STUDENT PROGRESS SYSTEM

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is a professional community of faculty, students, administrators, and staff who share responsibility for the achievement of a common goal: the training of competent physicians who shall exhibit and maintain high standards of professional and personal conduct.  Achievement of this goal is a complex process with many steps through which the student must progress.  The progress of students shall be monitored to ensure and facilitate each student’s adherence to established standards of Academic Conduct which is defined to include Academic Performance and Professional Conduct.  This document describes the system employed by the School of Medicine for considering matters of student progress.

The primary objectives of any educational institution are broadly academic in nature:  the institution exists to help the student acquire knowledge and to certify that knowledge has been acquired.  However, where training of physicians is concerned, special consideration is also given to noncognitive expectations related to Academic Performance as well as to Professional Conduct.  Certification by a school of medicine implies that the student has acquired the knowledge and has demonstrated the behaviors and conduct necessary to assume the responsibility for the protection of human life and health. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the School of Medicine to define specifically the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective competencies required of its graduates.  This function is predominantly the responsibility of the faculty of the School of Medicine who, as representatives of the medical profession and the medical school community, define the standards of Academic Performance and Professional Conduct to which individual medical students must conform.

Knowledge alone does not ensure academic competence.  It is also necessary that knowledge be employed in a skillful, responsible, and ethical manner.  Accordingly, schools of medicine, through their faculty, must establish and maintain standards to certify that their graduates are competent and complete medical doctors who have met the cognitive and noncognitive Academic Performance and Professional Conduct goals and objectives.

The noncognitive goals include consistent display of behavior congruent with the standards of the profession. Medical students shall not demonstrate behavior that is considered to render them unfit for a career in medicine or that shall cast serious doubts upon their potential suitability or competence as physicians.  Such inappropriate behavior includes, but is not limited to, demonstration of poor judgment, lack of integrity, inappropriate interpersonal relations with patients, faculty, or peers, poor self-discipline, lack of responsibility or dependability, or inability to recognize personal limitations or to function under pressure.  Medical students shall demonstrate sensitive and humane consideration for patients by projecting a professional image through proper communication, attitude, behavior, manner, dress, and grooming.

Medical students are members of the medical community.  While trainee status dictates restriction of their privileges within this community, medical students are equally responsible for their Professional Conduct throughout their entire medical school training.  Professional Conduct includes, but is not limited to, behavior consistent with the highest standards of professional and personal integrity and honesty, as well as compliance with laws, rules, regulations, and applicable guidelines.

In summary, it is the responsibility of the faculty to define for the institution Academic Conduct standards related to both Academic Performance and Professional Conduct.  It is the responsibility of all members of the School of Medicine community, but primarily of the faculty, to determine that the standards have been met

Promotion within the curriculum and graduation from the program with the granting of the M.D. degree are based on satisfactorily meeting the performance standards established by the faculty.  Both cognitive and noncognitive objectives are developed by faculty, and performance standards are defined by faculty to determine acceptable levels of performance.

A.            Performance Standards

Evaluation of student progress is determined by achievement of identified curricular objectives.  At the end of appropriate curricular segments, each student’s performance is evaluated.  Faculty-determined performance standards are established for such curricular segments.

B.            Completion of Curricular Segments

To complete an appropriate curricular segment, a student must achieve both the cognitive and noncognitive objectives specified by faculty.

In order to achieve cognitive objectives, a student must demonstrate the acquisition of a specific data base as well as the development of reasoning and problem solving abilities, appropriate technical and procedural skills, clinical sophistication in history and physical examination, problem identification and integration, diagnosis and patient management, use of investigations, and patient education.

In order to achieve noncognitive objectives, a student must demonstrate behavior congruent with the medical profession including, but not limited to, the following:  self-directed learning; effective time utilization; critical thinking; sound judgment; appropriate interpersonal relations with faculty, patients, and peers; self-evaluation; self-discipline; proper dress and grooming; responsibility; motivation; dependability; integrity; emotional and professional maturity; ability to recognize personal limitations and to function under pressure; and both oral and written communication skills.

C.            Remediation of Curricular Segments

If a student does not achieve the objectives for an appropriate curricular segment, remedial experiences may be required.  Such remediation shall be recommended by the faculty.  It should be emphasized, however, that remediation of comprehensive examinations, as appropriate, shall be permitted only upon specific approval of the Student Progress Committee (SPC).  If necessary, adjustments in the student’s curricular program will be considered by the SPC on a case by case basis. 

D.            Promotion

1.            Year One and Year Two

Promotion from Year One to Year Two requires satisfactory completion of that academic year.  In addition, all students may be required to complete satisfactorily a comprehensive examination developed by the faculty of the School of Medicine.  Exceptions are possible only under special circumstances as determined following review by the Student Progress Committee (SPC).  When making recommendations for promotion to Year Two, the SPC will evaluate and consider all aspects of a student’s academic performance during the year.  Students will be administratively dismissed during a repeat year for failing to meet satisfactory academic performance standards as outlined in the Year One Curriculum Committee Student Progress Document.  An administrative dismissal is a procedure whereby a student who has not met such academic performance standards is dismissed upon recommendation of the Year One Curriculum Student Progress Sub-Committee but without a formal SPC dismissal meeting.

Promotion from Year Two to Year Three requires satisfactory completion of that academic year. In addition, all students may be required to complete satisfactorily a comprehensive examination developed by the faculty of the School of Medicine.  Exceptions are possible only under special circumstances as determined following review by the Student Progress Committee (SPC).  When making recommendations for promotion to Year Three, the SPC will evaluate and consider all aspects of a student’s academic performance in Year One and Year Two.  Students will be administratively dismissed during a repeat year for failing to meet satisfactory academic performance standards as outlined in the Year Two Curriculum Committee Student Progress Document.  An administrative dismissal is a procedure whereby a student who has not met such academic performance standards is dismissed upon recommendation of the Year Two Curriculum Student Progress Sub-Committee but without a formal SPC dismissal meeting.

The School of Medicine requires that students will complete both Years One and Two in no more than three academic years.  Failure to do so will result in an administrative dismissal.  Such an administrative dismissal is a procedure whereby a student who has not met the above academic standard is dismissed upon recommendation of the Student Progress Committee and approved by the Dean. In the case of administrative dismissal, no formal SPC dismissal meeting is held.

2.            The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)

Passage of the USMLE, Step 1, is required for graduation from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.  All students are required to take the exam and record a score prior to beginning Year Three.  Failure of the exam may result in a formal review of academic performance by the Student Progress Committee.  Based upon this review, the Student Progress Committee will recommend appropriate action to the Dean, which may include, but need not be limited to, Special Student Status, Formal Warning, Probation, or Dismissal from the School of Medicine. Students who have not passed USMLE Step 1 within two years of finishing Year 4 will automatically be withdrawn from the School of Medicine.

3.            Year Three and Year Four

Completion of Year Three and Year Four requires satisfactory completion of those academic years. In addition, all students will be required to complete a comprehensive clinical competency examination (CCX), developed by the faculty of the School of Medicine. Unsatisfactory performance on any component of the CCX may result in a recommendation for remediation. Exceptions are possible only under special circumstances as determined following review by the Student Progress Committee (SPC).  When making recommendations for graduation, the SPC will evaluate and consider all aspects of a student’s academic performance while in medical school.

E.            Failure to Achieve Objectives

When, after due consideration of a student’s overall cognitive and noncognitive academic performance and any special circumstances, it has been determined that the student has failed to meet identified objectives, the student may be given Formal Warning, placed on Probation, Leave of Absence, or Special Student Status, or dismissed from the School of Medicine.  Any of these actions may be taken based upon the severity of the student’s academic performance deficiency.  Progressive implementation of the above actions shall not be required.

A student, who fails to meet the objectives of any curricular segment, or curricular year, may be required to repeat the same segment, or year, or to participate in other remedial activities as deemed appropriate by the Student Progress Committee. Unlimited opportunity to repeat curricular segments or years is neither feasible nor desirable.  Accordingly, frequency of remediation of curricular segments and/or the extent of the student’s inability to remediate shall be a major consideration in determining the severity of the student’s academic performance deficiency.

A student may be dismissed from the School of Medicine as a result of frequent remediation, or repetition of curricular segments.  A student may be dismissed from the School of Medicine if the student does not pass the USMLE as described earlier in this section (Section 3-101, D.2), or if, in the absence of extraordinary circumstances, it is necessary to repeat the same curricular year more than once or a subsequent curricular year.

In this regard, it should be emphasized that a pattern of academic performance difficulty creates serious doubts about a student’s competence and potential ability to function as a physician.  As a student moves from Year One through Year Four, there are increasing expectations relative to academic performance.  Accordingly, when a student has experienced prior academic performance deficiencies, there will be decreasing tolerance by the School of Medicine for deficient performance in subsequent curricular activities.  In such instances, the Student Progress Committee may consider probation or dismissal to be appropriate

A.     Students are required to conform to standards of Professional Conduct.   The SIU School of Medicine Honor Code (See Appendix) describes those attributes and behaviors that all physicians and medical students should exhibit. Any deviation from these behaviors may be viewed a Professional Conduct failure. Violations of the standards of Professional Conduct include, but are not limited to:

1. Representing the work of another as one’s own work, or participating in plagiarism by preparing a writing with the knowledge that it is to be used by another as that person’s own work.
2. Cheating by any method or means.
3. Furnishing false information to officials of the University or the School of Medicine.
4. Restricting the use of generally available resource materials in a manner prejudicial to the interest of other students.
5. Falsifying or manufacturing scientific or educational data and representing the same to be the result of scientific or scholarly experiment or research.
6. Falsifying by omission or commission any information pertinent to patient care.
7. Disclosing confidential or privileged information inappropriately or unethically.
8. Failing to comply with federal and/or state laws, rules and/or regulations applicable to or promulgated by the University or the School of Medicine, affiliated hospitals, or other medical institutions, and/or other applicable rules, regulations, or guidelines either stated or published.
9. Failing to demonstrate behavior consistent with the standards of the profession, including personal and professional integrity and honesty.
10. Failing to abide by the terms and conditions of the School of Medicine Honor Code.

B.     When, after due consideration, it has been determined that a student has failed to conform to standards of Professional Conduct, the student may be given Formal  Warning, placed on Probation, Leave of Absence, or Special Student Status, or dismissed from the School of Medicine.  Any of these actions may be taken based upon the severity of the Professional Conduct violation in question, as well as prior Professional Conduct violations.  Progressive implementation of the above actions shall not be required.

Graduation is recommended by the Student Progress Committee to the Dean when a student has met the Standards of Academic Conduct including Academic Performance and Professional Conduct previously described.  The Dean shall accept and act upon the recommendation of the SPC barring compelling reasons to the contrary.

A.            Definition

The Student Progress Committee (SPC) is a standing School of Medicine committee which is responsible for monitoring the progress of all students through the curriculum.

B.            Responsibilities and Jurisdiction

The SPC shall function under the Student Progress System as an advisory body to the Dean.  The responsibilities of the Committee are to monitor student progress, identify problem areas, assist students in dealing with these problems, and determine whether the established standards of Academic Conduct have been met.  The SPC may delegate any or all of its responsibilities to an appointed subcommittee or subcommittees.

Problems may be identified and reported through such means as written evaluation by School of Medicine departments and communications from individual members of the medical school community and from the Student Advisory Committee.  Ordinarily such concerns are directed to the SPC Chair, who establishes the agenda for meetings and/or other proceedings as appropriate. The SPC shall have jurisdiction to consider all matters of Academic Conduct as previously defined to include Academic Performance and Professional Conduct.  The SPC is responsible for conducting meetings and other proceedings in accordance with these procedures, making recommendations for actions to the Dean of the School of Medicine as appropriate, and implementing final decisions of the Dean as appropriate.  SPC recommendations may include, but are not limited to the following:

1.            Graduation.

2.            Promotion.

3.            Remediation.

4.            Counseling.

5.            Leaves of Absence.

a.            Voluntary:  A student may request a Leave of Absence from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee.  The request must be in writing and must set out the dates and reasons therefor and the proposed use of Leave of Absence time.  The Associate Dean for Student Affairs or designee may grant the request or refer the request to the SPC for action.  If the request is granted, then the SPC will be informed of this action. If the request is referred to the SPC for action, then the SPC will evaluate the request and make a recommendation to the Dean.  If a Leave of Absence is granted, then conditions may be specified, which must be met by the student during the Leave of Absence period.

b.            Involuntary:  Under extraordinary circumstances, the Chair of the SPC or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs may recommend to the Dean that a student be placed on Leave of Absence. In imposing a Leave of Absence, the Dean may specify conditions that must be met during the period of the Leave of Absence.

6.            Formal Warning:  Formal Warning from the SPC shall take the form of written notice from the Chair and may be issued as appropriate when the SPC perceives a trend toward increasing Academic Conduct difficulty.  The notice of Formal Warning shall set out the problems in reasonable detail and shall indicate possible consequences.

7.            Probation:  Probation is a status other than in good standing which shall be established with specified requirements that must be met before the student is removed from probationary status.  If these requirements are not met, a recommendation for dismissal from the School of Medicine may follow.  A student may be placed on Probation for deficiencies in Academic Performance or for violation of the standards of Professional Conduct.  Any student placed on Probation will meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to discuss the requirements of the probation.

8.            Special Student Status:  Special Student Status is a status which shall be established for a specified period of time with specified requirements that must be met. This special status is appropriate for students on a reduced or modified academic load, students receiving academic support services, or students preparing to retake USMLE, Step 1.

9.            Dismissal from the School of Medicine:  A student may be dismissed from the School of Medicine for failure to meet the standards of Academic Conduct previously described, failure to meet the requirements of Probation or Special Student Status, failure to pass USMLE, Step 1, or failure to meet Leave of Absence conditions. 

C.            Composition

The Student Progress Committee (SPC) is appointed by the Dean, who also appoints the SPC Chair. Student members are appointed with the advice of the respective student governing body.  The composition of the SPC includes these members: Chair, Vice-Chair, 10 Faculty Members from the Springfield campus, 4 Faculty Members from the Carbondale campus, a medical student representative from each graduating class, a medical student representative from the Student National Medical Association. The following are ex-officio members who may not vote: Associate Dean for Education and Curriculum, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Assistant Dean, Counseling and Minority Affairs, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs/Carbondale and the Executive Assistant to the Dean for Diversity.

D.            Conduct of Meetings

Meetings to review the progress of all students are regularly scheduled.  Agenda are established by the Chair and the meetings will be chaired by the SPC Chair. If the Chair is not available, the meeting may be run by the SPC Vice-Chair.  Special meetings and other proceedings are scheduled as needed. A quorum of voting members must be present to conduct committee business. A simple majority of voting members present is required to approve a motion. During these meetings, the committee will generate all student progress recommendations to be referred to the Dean.

A.                       Definition

The Subcommittee on Student Progress System Appeals (SSPSA) is an ad hoc subcommittee of the School of Medicine Executive Committee.

B.            Responsibility and Jurisdiction

The SSPSA shall function under the Student Progress System as an advisory body to the Dean.  In that capacity, the Subcommittee shall consider and render recommendations to the Dean on appeals taken from earlier decisions of the Dean.  The Subcommittee shall have jurisdiction to consider all aspects of Academic Conduct as previously defined to include Academic Performance and Professional Conduct. The SSPSA is responsible for conducting meetings and other proceedings in accordance with the procedures outlined in Division VI of this document and for making recommendations to the Dean of the School of Medicine for final decisions and actions as appropriate. SSPSA recommendations may include, but are not limited to, affirming, reversing, or modifying prior decisions of the Dean.

C.            Composition

The SSPSA shall consist of five (5) members of the School of Medicine Executive Committee appointed by the Dean.  The Dean shall appoint one (1) of the five (5) subcommittee members to serve as Chair.

A.     If a student is administratively dismissed, he/she may request a meeting of the Student Progress Committee (SPC) to consider reinstatement.  This request must be submitted in writing and forwarded to the SPC Chair within ten (10) working days from date of the student’s receipt of notice of administrative dismissal.  The student’s written request should state in less than 500 words why reinstatement should be considered.  When the SPC Chair receives such a written request from the student, a meeting of the SPC will be scheduled and will proceed as otherwise set forth below. 

B.     When a meeting is to occur as prescribed in Section 6-101.A above, or the Student Progress Committee (SPC) determines that grounds for dismissal of a student from the School of Medicine for academic performance reasons may exist, the student will be asked to appear at a meeting of the SPC.  Written notice shall be forwarded to the student by the SPC Chair at least ten (10) working days prior to the scheduled SPC meeting at which the dismissal question is to be addressed.  A copy of the notice shall be forwarded to all SPC members.  The notice shall set out a summary of the student’s academic performance deficiencies, an indication of all relevant action of the SPC to date, and a description of the concerns that caused administrative dismissal or are causing the SPC to consider dismissal of the student from the School of Medicine.  The written notice shall further state the date, time, and place of the SPC meeting at which the dismissal question is to be addressed and shall request that the student be present at the meeting.  The student shall be informed in writing of the right to select and be accompanied by an adviser at that time.  The written notification shall include a statement that the student may, if desired, submit a written response to the academic performance deficiencies set out in the SPC notice letter or, as applicable, the deficiencies that caused administrative dismissal.  Such response shall be forwarded to the SPC Chair at least three (3) working days in advance of the meeting.  A copy of the response shall then be forwarded to all SPC members by the SPC Chair.

C.     At least five (5) working days before the meeting, the student shall notify the Chair of the SPC, in writing, of the identity of any witnesses to be presented at the meeting. It shall be the responsibility of the student to contact and arrange for the appearance of any witness the student intends to present.  If the student has difficulty either contacting or arranging for the appearance of a witness, then the student may contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, who may provide reasonable assistance.  The Chair of the SPC shall notify the student, in writing, of any witnesses the SPC intends to invite to be present at the meeting.

D.     On the scheduled meeting date, the question of dismissal of the named student from the School of Medicine shall be considered by the SPC.  It shall be required that not less than a majority of voting members of the SPC be present.  In deciding the question of dismissal or reinstatement in the case of administrative dismissal, the SPC shall have the right to consider any information pertinent to the student’s academic performance including, but not limited to, the student file of the named individual and the minutes of previous SPC meetings where the academic performance deficiencies of the named individual were discussed.  This information shall be made available to the student in advance of the scheduled meeting. 

E.     Conduct of Meeting and Student Rights

1. The meeting shall be chaired by the Chair of the SPC, who shall determine the order of the proceeding and make any necessary procedural decisions. This includes the prerogative to recuse any SPC committee member from the proceedings. In the event that the Chair is not available, the meeting will be chaired by the Vice-Chair.
2. The student is entitled to be present at the meeting with an adviser of choice, hear a summary statement of the concerns of the SPC, provide the Committee supporting oral and documentary information, make opening and closing statements, present and reasonably question any witnesses, and rebut any adverse information.  However, the student and the student’s adviser shall not have the right to be present during deliberations of the Committee.
3. The SPC members shall have the right to invite and question any witnesses, to question the student, and to question the student’s witnesses.
4. The portion of the meeting during which the student is present shall be recorded on audio tape or by certified court reporter at the expense of the School of the Medicine, and a transcript thereof shall be made available to the student upon request within a reasonable period of time.
5. At the meeting, the student’s adviser shall be permitted to counsel the student and may be given reasonable opportunity to speak in the student’s behalf by the Chair of the SPC. The adviser shall not be permitted to question or examine witnesses or Committee members.
6. The meeting shall be closed; only the student and the student’s adviser shall be admitted.  With the exception of Committee members who may be asked to appear as witnesses, witnesses may be present only while they are being questioned.

F.     The Chair of the SPC shall submit the recommendation of the Committee to the Dean of the School of Medicine in writing and without undue delay.  The SPC may review a transcript of the meeting prior to submitting its recommendation.  The recommendation will specifically address the question of student dismissal from the School of Medicine, or in the case of administrative dismissal, the question of reinstatement, and shall set out in reasonable detail the reasons underlying the recommendation.  When the decision is not unanimous, a minority report may be submitted.

G.     After completion of action by the SPC, all documents and records in the matter shall be forwarded to the School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs.

H.     The Dean of the School of Medicine shall consider the recommendations of the SPC, as well as the entire record in the matter, and shall render a decision as promptly as possible.  Barring compelling reasons to the contrary, the decision of the Dean shall reflect the recommendation of the SPC.  Copies of the decision shall be forwarded to all principal parties, and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall implement the decision of the Dean.

I.     Appeal

Provisions governing appeal are set forth in Section 6-103 of this document.

A.     Charges of unprofessional conduct shall be forwarded to the SPC Chair as part of the regular educational evaluation process or may be forwarded as separate charge from other medical students, SIU staff or faculty. Charges submitted outside of the regular educational process should be sent in signed, written form to the Chair of the Student Progress Committee (SPC) within twenty (20) working days (barring unusual circumstances) of the alleged misconduct.  Any member of the School of Medicine community or the Student Advisory Committee may file such written charges.  Only under extraordinary circumstances shall any action be taken on unwritten or unsigned charges.

B.     Within five (5) working days of receipt of a written charge, the Chair of the SPC will review the charge and either include it on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled SPC meeting or may elect to forward a copy of the written charge to an Investigatory Team. The Investigatory Team shall consist of two (2) full-time faculty members (one (1) of whom shall be designated Chair) and one (1) student, who shall be appointed by the SPC Chair.  These persons shall not be members of the SPC. A copy of the written charge shall promptly be forwarded by the Chair to the student named in the charge if it is forwarded to an Investigatory Team.

C.     Upon referral of the charge, the Investigatory Team shall conduct a preliminary investigation which shall include, but not be limited to, a conference with the student named in the charge and a conference with the person(s) who filed the charge, if known.  The student shall be informed in writing of the right to select and be accompanied by an adviser at the conference.  The student’s adviser shall be permitted to counsel the student and may be given reasonable opportunity to speak in the student’s behalf by the Chair of the Investigatory Team.

1. In the event the student admits to the charge, the Investigatory Team shall so inform the Chair of the SPC, in writing.  Upon receipt of such written notification, the Chair of the SPC shall request the named student to submit a written response to the charge, including the admission given to the Investigatory Team.  Any written response must be provided to the SPC Chair within five (5) working days.  The Chair of the SPC shall present the matter to the entire SPC Committee at the next regularly scheduled SPC meeting.  Subsequently, the Committee shall forward a report consisting of findings of fact and a recommendation as to sanction, if any, to the Dean of the School of Medicine. The Dean shall consider the report of the SPC, as well as the entire record in the matter, and render a decision as promptly as possible.  Barring compelling reasons to the contrary, the decision of the Dean shall reflect the recommendation of the SPC.  Copies of the SPC’s recommendation and the Dean’s decision shall be forwarded to the student.  The Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall implement the decision of the 
2. In the event the student denies the charge and the Investigatory Team decides the charge is frivolous or has no merit, the Chair of the Investigatory Team shall promptly forward written notification to the Chair of the SPC.  The charge shall be dismissed and all records relating to the charge shall be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.  The Chair of the SPC shall then forward written notice of the dismissal to the student named in the charge and the person(s) filing the charge, if known.
3. In the event the student denies the charge and the Investigatory Team decides the charge is not frivolous or has merit, the Chair of the Investigatory Team shall promptly forward written notification to the Chair of the SPC.  The Chair of the Investigatory Team shall proceed with a formal investigatory meeting.

D.     Formal Investigatory Meeting Pursuant to Denial of a Charge Deemed Not Frivolous

1. The Chair of the Investigatory Team shall promptly set a date, time, and place for a formal investigatory meeting.  Team members shall be notified of this information in writing by the Chair.  It shall be required that all Investigatory Team members be in attendance at the meeting.
2. The Chair shall request that the student named in the charge, the person(s) filing the charge, if known, and any witnesses be present before the Investigatory Team at the appointed time and place to provide information pertinent to the charge.
3. The student named in the charge may be accompanied by an adviser who shall be permitted to counsel the student and may be given reasonable opportunity to speak on the student’s behalf by the Chair of the Investigatory Team.
4. The formal investigatory meeting shall be closed.  The student named in the charge, the person(s) filing the charge, if known, and any witnesses called before the Investigatory Team shall be present only while being questioned and may present information to the team either in response to questions or in narrative form.  Other information may also be presented to the team during the formal investigatory meeting.

5. After completion of the formal investigatory meeting, the Investigatory Team shall determine whether, based upon available information, there is a reasonable basis to justify the submission of a Formal Complaint against the student charged with unprofessional conduct.  Such determination of “Cause” shall be made by a vote of the majority.  A vote less than a majority shall constitute a finding of “No Cause.”

   In the event of a finding of “No Cause,” the Chair of the Investigatory Team shall promptly forward written notification to the Chair of the SPC.  The charge shall be dismissed and all records relating to the charge shall be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.  The Chair of the SPC shall then forward written notice of the dismissal to the student named in the charge and the person(s) filing the charge, if known.

   In the event of a finding of “Cause,” the Chair of the Investigatory Team shall promptly forward written notification of the team’s finding to the Chair of the SPC.  The Chair of the Investigatory Team shall, at the same time, submit to the SPC Chair a Formal Complaint against the student named in the charge, specifying the alleged violation(s) of the standards of Professional Conduct set forth in Section 3-102 and the facts upon which the Formal Complaint is based in sufficient detail that a proper response can be made.  The Chair of the Investigatory Team shall represent the interests of the School of Medicine before the SPC.

E.     Actions Pursuant to Filing of a Formal Complaint

1. Status of Student

   Pending action on the Formal Complaint, the status of a student shall not be altered nor shall the right to be present on the campus and to attend classes be suspended, except under special circumstances as determined by the Dean of the School of Medicine.

2. Upon receipt of the notice of “Cause” finding and the Formal Complaint, the Chair of the SPC shall promptly notify the student named in the Formal Complaint of the pending matter and attach therewith a copy of the Formal Complaint.  The written notification shall include a request for a written response to the allegations contained in the Formal Complaint, which response shall be forwarded to the SPC Chair within five (5) working days of the request. The written notification shall further state that a hearing will be scheduled at a time and place to be specified in a later notice from the SPC Chair.
3. Upon receipt of the response, if any, the Chair of the SPC shall forward a copy of the same to the Chair of the Investigatory Team and shall also promptly notify the student named in the charge.. 
4. The Chair of the SPC shall set a date, time, and place for hearing on the Formal Complaint.  The hearing shall be held at the earliest date convenient to the principal parties (the student named in the Formal Complaint and the Chair of the Investigatory Team); however, every effort will be made to convene the hearing within fifteen (15) working days of the date previously set for challenge and review.  The principal parties shall be given written notice of the hearing date, time, and place at least ten (10) working days in advance.

5. Conduct of Hearing and Student Rights

   a.     The SPC shall conduct a hearing on the Formal Complaint at the appointed place and time.  It shall be required that not less than a majority of voting members of the SPC be present.  A majority of voting members present shall be required for a determination.

   b.    The hearing shall be conducted in an orderly fashion and in a manner reasonably consistent with basic concepts of fairness.

      i.     The Chair of the SPC shall act to ensure that the principal parties have a reasonable opportunity to be heard.

      ii.     The Chair of the SPC shall determine the order of the proceeding during the hearing and shall make any necessary procedural rulings. This will include disqualifying any SPC Committee Member from participating in the Hearing if the Chair believes that the member could not serve with fairness and objectivity. The Vice-Chair of the SPC may conduct the meeting in the Chair’s absence.

   c.     The principal parties shall have the right to provide to the SPC oral and documentary evidence in support of their respective positions, to present and reasonably question witnesses, and to examine and reply to any evidence.

   d.     The burden of proof, by a greater weight of the evidence, shall be upon the Chair of the Investigatory Team.  The rules of evidence that obtain in a court of law shall not be applied; however, the SPC Chair shall make a reasonable effort to ensure that the admitted evidence is relevant.

   e.     At least five (5) working days before the hearing, the principal parties shall notify the Chair of the SPC and the other principal party or parties of the identity of the witnesses to be presented and of the documents to be submitted in evidence. It shall be the responsibility of the parties to contact and arrange for the appearance of any witnesses they intend to present.  If either party has difficulty contacting or arranging for the appearance of a witness, then either party may contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, who may provide reasonable assistance.  The SPC shall have the right to call unnamed witnesses if the Committee, by majority vote, deems such action advisable.  Any member of the Committee may also question witnesses.

   f.     The SPC may adjourn or recess as necessary or appropriate in accordance with the determination of the SPC Chair.

   g.     The SPC Chair shall establish and announce at the outset of the hearing a reasonable time limit for opening and closing statements which shall be equal for all principal parties.

   h.     The hearing shall be recorded on audio tape or by certified court reporter at the expense of the School of Medicine, and a transcript thereof shall be made available to the principal parties upon request within a reasonable period of time.

   i.     A student against whom a Formal Complaint is made is entitled to be present at the hearing before the SPC.  The student may, however, elect not to appear, which election shall represent a waiver of those rights that attend the student’s actual presence at the hearing.

   j.     The student named in the Formal Complaint shall have the right to select and be accompanied by an adviser during the hearing.  The adviser shall be permitted to counsel the student at the hearing and may be given reasonable opportunity to speak on the student’s behalf by the Chair of the SPC. The adviser shall not be permitted to question or examine witnesses.

   k.     The hearing shall be closed; only the principal parties and their advisers, if any, shall be admitted to the hearing.  With the exception of Committee members who may be asked to appear as witnesses, witnesses for either party shall be present only while they are giving testimony.

6. Promptly after the conclusion of the hearing, the SPC, through the Chair, shall submit a written report to the Dean of the School of Medicine.  The Committee may request and review a transcript of the hearing prior to submitting its report.

   a.     The report shall include the following:

        i.     Findings as to the allegations contained in the Formal Complaint, including, but not limited to, the facts relating to the unprofessional conduct.

        ii.     Recommendation(s) as to the sanction, if any, to be imposed, including the reason(s) underlying such recommendation.

   b.     When the decision of the SPC is not unanimous, a minority report may be submitted.

7. After completion of action by the SPC, all documents and records in the cause shall be forwarded to the School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs.
8. The Dean of the School of Medicine shall consider the report of the SPC, as well as the entire record in the cause, and shall render a decision as promptly as possible.  Barring compelling reasons to the contrary, the decision of the Dean shall reflect the recommendation of the SPC. Copies of the decision shall be forwarded to all principal parties, and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall implement the decision of the Dean.

F.     Appeal

Provisions governing appeal are set forth in Section 6-103 of this document.

1. A written appeal of any decision of the Dean regarding student promotion or dismissal for academic performance or matters of professional conduct may be filed within twenty (20) working days after being notified of the decision.  In such appeal, the appellant may request that the prior decision of the Dean be reversed or modified.  Any such appeal must be in writing and must be based upon one (1) or more of the following grounds:

   The decision is contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence.

   The gravity of the action to be taken pursuant to the decision is clearly not in keeping with the seriousness of the student’s academic performance deficiencies or unprofessional conduct.

   SPC proceedings were conducted unfairly.

   Important evidence not known at the time of the SPC proceedings has been discovered.

   The appeal is to be filed with the School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs and must set out in reasonable detail the grounds for the appeal as well as any supporting evidence. Forms to be utilized in filing the appeal are available from the Office of Student Affairs.

2. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will review the appeal. If the basis of the appeal is that important evidence not known at the time of the SPC proceedings has been discovered, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will forward the appeal to the SPC Chair for consideration at the next regular SPC meeting. The SPC will then reconsider the recommendation related to this matter. If there are other grounds of appeal, the School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs shall promptly forward to the Chair of the Subcommittee on Student Progress System Appeals (SSPSA) the written appeal and the entire record.  A copy of the appeal shall be sent to the Chair of the SPC, who shall represent the interests of the School of Medicine on appeal.  The appellant also shall be provided with a copy of the record.
3. Upon receipt of the written appeal, the Chair of the SSPSA shall request from the Chair of the SPC a detailed, written response to the appeal.  The response shall be filed with the SSPSA Chair within fifteen (15) working days of the request, and a copy of the response shall be forwarded to the appellant.
4. After the filing of the response by the SPC Chair, the SSPSA shall review the entire record in the cause and the written argument made by the parties on appeal.  The SSPSA may also request oral arguments by the principal parties in support of the written arguments.  The SSPSA may further request that the Chair of the SPC and the appellant appear before the SSPSA to answer oral interrogatories.  The Chair of the SSPSA shall establish guidelines for such oral argument or interrogatories and shall notify the parties of these guidelines. Any party making oral argument shall have the right to select and be accompanied by an adviser; however, the adviser may not address the SSPSA unless specifically requested to do so by the Chair of the SSPSA.  Oral arguments and interrogatories will be recorded on audio tape or by other appropriate method.

5. Promptly after the conclusion of appellate review and oral arguments, if presented, the SSPSA, through its Chair, shall submit a written report to the Dean of the School of Medicine. The SSPSA may request and review a transcript of the oral arguments or interrogatories prior to submitting its report.

   The report shall include the following:

   Findings of fact, if any.

   Such recommendation(s) including reasons therefor, as the SSPSA, by majority vote, deems appropriate, which may include, but not be limited to, affirming, reversing, or modifying the prior decision of the Dean.

   When the decision is not unanimous, a minority report may be submitted.

6. After completion of action by the SSPSA, all documents and records in the cause shall be forwarded to the School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs.
7. The Dean of the School of Medicine shall consider the recommendations of the SSPSA, as well as the entire record in the cause, and shall render a decision in the matter as promptly as possible.  Barring compelling reasons to the contrary, the decision of the Dean shall reflect the recommendation of the SSPSA.  Copies of the decision shall be forwarded to all principal parties and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall implement the decision of the Dean.

1. Further appeal shall be directly to the Chancellor of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and shall be filed within fifteen (15) working days of notice of the final decision of the Dean.
2. The appeal shall be submitted in writing and shall contain all relevant information, including reference to all prior decisions in the cause, the recommendations of the SPC and the SSPSA, the grounds for appeal, any additional argument, and a description of the relief sought.
3. A copy of the appeal shall be sent to all principal parties.  Upon receipt of a copy of the appeal, the Dean of the School of Medicine shall direct that the record in the cause be promptly forwarded to the Chancellor for review.  The Chancellor shall render a decision within thirty (30) days of receipt of the appeal. The decision of the Chancellor shall be final. 

Any member of the School of Medicine community may submit a request for an amendment to this Student Progress System to the School of Medicine Executive Committee through the Office of the Dean.  The request shall be written and shall include a rationale and a description of the amendment in reasonable detail.  If, after due consideration, the Executive Committee considers the request to have merit, it shall assign the task of writing the amendment to the Chair of the Student Progress Committee. The Chair of the SPC may assign the task of writing the amendment to a subcommittee of the SPC. The Chair of the SPC shall report the amendment back to the Executive Committee, which shall make recommendations to the Dean concerning adoption.  In approving an amendment, the Dean shall designate the effective date thereof, following which the amendment shall be binding upon all students.

Students of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine are accepted into the School of Medicine after due consideration and evaluation and are expected to understand and accept the responsibilities of their profession.  Recognizing that all persons have their own beliefs and values, the Faculty explicitly state their belief that medicine as a profession demands the highest level of competence with regard to knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior in the care of patients and/or in the generation and dissemination of knowledge.  The essence of medicine is embodied in the concept of professionalism.

Professionalism requires the physician to serve the interests of the patient above his or her self-interest.  Professionalism aspires to altruism, accountability, excellence, duty, service, honor, integrity and respect for others.

Altruism is the essence of professionalism.  The best interest of patients, not self-interest is the rule.

Accountability is required at many levels -- individual patients, society and the profession. Physicians are accountable to their patients for fulfilling the implied contract governing the patient/physician relationship.  They are also accountable to society for addressing the health needs of the public and to their profession for adhering to medicine’s time-honored ethical precepts.

Excellence entails a conscientious effort to exceed ordinary expectations and to make a commitment to life-long learning.  Commitment to excellence is an acknowledged goal for all physicians.

Duty is the free acceptance of a commitment to service.  This commitment entails being available and responsive when “on-call”, accepting inconvenience to meet the needs of one’s patients, enduring unavoidable risks to oneself when a patient’s welfare is at stake, advocating the best possible care regardless of ability to pay, seeking active roles in professional organizations, and volunteering one’s skills and expertise for the welfare of the community.

Honor and integrity are the consistent regard for the highest standards of behaviors and the refusal to violate one’s personal and professional codes.  Honor and integrity imply being fair, being truthful, keeping one’s word, meeting commitments, and being straight-forward.  They also require recognition of the possibility of conflict of interest and avoidance of relationships that allow personal gain to supersede the best interests of the patient.

Respect for others (patients and their families, other physicians and professional colleagues such as medical school faculty, nurses, medical students, residents, and subspecialty fellows) is the essence of humanism, and humanism is both central to professionalism, and fundamental to enhancing collegiality among physicians. 

The process of becoming a physician is long, arduous, and often overwhelming.  During its course, some students may be tempted to compromise standards.  Certain events may lead students to perform at less than their best.  We must not accept such behavior in ourselves or our colleagues, as it may lead to compromises in patient care.

The same personal integrity that promotes honesty should also promote reporting any infraction of the School of Medicine Honor Code.  Students are encouraged to take concerns, conditions or situations which may lead to violation of the School of Medicine Honor Code to the Student Advisory Committee.

A student who violates the School of Medicine Honor Code may be subject to dismissal or to lesser disciplinary actions as the facts of the situation warrant.

1. Explicit components of the SIU School of Medicine Honor Code include the following:
2. Students, as well as faculty and all other members of the SIU community, recognize the right of all individuals, including one’s peers, to be treated in a respectful manner, without regard to race, age, gender, disability, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation.  Unacceptable behavior includes (but is not limited to) racial, sexist or religious slurs, racial or sexual harassment, physical violence, or threats of violence, or suppression of rights and intellectual freedom in any way. 
3. All property, both intellectual and physical, must be respected and never plagiarized, defaced, or treated in a disrespectful manner.  Property refers to cadavers, other instructional materials, any school or personal property and any written or electronically stored material other than a student’s own. 
4. Any form of cheating is a violation of the trust placed in future physicians and a serious infraction of the School of Medicine Honor Code.  Each examination must represent the student’s own efforts.  Except as directly and specifically authorized by a faculty member, no student shall be permitted, at any time prior to, during, or following an examination, to give to or receive from any other person, information relating directly or indirectly to an examination; nor shall any student be permitted to communicate in any manner whatsoever, with another person regarding such examination.  The term “examination” is defined to include but not be limited to any test, evaluation, or other form of academic or nonacademic performance assessment. Likewise, plagiarism, forgery, falsification of records, and/or tampering with examination material is prohibited.
5. The SIU Student Conduct Code will be followed, except when portions of the above School of Medicine Honor Code express a higher degree of responsibility.