MP Professional Conduct
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend all lectures, laboratory exercises, and exams. Students are expected to notify the Program Coordinator for MP (806-743-3257; dina.barhorst@ttuhsc.edu) by e-mail or telephone PRIOR to missing a lecture, laboratory experience, or exam. Notification of other faculty, staff, or friend is NOT acceptable.In addition, a student who arrives to lecture or lab more than 5 minutes late and has NOT contacted the appropriate Program Coordinator prior to class will be considered to have an unexcused absence. A student who arrives to an exam more than 5 minutes late and has NOT contacted the appropriate Program Coordinator prior to that exam will receive a grade of zero on that exam.Each unexcused class and/or absence will result in a grade of no higher than 70% on the integrative review for the missed class following the period of absence. For each question missed, points will be deducted from the starting grade of 70%.Excused absences will be granted for illness or a crisis situation involving the student or the student's immediate family. Written documentation as evidence for the crisis incident is required. The Program Director will evaluate other situations that may constitute a valid excuse for absence on a case-by-case basis. Examples of UNEXCUSED absences include: oversleeping, time conflicts with work schedules, family reunions, vacations, and other types of social events.
Excessive tardiness or absences are considered when issues of professionalism and/or remediation arise. When absences jeopardize a student’s standing in a class, the instructor informs the student and Program Director of this fact. Excessive absences will be defined as a student missing 20% or more of class. For example, missing 2-weeks worth of material (class time, exams, assignments, preceptorship) of a 7-week course is excessive. This is cause for a student being dropped from class and a grade of Withdraw Failing (WF) assigned.
FOR ALL STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE:
If a student cannot take an exam at the scheduled time and place, the student must notify the appropriate program coordinator prior to the scheduled exam start time in order to be eligible to be granted an excused absence and thereby be allowed to make up the exam. A grade of “zero” will be given if an examination is missed due to an unexcused absence. Make-up for a missed exam will be determined by the course instructor.Dress Code
Members of the faculty and staff have the authority and responsibility to maintain responsible standards of student dress and grooming within their respective classrooms, laboratories, offices, and other areas of public presentation. The dress code reflects professional integrity and special needs of the individual classes. Professional dress is expected of students at all times. Example of unacceptable attire includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Student’s hair shall be clean and well-groomed. It is recommended that long hair be pulled back while in the lab. All hair colors shall be natural hair colors. Bright or neon colors and extreme hairstyles are prohibited.Any tattoos or body piercings on a student must not be visible to others. Female and male students may wear earrings or studs. This prohibition on visible body piercing includes, but is not limited to,: facial studs, facial rings, clear spacers, tongue bars, ear gauges or plugs.Note: Specific laboratory attire (scrubs or long pants) is required by the Course Instructor. Students are REQUIRED to wear the provided lab coat over street attire or scrubs. Form-fitting clothing, sandals, open-toed shoes, and heels (3 inches or higher) must NOT be worn because of potential foot injury from breakage of glassware or spills of corrosive materials. Failure to comply will result in immediate removal from the lab and will result in an unexcused absence.The student should check with the faculty member regarding appropriate attire prior to the activity or special event. Shorts, old jeans, T-shirts, and similar casual attire are not appropriate for trips off-campus or when a guest speaker has been invited to campus for a laboratory or classroom presentation.For clinical observations and preceptorship, information regarding specific dress codes of the clinical sites will be provided by the affiliate site, Preceptorship Coordinator, or the Clinical Education Coordinator.Since the HSC is a public institution in which there are large numbers of patients and visitors present in many areas of the building, standards of dress should reflect good judgment as to the appropriate clothing that is comfortable, professional and that, particularly in the laboratory area, meets safety standards.At all times students must wear name badges. Failure to do so may result in a request to leave the grounds and will result in an unexcused absence.
Professional Behavior in the Classroom, Laboratory and Clinical Setting
According to the Nonacademic Misconduct Policy of the School of Health Professions, all students are expected to exhibit professional conduct in all academic and clinical settings. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that insures all students have the opportunity to learn and participate. Course instructor, lab manager, staff, or safety officer may dismiss a student due to non-compliance. There will be no make-up on course or lab work.Students shall behave in a way that is respectful to the instructor and to fellow students. Students shall conduct themselves in a way that facilitates learning for all students. Any behavior interfering with these opportunities is considered inappropriate.Inappropriate behavior may result in a request for the student to leave the class, lab, or clinic setting. After the first incident of inappropriate behavior the instructor will discuss the behavior with the student. The behavior and behavioral counseling will be documented utilizing the student counseling form and will become a part of the student’s file. A second occurrence of inappropriate behavior will invoke the procedure for resolution of an incident of nonacademic misconduct as outlined in the SHP policy beginning with referral of the incident to the Program Director. Unprofessional behavior may lead to dismissal from the program. In addition, eating or drinking is not allowed in the student laboratories.Students will participate in laboratory sessions in a variety of circumstances. In most instances you will work individually, but you may also work as part of a pair or a team. In some instances, a team leader or supervisor will direct student work with faculty supervision. The purpose of team assignments is to prepare students for cooperative efforts in the clinical laboratory and to give supervisory experience. Students are encouraged to discuss any problems that may arise with the individual faculty member and/or Program Director. These discussions will be held in confidence with the intent of helping each student meet their potential.
Student Relationships
To maintain an environment that supports the department’s educational goals, the relationship between faculty and students should be that of teacher and scholar. The Molecular Pathology Program discourages unprofessional relationships which may cause, or create the appearance of, favoritism or unfairness or are exploitive in nature. Such behavior includes, but is not limited to,: dating, cohabitation, and sexual contact, on or off campus.It is prohibited for any School of Health Professions student to interact with any patient or client outside of the scope of clinical practice, while the student is enrolled, recycling, or on a leave of absence from any program. This includes any and all social networking sites including, but not limited to,: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, text messaging, and email.Consensual relationships between a student and a supervisor, patient, or other persons at clinical experience sites constitutes (1) conflicts of interest; (2) unprofessional conduct; (3) breach of trust; (4) appearances of impropriety; and (5) questions the validity of consent, any of which impairs the integrity of academic and clinical decisions. Such relationships also have the potential for (1) undermining the atmosphere of trust and objectivity essential to the educational process and clinical experience relationship; (2) exploiting subordinate faculty, staff, employees, students, and the possible professional or academic disadvantage of third parties; and (3) subjecting both TTUHSC, the clinical sites, and the individuals to the risk of liability.Therefore, the MP program strictly prohibits any type of such relationship as described above whether consensual or not. Violation of this prohibition may result in dismissal from the program. Should relationships develop, faculty, staff, Preceptors, and MP students who become aware of the relationship have the obligation to disclose the existence of the relationship to the Program Director. Furthermore, a relationship between a MP student and a high school student, or minor, at any clinical site with whom the MP program has a clinical contract is strictly prohibited during the entire time that the MP student is enrolled in the MP program; violation of this prohibition may result in dismissal from the program.
Adapted from TTUHSC OP 70.55 Consensual Relationships - Faculty, Staff, and Residents.Communication
A faculty member is required to participate in teaching, scholarship/research, and clinical/professional service. When a faculty member is not in the classroom or student laboratory session, they are generally participating in scholarship/research, clinical service, or service to the school or university. Due to this type of schedule, it is rare that a faculty member will be in their office until 5:00 p.m. CST each day anticipating a student coming to their office for assistance, concerns, or questions. Therefore, ALL students are encouraged to contact the program or faculty members via email or phone to schedule an appointment to meet. This information is also included in your student handbook, course syllabi, and online at the TTUHSC web address.Please note faculty members are not required to have access to TTUHSC email after work hours (week days) or on the weekend. If you send an email to a program or faculty member during this period of time, the response may be delayed until they return to work. Also, some faculty do not have access to email while performing clinic duties; this may delay responses as well.
Responsibilities of Molecular Pathology Faculty
Faculty
Faculty members in the Molecular Pathology Program have specific responsibilities assigned to them on a daily basis. The five major responsibilities include: Academic instruction,
Clinical supervision and practice,
Scholarly research;
Departmental, school, institutional, and community service
Advising students
Faculty members are assigned teaching responsibilities each semester by the Program Director. These assignments are based in part upon the faculty member’s expertise, professional interest, and research. On occasion, a faculty member may be instructed to teach a course that he or she has not taught in the past due to scheduling problems or a faculty shortage in one or more areas of our program. Nevertheless, every effort is made to ensure the quality of instruction.Near the end of each semester, the faculty members are assessed by their students in every class and in every supervisory relationship. These assessments are reviewed by the respective Program Directors, Chairperson, and the Dean relative to teaching effectiveness, promotion, tenure, retention, and merit pay. The students’ assessments are important to the department and are taken seriously. All assessments are anonymous.
The importance of research cannot be underestimated. Each faculty member is expected to contribute to a scholarly profession through publications, presentations, workshops, consultations, and reviews. Each faculty member is also assigned numerous service responsibilities. These include regular departmental faculty meetings and committee meetings within the department, school, and institution. On the average, faculty members attend at least two of these meetings per month and spend considerable time outside of the meetings working on assigned projects. Other service roles are demonstrated through participation in professional organizations on local, regional, or national levels.Another important aspect of each faculty member’s position is advising. Each faculty member counsels students on topics such as career opportunities, research, comprehensive examinations, post graduate education, certification, or any other topic related to academia. Faculty members have asked that you email for an appointment if you would like to meet to make sure they are available. Faculty members are also sometimes very helpful in advising students in nonacademic areas. If you are experiencing problems adjusting to the demands of being a student you can obtain help by contacting the Office of Student Affairs at (806) 743-2300 or https://www.ttuhsc.edu/student-affairs/default.aspx
