VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

• To promote an environment of safety and respect, a student may decline permission for a specific student or instructor to perform a physical examination, procedure, or treatment or may ask for a different table assignment due to a prior relationship or interaction with that student or instructor or if something has occurred outside of the laboratory that has contributed to the student feeling uncomfortable. If a student requests this, the request must be in writing and by meeting with the Discipline Chair. • Students and faculty are notified that when a situation occurs where the student or faculty member is requested to do an examination or perform an OMM treatment outside the OMM classroom or OMM laboratory environment, that the OMM exam and treatment on the student should be done for academic (student learning) purposes only. When this occurs it should be in the academic setting and must always be a learning event that includes no less than three people in the room. By assuring three persons in the room, there will be no misunderstandings about the examination or treatment. This is the responsibility of both the student and the faculty member. o As an example, if a student is seeking an examination or treatment explanation from an instructor in their office or the laboratory outside of normal laboratory times, he or she should ask another student to accompany them. o Another example is if a student comes to a faculty member’s office to seek instruction on an examination or treatment, the faculty member should ask that the student retrieve another student to be present for the exam. • VCOM recognizes that students often practice their examination and treatment methods on other students when off campus in settings such as their homes. While VCOM is not recommending this occurrence, VCOM does recognize the occurrence. VCOM has no supervision, authority, or liability over such sessions. VCOM does recommend to students that if he or she is practicing techniques outside of the laboratory, this should only be done with peer students and should not involve non-students, as this may be considered treating a patient without a license or supervision. A practice session that includes only VCOM students outside of the classroom or laboratory should include no less than three students to ensure no misunderstandings occur. The student should not practice techniques in which the student is not skilled. VCOM assumes no responsibility for the practice of techniques outside of the classroom. • In all PPC/OMM laboratories where students are learning examinations or treatment, there are a minimum of 6 instructors and up to 10 instructors for each laboratory. The normal OMM laboratory provides a student to instructor ratio of 1 to 8, so all examinations and conversations are witnessed. Any inappropriate behavior should be reported to the Discipline Chair. • Students are advised that all osteopathic techniques provided in medical practice necessitate informed consent. However osteopathic techniques performed in the educational laboratory setting for the purpose of learning and acquiring skills and performed by a peer student or a faculty instructor in the act of teaching do not require informed consent. Informed consent is implied as the student is attending the laboratory and has observed the demonstration of the technique in the lecture and laboratory prior to having the technique performed. The student’s consent is therefore affirmed by the student’s voluntary participation in the laboratory to learn the technique (as well as enrollment in the course). • If a student chooses to see a faculty member as a physician for an osteopathic treatment as a patient and this is not as a part of a learning event, the student should see the faculty member in a medical practice environment where he or she will be required to sign an informed consent. Faculty do not provide medical treatment for students in the laboratory setting or outside of their medical practice. In such a case the student seeks care from the faculty member, and the faculty member provides such care in their practice, the faculty member can no longer be considered the students faculty instructor and must avoid providing an academic evaluation of the student. This is the responsibility of both the student and the instructor to comply. • Peer physical examinations will also not be used for intimate exams or invasive procedures. VCOM will use simulation equipment such as partial task trainers for procedures such as intubation, phlebotomy, intravenous line insertion, and other invasive examinations or treatments.

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