VCOM Institutional Policy and Procedure Manual

VCOM Policy and Procedure

Policy #S014

worthy of trust and the students holding themselves and the student body accountable for that trust is an integral component of making them worthy of trust. The VCOM student Honor Code is based upon the VCOM Student Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct (see Appendix A) and the professional and ethical expectations of an osteopathic medical student and future physician in training. The VCOM Honor Code of Conduct is maintained by the students for the student body in order to protect their right to participate in an academic environment free from injustice caused by dishonesty and a health professions environment that embraces professionalism and ethical behavior. The VCOM Honor Code is upheld by the Honor Code Council. It is not possible to enumerate all examples of expected academic and professional behavior, nor is it possible to enumerate all behaviors that would be considered inappropriate, unprofessional, unethical, or not in keeping with the standards of a VCOM student. Specific examples of behavior that may constitute a violation of the VCOM Honor Code include, but are not limited to, the following: A. Cheating: Providing or receiving any unauthorized assistance or unfair advantage on any form of academic work, or attempt thereof. Sharing information from testing/exams is also considered a form of cheating. B. Plagiarism: Copying the language, structure, ideas, algorithms, or computer code of another and representing it as one’s own work on any form of academic work or attempts thereof. C. Falsification: Fabrication of information on any form of academic work or attempt thereof; including but not limited to the following: i. Clinical requirements; ii. Clerkships; iii. Assignments such as: histories, physicals, laboratory tests, rotation records, etc. D. Disruptive Behavior: Any inappropriate etiquette or inappropriate disturbance repeated often enough to establish a disrespectful trend. Inappropriate disturbances include, but are not limited to, the following: i. Repeatedly arriving late for class, or leaving class while in progress; ii. Disrupting class with pagers or cell phones or use of pagers or cell phones for personal reasons in the academic setting; iii. Disrupting class with computers, computer games, or website surfing; iv. Disrupting class with loud talking, or other activities that create a distraction; v. Leaving trash in classrooms or academic areas; vi. Bringing food into unauthorized areas or hosting food functions without permission; vii. Posting unapproved materials or approved posting in inappropriate areas; viii. Parking in inappropriate or reserved spaces; or ix. Repeated dress-code violations. E. Discrimination: Student expectations include the expectation not to discriminate on the basis of age, gender, sex, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, ancestry, marital status, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a protected veteran. VCOM has a commitment to nondiscrimination against any individual or group

Code of Conduct/Professional and Ethical Behavior Policy

Page 2 of 17