Preliminary Meeting for Professional Conduct Violations
In the event that either mediation of a personal grievance did not reach resolution and or the violation was not a personal grievance, a preliminary meeting will be held. The preliminary meeting will be informational and investigative in nature. The ADSAA will discuss with the student the accusations and the student’s options. The student will be given the Professional Conduct Code Charge and Process form to sign, indicating the selected option. The student’s options are as follows:
- If the student accepts responsibility for any/all violation(s), the ADSAA will decide if the matter will be resolved either by the ADSAA with an administrative decision or referred to the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) for resolution at the discretion of the ADSAA. The student has two (2) working days to notify the ADSAA of their decision to accept or not accept responsibility for any/all violation(s).
- If the student does not accept responsibility for any/all violation(s), the matter will be investigated further by the ADSAA or individual designated by the ADSAA. This investigation is not a determination of guilt, but rather the gathering of additional information to determine if there is enough to substantiate the violation. If enough evidence of a violation is found, the ADSAA will have five (5) working days to inform the PCC of the violation(s) and they will schedule a meeting with the student.
- At the discretion of the ADSAA, this meeting can serve as an educational and/or professionalism discussion and the charge form does not need to be signed. It will be noted in writing by the ADSAA if the charge form does not need to be signed by the student.
Professional Conduct Committee (PCC)
Professional Conduct Committee:
The purpose of the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) is to ensure that graduates of any of the programs within the LMU-CVM have the skills and judgement to assume the responsibilities of a veterinary professional.
A student will meet with the PCC for the following reasons:
- They were accused of a Professional Conduct Code violation and either the student did not accept responsibility for any/all violations or the ADSAA referred the case to the PCC for resolution
- Significant professionalism issues that have not been resolved with mediated conversations
- Patient Welfare Deficiencies during patient care have accumulated to 3 or more points in a semester
The goal of a meeting with the Professional Conduct Committee is to gain insight into the situation so that the committee can make an informed recommendation to the Dean of LMU-CVM. The committee’s recommendation will be based on the individual situation and the severity of the violation.
Procedure:
Once the student has been notified that they will be meeting with the PCC, the meeting will be scheduled within five (5) business days. The PCC meeting will include: three (3) voting members from the committee, the committee chair, an ex officio member and the recording secretary. During the meeting, the student will have an opportunity to discuss the situation and any justification for their actions. The student should plan to come prepared for this meeting with proposed actions or steps to correct this situation. Meetings with the PCC may be in person or via video conferencing. During the meeting with the PCC, the student is permitted to bring notes on paper, but any backpacks, bags or electronic devices should be left outside the room. The student is allowed to bring a Procedural Advocate (PA) into the meeting, but can not bring anyone else including legal counsel or other uninvited individuals. The description of the role of the procedural advocate can be found in Procedures for Academic Deficiencies.
Once the committee has been presented with all material and the student has been given the opportunity to speak on their own behalf and present information in support of their position, the committee must then make a recommendation. The discussion will be held in private conference with only the members (voting and non-voting, including the ex officio and the recording secretary) in attendance. The voting members of the committee will make their recommendation to the Dean with the understanding that only a preponderance of evidence is required for action to be taken to reach a recommendation. The committee should base their recommendation on the following:
- What are the relevant circumstances in this case?
- What is an appropriate resolution in this case?
After an initial recommendation is reached, based on a majority of votes, the committee may adjourn for one working day to allow for individual and private reflection. The committee will then communicate to either reaffirm its position or reach a new recommendation (again only requiring a majority of votes) on an alternative recommendation.
All recommendations by the PCC will be delivered to the Dean in writing within five (5) working days.
Patient Welfare Deficiency Procedures
If a student accrues two (2) or more patient welfare deficiency points in a semester, then they may have a mediated discussion with the LMU-CVM Clinical Skills Course Directors or the Attending Veterinarian, which they may involve additional staff or faculty members involved with the situation. During that meeting, the student should be prepared to discuss the patient care deficiencies and how they will prevent additional deficiencies from occurring in the future. The Clinical Skills Course Directors or the Attending Veterinarian may determine that the situation is resolved after this meeting or may require an administrative decision.
If a student accrues three (3) or more patient care deficiency points in a semester, then the student will meet with either the LMU-CVM Clinical Skills Course Directors or the Attending Veterinarian to discuss the situation. The Course Directors or Attending Veterinarian may choose to send that to the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) for further consideration or it may be resolved with an administrative decision.
Resolution of Professional Conduct Code Violations
If the PCC does not find the student responsible for professional conduct or patient care violation, then they may recommend no further action.
If the PCC finds that the student is responsible for either Professional Conduct Code violation or a Patient Welfare Deficiency, then sanctions will be recommended. All disciplinary decisions are based on the nature of the specific behavior and the degree of the violation.
The Dean of LMU-CVM will have five (5) working days upon receiving the recommendation for a resolution from the ADSAA or PCC to make the final decision. Decisions are reported electronically to the student, with copies sent to the Chair of the PCC and ADSAA.