Key Policies

William Carey University is committed to providing an environment in which all persons are
protected from discrimination and intimidation based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual
orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, age or disability, or religion. Such
discrimination is contrary to the standards of conduct expected of all members of the William
Carey University community, whether student, staff or faculty. A diverse administrative staff,
faculty, and student body are needed to provide the richness necessary for osteopathic
medical education. WCUCOM makes every effort to recruit and hire faculty from diverse
backgrounds to foster that richness while meeting its mission and objectives. This policy
complies with the “Accreditation of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: COM Accreditation
Standards and Procedures (effective July 1, 2019).

It is clearly stated in university documents (COM, nursing, PT, etc.) that the university may make changes to any provision of these documents without prior notice. Such changes will be effective upon notification by posting to the website or other usual means of notification or on the date specified in the notification

Official Notification

Effective December 1, 2017 the following provisions of the policy on disability services will be strictly enforced:

1. “Qualified healthcare provider” is defined as a licensed physician with special training in the condition diagnosed (example, physical handicap orthopedic physician, ADHA psychiatrist, neurologist, pediatrician who routinely engages in diagnosis and treatment of the condition; visual, ophthalmologist; etc

2. The report must contain date of original diagnosis, as well as tests used to determine the current diagnosis.

3. Complete documentation must be submitted to the office of disability services in a timely manner PRIOR TO THE REQUESTED TERM.

The university has initiated a review of its policies and procedures related to disability services and a revised policy will be published as soon as the review is complete. In the meantime the definitions/clarifications provided above will be followed.

WCUCOM does not encourage transfers; however, in special circumstances transfers will be considered from American Osteopathic Association/Commission on College Accreditation (AOA/COCA)-accredited colleges or schools. LCME transfers are not accepted (allopathic medical school).

In accordance with the AOA/COCA and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) standards, the transfer student must matriculate at WCUCOM for at least two academic years. The policy for acceptance of transfer students is as follows:

• Applicants for transfer must be in good standing at a college or school of osteopathic medicine approved by the AOA/COCA;
• Applicants must have notified the Dean of the college that they are transferring from and get a formal letter of release to submit to the WCUCOM Dean; and
• Each applicant will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and interviewed prior to the approval to transfer.

WCUCOM will have the right to require additional courses be taken or rotations added if deemed necessary to ensure that the potential graduate will be of the highest quality and contribute to WCUCOM successfully meeting its mission.

All graduation requirements must be completed in no more than six academic years. Time missed for approved leaves of absence will not be counted in this six-year time frame. The Office of the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs will monitor student progress in meeting the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Students are required to schedule an appointment with the Associate Registrar no less than six (6) months prior to their anticipated graduation date.

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS AND FATIGUE MITIGATION

Security and Public Safety Policies

Performing Patient Care Activities

Student involvement in patient care is permitted when authorized by the College and the assigned clinical faculty member. These activities may include, but are not limited to early clinical experiences and clinical clerkships throughout the 4 years of the medical school curriculum. Supervision by a physician or authorized medical professional (i.e. PA, APN) who are under the supervision of the faculty physician is required. In certain cases such as medication counseling, a pharmacist is an appropriate supervisor. The student’s supervising faculty/preceptor is the faculty member that is responsible for the patient’s care. Students may not perform any medical treatment or procedures without appropriate supervision and that is not appropriate for his or her level of training. The faculty member/preceptor generally should be present for any treatment, procedure, or invasive exam. Students are not to take the place of qualified staff and should identify themselves to patients and others as an osteopathic medical student or “Student Doctor.” Students may not introduce themselves as Doctor regardless of previous degrees as this is a misrepresentation of the student’s position on a healthcare team.  Students may not write patient care orders independently and all such orders must be reviewed and approved by the faculty member/preceptor. Students may not accept payment or remuneration for services. Any student delivering unsupervised care is engaging in unauthorized treatment, is not insured by the University malpractice insurance and may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

While some students may be licensed in other healthcare areas (e.g. RN) they may not exercise the rights afforded by that license while simultaneously performing their duties as a medical student on a clinical clerkship or any early clinical experiences.

Note: If you have been assigned a supervising physician with whom you have a therapeutic relationship, please notify the Office of Clinical Rotations.

Assurance of Students Health Prior to Involvement in Patient Care

Upon admission, students are required to obtain and to provide the required documentation indicating that they do not have conditions that would endanger the health and well-being of patients. The documentation includes immunizations and titers for immunity, verification from a physician who has performed a medical history and physical examination as to the health of the student and background checks for a legal history. Students must also sign a document that they are free from contagious disease prior to caring for the patient. When this is in question, the student and college must follow CDC guidelines. The presence of a communicable disease may limit a student’s participation in clinical care. If a student has a communicable disease this must be shared with the appropriate personnel at the clinical site and the clinical site has the final determination in the student’s ability to participate in certain areas of clinical training. A student must be able to demonstrate that his or her health and abilities will enable them to meet the technical standards of the program. A copy of all immunizations and laboratory tests will be obtained and shared with the clinical site

Supervision of Students

A student (including those on clinical rotations) must be supervised in patient care situations. Supervision involves a responsible licensed physician to:

• Be physically located in the facility where patient treatment is rendered;
• Grant authorization of services provided by the student doctor;
• Examine all patients seen by the student doctor;
• Be physically present during and invasive procedure or exam;
• Assure other clinical staff are present during any invasive or sexual organ examinations; and
• Assure that the documentation in the patient’s medical record is appropriate