Professionalism

The faculty of the PA Program recognize its responsibility to present candidates for the PA degree that have the knowledge and skills to function in a wide variety of clinical situations and to render a broad spectrum of patient care.

Students will exhibit professional behavior toward other student learners, Butler University administration, faculty/staff, preceptors, and patients in all interactions, both in-person and electronically. Professionalism is a required component of each course. The following are evaluated to assess every student in the PA Program. The evaluation occurs at every faculty meeting, at the completion of the rotation/experience, and at the end of every academic semester.

College Conduct Code

Unprofessional conduct on-campus or off-campus shall be sufficient grounds for the Student Professional Conduct Committee of the CHP to initiate a review.

Students are expected to self-report their own potential violations of the conduct code, within 96 hours of the alleged event. This includes any arrest, charge, citation, or conviction involving alcohol or controlled substances—including but not limited to driving under the influence (DUI/OWI), possession of illegal substances, or misuse of prescription medication, as well as any other new arrest, charge, citation, or conviction that occurs during their enrollment in the program.

The College Student Handbook addresses unprofessional conduct more broadly and includes details that encompass, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

1. Acts of Academic Dishonesty
2. Incivility and unethical or otherwise unprofessional behavior
3. Substance misuse
4. Activities that may result in probation, revocation or suspension of any professional credentials
5. Practicing without appropriate credentials
6. Activities that may result in conviction of a drug related or alcohol related misdemeanor
7. Activities that may result in the conviction of a felony
8. Termination of employment or experiential rotation
9. Sanctions as established by Butler University

Honor Code

Students are responsible for conducting themselves in a manner that is above reproach at all times. Ethical conduct is one of the most important attributes of a competent health care professional. Students are accountable for their own professional behavior. They are also charged with reporting to the Program any unprofessional behavior or infractions of this honor code on the part of others.

Having adopted the high ethical standards of the PA profession, the Program expects that each student will complete all assignments on an individual basis unless otherwise directed by program faculty.

Violations of this honor code are a breach of the professionalism standards. All students will sign the following codes in the didactic (Appendix C) and clinical (Appendix D) year indicating the intention to comply with the code.

Professionalism Violations

Professionalism violations identified by program faculty, staff, or preceptors will be referred by the Program Director for further evaluation to the Student Professional Conduct Committee. Faculty and the Program may cite professionalism violations when responding to regulatory questions or when providing recommendations for employment or privileges at institutions.

Deficiencies in any areas of professionalism will be brought to the student’s attention by his/her advisor, Director of Experiential Education, and/or Program Director in the form of written evaluations.

Remediation will be implemented where appropriate; however, violations could result in immediate probation, suspension, dismissal, or termination from the Program per the Professional Conduct Code. If a student is referred to the Student Professional Conduct Committee, it will be the intention of the PA faculty to seek a minimum of probation for the violation.

Procedures upon Alleged Violation of the Professional Conduct Code

(Excerpted from CHP handbook)

Once the incident is reported to the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services (regardless of the source), the Associate Dean may visit informally with the person bringing the complaint about the incident. The Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services may interview the graduate and professional phase alleged violator(s), make informal inquiries to gain a sense of depth to the alleged violation, or may request that the faculty involved (when appropriate) investigate the situation to the best of their ability, including interviewing the suspected student(s) for purposes of collecting information necessary for the Student Professional Conduct Committee (SPCC) reviewing the allegation. This information will be shared with the Chair of SPCC.

If the Associate Dean and Chair of the Student Professional Conduct Committee determine that there is not sufficient evidence to forward the allegation to SPCC, they may cancel further action. Both the Associate Dean and SPCC Chair must agree that there is not sufficient evidence to forward the allegation to SPCC. If there is disagreement between the two, the information will be taken to SPCC.

If the decision is made not to bring the allegation of graduate and professional phase students before the committee, a record of the investigation will be maintained in the student’s permanent file with the notice of lack of responsibility. If a potential pattern of concern is noted with any future allegations, the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services and Chair of SPCC may refer any previous or concurrent allegations to the Student Professional Conduct Committee to consider.

If the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services and the Chair of SPCC determines substance to an allegation exists, the Associate Dean will prepare a typed statement to the alleged violator(s) that:

• Lists the specific allegation(s) by paragraph letter(s) and number(s) from the Professional Conduct Code
• Describes the incident under review, and,
• Lists facts in evidence that support the allegation
  • Including reference to information (as applicable) such as timeline, other witnesses, others in the area, and evidence (e.g., cheat sheet, assessment of similar exams, original and duplicate in alleged plagiarism, computer logs with time stamp, evaluation form). Opinion, speculation, personal feelings, or comments from a third party (hearsay) will be avoided in the statement.
• The originator of the allegation and any other witnesses asked to provide a written statement should be aware that the information provided is confidential but will be shared with the SPCC and the accused in totality.

The alleged violator can provide a written statement related to the allegations, which will be included in materials presented by the Associate Dean to the Student Professional Conduct Committee.

The Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services will present this information to SPCC for its review. After reviewing an alleged violation of the Professional Conduct Code, SPCC will determine whether the graduate or professional phase student is responsible for a violation of the Code. In its deliberations:

• A quorum of the voting members of the Committee must be present.
• Formal rules of evidence shall not be applicable, nor shall deviations from prescribed procedures necessarily invalidate a decision or proceeding unless significant prejudice to a party may result.
• The Committee may interview witnesses and the person(s) allegedly responsible for the Code violation.
• The student has the right to prepare a written statement and submit it in advance of the deliberation.
• At the student’s request, an advisor may assist a student. The advisor may be the student’s academic advisor or any other person of the student’s choice. The advisor may act in an advisory capacity only and may not actively participate in the procedures (e.g., advisors may not question witnesses, provide opening or closing statements, or otherwise provide comments). An advisor will not be permitted to interfere with any procedure or review. The Chair may dismiss an advisor from the hearing for actions perceived as being disruptive. The advisor may only be present when the student is present in the proceedings. After all the evidence has been heard and discussion has concluded, the Committee shall convene privately and decide whether the student is responsible for the alleged violation, and if so, determine the sanction(s), if any. An administrator of the College, usually the Associate Dean, shall also attend the hearing as a non-voting resource representing the College to provide background information to the parties as requested.
• All decisions shall be made by majority vote. The Committee will consider the totality of the information presented in reaching its decision and will use the “preponderance of the evidence” standard. For a finding of responsible, the Committee needs to conclude it was more likely than not that the student violated the Professional Conduct Code. The decision does not require evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” but does require a preponderance of evidence (i.e., more likely than not).
• If the Committee concludes that there was no violation of the professional conduct code, a record of the investigation will be sent to the student and maintained in the student’s permanent file with the notice of lack of responsibility. If future allegations arise, suggesting a pattern of concern, the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services will include previous allegations, previous decided violations, and concurrent allegations to SPCC. Any records of investigation that yielded a decision that the student was not responsible for the violation will be expunged from the student’s permanent file at the time of graduation from the University.

If the Committee believes the code has been violated, it will:

1. Recommend the appropriate sanction(s) for the code violation to the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services.
2. Direct the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services to notify the graduate or professional phase student in writing by e-mail with read/receipt, or hand delivery that the student is charged with a violation of the Code and the specific sanction(s) for the violation.
3. Direct the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services to notify the faculty involved in the allegation that the Student Professional Conduct Committee has reviewed the case and what action was taken. Faculty associated with the case may discuss the outcome with the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services.
4. The student’s academic advisor and program director will be notified of the final decision / sanctions letter sent to the student.

The graduate and professional phase student’s rights should be outlined to include:

1. The student may discuss the allegations and sanctions informally with the Associate Dean and/or Student Professional Conduct Committee.
2. The student may 1) accept the decision / sanctions of the Student Professional Conduct Committee, 2) appeal the decision of SPCC to the Dean of the College if they disagree with the decision / sanctions, or 3) request SPCC to review new information, if appropriate.
3. The rights of parties in a University student conduct review procedure as described in the Butler University Student Handbook will be observed during the hearing process.

For violations currently awaiting criminal, civil, or regulatory review, the Student Professional Conduct Committee, at its discretion, may delay any decision until the other body has made their decision. In this situation, the Student Professional Conduct Committee will assess the situation as it relates to the professionalism of the student and any effect on academic performance.

If there is new or clarified information that was unknown or unavailable during the original SPCC discussions that could impact the student’s case, a student can request that SPCC review their case again. Withholding information during or declining to participate in the initial review is not grounds for an appeal based on new information. This request should be made to the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services and include:

1. Source of the new information and explanation of that information.
2. Name(s) of who can present this information
3. Reason(s) why this information was not presented during the initial review.
4. Reason(s) why this information would significantly impact the original decision

If an SPCC decision is appealed to the Dean, the decision of the Dean is final.

Appeals and Due Process Policy

(See also CHP handbook)

If a student encounters a situation at the College that cannot be satisfactorily resolved by consultation among the parties concerned, or if a student believes they have been unfairly treated, they should communicate concerns to the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services within 5 business days after the incident occurred.

All College students have the right to appeal the decisions of the Student Professional Conduct Committee or the Associate Dean to the Dean of the College. The request for appeal must be based on an error of fact or a procedural error that significantly impacted the outcome of the hearing. It is recommended that students address any concerns initially to the Associate Dean of Academic and Administrative Services or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

The student may appeal a decision regarding sanction(s) invoked by submitting a written appeal to the Dean of the College of Health Professions within 5 business days of receiving the College’s decision. All professional conduct decisions made by the Dean are final.

Oath of the PA

The PA profession has revised its code of ethics several times since the profession began. Although the fundamental principles underlying the ethical care of patients have not changed, the societal framework in which those principles are applied has. This is reflected in the Oath of the PA utilized by the Butler PA

Program. During the Master’s Hooding ceremony at the completion of the PA Program, students will publicly acknowledge their new responsibilities and affirm their pledge to clinical excellence and health care by reciting this Oath of the PA.

I pledge to perform the following duties with honesty, integrity, and dedication, remembering always that my primary responsibility is to the health, safety, welfare, and dignity of all human beings:

I recognize and promote the value of diversity and I will treat equally all persons who seek my care.

I will uphold the tenets of patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and the principle of informed consent. 

I will hold in confidence the information shared with me in the course of practicing medicine, except where I am authorized to impart such knowledge.

I will be diligent in understanding both my personal capabilities and my limitations, striving always to improve my practice of medicine.

I will actively seek to expand my intellectual knowledge and skills, keeping abreast of advances in medical art and science.

I will work with other members of the healthcare team to assure compassionate and effective care of patients. 

I will uphold and enhance community values and use the knowledge and experience acquired as a PA to contribute to an improved community. 

I will respect my professional relationship with physicians and other members of the healthcare team. 

I recognize my duty to perpetuate knowledge within the profession. 

These duties are pledged with sincerity and on my honor.

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