions during the four years of enrollment. A background check is required to assure the applicant is not a risk to fellow students, faculty, staff, or patients and to assure the applicant or student has the appropriate insight and judgment to participate in clinical care and to become a physician professional with ethical behaviors. Applicants and students should also be aware that certain violations on a background check may be an impediment to licensure or obtaining a residency position upon graduation. Failure to report an arrest or criminal charge during the application process that is later found on a background check will result in a Professional and Ethics Standards Board. VCOM students have periodic background checks performed during the four years of training. Current or accepted students involved in an arrest or criminal charge for any illegal behavior (whether guilty or not guilty) while enrolled at VCOM must be reported to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs within 72 hours from the time of the charge or arrest. Students who do not report an arrest or criminal charge while a student are considered as acting in an unprofessional and/or unethical manner and may be suspended until a Professional and Ethics Standards Board is held. The student is advised that a recommendation by a third party (such as a lawyer or fellow student) to not report an arrest or criminal charge is not an acceptable excuse to not follow this policy. Arrests and Illegal Behavior VCOM recognizes that students may be arrested for a minor offense such as a traffic violation. Students are required to report arrests or criminal charges of any type as a part of their secondary application (except as excluded by law) and any arrest or criminal charge after acceptance that may occur prior to enrollment. Arrests, Illegal Behavior, and Background Checks

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