The Medical Student Honor Code Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council) charge and membership can be found on the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development webpage in the Standing Committees of BSOM.
Violations
BSOM students are held to BSOM Professionalism Policy, Medical Student Honor Code, and WSU Code of Conduct.
Since it is not possible to predict all conceivable instances of honor code violations, students have the responsibility always to act in a professional manner and to seek clarification from appropriate sources if they suspect their or that of another student's actions may be in conflict with the goals and intended spirit of the honor code.
Violations of the code, include, but are not limited to:
- Breach of patient confidentiality. Confidentiality violations include sharing or posting of patient information or photos from any clinical setting anywhere in the world.
- Plagiarism of material or misrepresenting submitted work as being a product of a student's own personal creative effort. When written sources of information are used, whether from the medical literature or the internet, students must reference them appropriately.
- Sharing, reproducing, and/or removing secure assessment materials. Such violations are grounds for immediate dismissal.
- Cheating for personal advantage or giving unauthorized academic aid to other students by any method in order to leverage grades, meet deadlines, or complete assigned clinical tasks.
- Falsifying clinical reports, patient records, university materials or experimental research data.
- Conducting research involving human subjects anywhere in the world without assuring it has met requirements for ethics review.
- Restricting access to reference materials used by students to prepare for examinations or clinical assignments.
- Fraudulently assisting or knowingly misleading another student in order to place one in academic jeopardy.
- Sexual, physical, mental, and any form of verbal abuse/harassment of patients, peers, faculty, staff, or any others.
- Theft or malicious damage of property, including computer hacking.
- The use, possession, theft, or sale of illicit drugs or inappropriate use of prescription drugs (e.g. narcotics).
- Participating in any clinical or academic activities while impaired as a result of ingesting alcohol or mood-altering drugs on school, hospital, or clinical premises.
- Misrepresentation of a student's status as a physician or resident.
- Failure to personally fulfill mandatory clinical duties, responsibilities and/or assignments, or to leave clinical placements during assigned hours without permission.
Reporting Violations of the Honor Code
For concerns about unprofessional or self-destructive behaviors of peers, including substance abuse, addictions, on- or off-campus or on the internet, concerned observers should use mature judgment when addressing honor code violations or other concerns.
If this self-regulating person-to-person interaction does not resolve the concern, the observer should report it as soon as possible, with specific details to the most relevant person in authority, whether an examination proctor, faculty member, preceptor, course director, ombudsperson, or using EthicsPoint.
If concerns remain, the observer should speak with the Associate Dean and provide all available material evidence or documentation that substantiates the alleged violation.
- Academic dishonesty: copies of the student's work with a written explanation should be provided.
- Misconduct on an examination: a copy of the examination and details regarding the process of discovery should be provided.
- Plagiarism: copies of the original source with the plagiarized text highlighted should be provided.
Administrative Responsibilities
- The Associate Dean assesses the evidence supporting the alleged violation (to protect the student from slander and/or libel, defamation of character or unsubstantiated allegations) and determines if sufficient cause for investigation exists. The Associate Dean attempts to resolve the concern when the evidence is judged insufficient to warrant formal investigation by the Council.
- The Associate Dean will be circumspect in reviewing allegations and in interacting with faculty and students and will maintain strict confidentiality while investigating allegations of improper behavior.
- The Associate Dean will notify the chair of the Council within seven working days when referring a reported violation and schedule a meeting of the Council within 30 days of the filing of the report, unless the academic schedule precludes convening the Council. If the Council cannot be convened because of breaks in the academic calendar, honor code violations may be referred to the Student Promotion Committee or the Deans’ Council.
- If in the course of investigating student misconduct the Associate Dean observes conduct by a student that requires immediate intervention, he/she may do so to protect the welfare of the student or of others. If indicated a formal hearing by the Council will be scheduled as soon as possible following such action.
- The Associate Dean, at his or her discretion, may elect to refer complaints involving professionalism, including alleged honor code violations, to the Deans’ Council or the Student Promotion Committee, rather than the Honor Code Council.
Honor Code Council Procedures
- At least seven days in advance of the Honor Code Council meeting, the student charged with a violation will be given written notification in person, via electronic mail (request delivery and read receipts), and/or by certified mail of the date, time, and location of the hearing. This written notification will include a description of the alleged violation, a copy of the Medical Student Professional Honor Code, a list of the Council members, and the names of any witnesses who will give testimony at the hearing. If the student chooses not to appear before the Council as notified, the hearing will be conducted in the student's absence.
- Prior to the hearing, the student has the right to challenge the objectivity of a member by communicating to the Council chair or the Associate Dean in writing. The chair may consult with the Associate Dean and the Council member in question to determine if the Council member should be disqualified. Members of the Council who believe they have a conflict of interest may disqualify themselves. If a student member of the Council is disqualified, the designated alternate will replace the disqualified member.
- The student may select a faculty or administrative advisor to assist prior to and during the hearing.
- The student's appearance before the Council is a confidential academic hearing and not a legal proceeding. Therefore, an attorney may not accompany the student.
- In order to preserve the integrity of the testimony presented at the Council hearing, the Office of Student Affairs will audio tape the sessions and archive the printed summary.
- The student is encouraged to present a written and/or verbal rebuttal to the allegations and may ask witnesses to be present. Evidence supporting the allegation(s) will be presented at the hearing.
- The student or assistant may question witnesses.
- At the conclusion, Council members will deliberate in private and make a recommendation by majority vote. The chair will not vote except in the event of a tie.
- The Council may consider previous infractions of the Honor Code, including infractions determined by the Student Promotions Committee or other relevant academic committees, in arriving at a recommendation.
- The Council may take one of the following actions:
- No corrective action when there is insufficient evidence to support the allegation of an Honor Code violation.
- A sealed written reprimand to be placed in the student's academic file that chronicles the violation. The reprimand will remain sealed and will be destroyed after the student's graduation if there are no further honor code violations.
- A written reprimand to be placed in the student's academic file that chronicles the violation. This information can be included in the student's Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean's letter) at the discretion of the Council and remain a permanent component of the student's file.
- Require the student to seek professional assistance at the student’s expense.
- Require specific conditions that must be fulfilled to continue as a student.
- Require the student's examination/report/product or experience to be discarded, that an incomplete be assigned to the academic record, and that the student be required to satisfactorily complete compensatory work or be re- evaluated on relevant facts to demonstrate a mastery of the material.
- Require that a course/clerkship grade of F or “No Pass” be assigned. The student's remedy for the failing grade will be to repeat the entire course with a notation of "Failed Course Due to Academic Dishonesty" appearing on the transcript. The Council has the option of expunging this notation from the student's transcript at a later date or upon graduation.
- Require a temporary suspension with the notation of "Suspended for Violation of Honor Code" permanently placed on the student’s transcript.
- Recommend to the Dean of Medicine permanent dismissal with the notation of "Dismissed for Violation of Honor Code" placed on the student’s transcript.
- The student will be notified verbally and/or in writing of the final decision of the Medical Student Honor Code Council.
Appeal of Decisions Made by the Medical Student Honor Code Council
Appeals follow the BSOM Appeals Policy.
Approved by Executive Committee 6/8/2006.