Dismissal Appeal, Academic Progression, and Attendance Policies

Dismissal Appeal

ARC-PA 6th ed Standard A3.14h

Should an academic grievance or egregious professionalism violation (see Part II, section 14) result in a PA student’s dismissal, the Department of PA Studies adheres to the Gardner-Webb University dismissal process. Students wishing to appeal the program decision of dismissal should refer to the Academic Grievance and Appeals Process also found in Part II, Section 4.

Per university policy, absent the applicability of other university policies or circumstances requiring suspension of registration, such as disciplinary suspension, students with active appeals may continue to be registered and attend classes until the conclusion of their appeal. If a student who remains registered loses their appeal and is subsequently dismissed or suspended, a refund of tuition and fees, if any, will be per university policy.

Academic Progression

ARC-PA 6th ed Standard A3.14a

The sequential nature of the curriculum mandates that students must pass all courses in a given semester before advancing to the next semester. Students must complete the didactic courses before progressing to the clinical phase and SCPEs. Should a student enter the clinical year not in good academic standing, that student will face limited SCPE placement options due to stakeholder policies.

Because the department curriculum is built in a lock-step progression, it is impossible to step out of one portion of the program and continue with other parts. Should a student fail to progress from one semester to the next, policies of dismissal, withdrawal, and/or deceleration should apply based on the student’s specific circumstances. Students must adhere to all University withdrawal policies and procedures (Part II, Sections 16-17) and be aware that significant tuition and/or loan implications may be associated with their actions.

Attendance

Students are expected to follow all attendance policies described in course syllabi to acquire the material and skills required for future healthcare delivery. Attendance and punctuality are reflections of professionalism, especially in a professional graduate medical education program. During the didactic year, the program endorses the following:

  • Students are responsible for all coursework conducted in class meetings and are required by University policy to attend a minimum of 75% of the regular, scheduled class meetings. Failure to meet this attendance requirement will result in a grade of F in the course. Attendance is counted from the first scheduled class meeting.
  • Missing more than the allowed number of meetings in a course will result in a course grade of “F.”
  • All absences from class, regardless of the reason (including illness), apply toward the 25% threshold.
  • Students are responsible for any missed classwork and for knowing the number of absences they have accumulated.
  • Attendance for scheduled skills assessments, including OSCEs, and written exams, is mandatory and is not considered part of the 75% attendance policy. Missing such events will result in a grade of zero for the assessment unless the student receives preapproval for testing at another time due to extenuating circumstances. Approval for emergency absences from mandatory events will be considered case-by-case and is not guaranteed.
  • Being punctual and prepared for learning activities is expected. A student who is tardy on two occasions will incur a course absence that counts towards the absence total for the course during which the student was tardy. Tardiness is defined as arriving to the classroom/lab after the posted time for the class/lab session to begin.
  • If students are tardy, it is recommended for students to wait for a class or lab break period before entering the classroom/lab to avoid disrupting the session.

Please refer to Part VII, Section 7, for the Clinical Year Attendance Policy.