Standards

a. Students must meet all academic requirements, including, but not limited to, passing all required courses or rotations and licensing examinations. Candidates for the MD degree must achieve all competencies, complete the prescribed course of study, and pass USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, the Occupational English Test for Medicine (OET), and all other curricular requirements. Students must complete the MD degree program within seven (7) years from the date of matriculation into the program.

b. In order to maintain Good Standing, a student is required to pass all courses. If a student fails one course in a pre-clerkship semester, the student must repeat the entire semester, regardless of performance in other courses, to advance. Any student who fails two or more courses is subject to dismissal.

c. A student must meet all academic requirements, including, but not limited to, passing all courses, licensing examinations and/or having fulfilled all terms of an agreement (for example: remediation, Leave of Absence, etc.), to advance.

d. A student must complete the USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and OET requirements within the specified timelines as outlined in the Licensing Examination Policy.

e. A student must complete all graduation requirements within seven (7) years of matriculation.

f. A student fulfills all agreed upon terms of an approved leave of absence.

Advancement

a. A Student in good standing that has passing grades in all courses will advance to the next course/semester of instruction.

b. A Student who successfully completes a remediation program, if applicable, or a repeated semester with passing grades will advance.

c. A student who fails a course, or fails to meet academic standards or competency standards, will not advance and will be subject to review and possible disciplinary action.

Formal Disciplinary Actions

a. Formal Disciplinary Actions include Probation, Suspension, and Dismissal.

b. A Student subject to a Formal Disciplinary Action is not in good standing.

c. The action will be recorded on the student’s record and noted in the medical studentperformance evaluation.

d. All formal disciplinary actions will be reported to medical staff committees, specialty boards, medical licensing authorities, and regulatory agencies upon their request.

Probation

a. Probation provides a student that has not satisfactorily met WAUSM’s general competencies another opportunity to meet those standards rather than be dismissed. A Student will be placed on probation for academic reasons if any of the following occur:

i. Failure to successfully pass a course

ii. Withdrawing or taking a leave of absence while failing a course

iii. Failure to pass USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2 CK, or the OET,

b. A student currently on probation who fails a course or USMLE Examination or a licensing exam may be subject to dismissal.

c. Before a student can be removed from probation and reinstated to good standing, they must have their academic record reviewed by the SPC to ensure the student has met the required standards and is making satisfactory progress.

Dismissal

a. Dismissal permanently removes the student from active enrollment with no opportunity for reenrollment or re-admission.

b. Dismissal is recorded on the academic transcript and reported to medical staff committees, specialty boards, medical licensing authorities, and regulatory agencies upon their request. The SPC may dismiss a student for any of the following reasons, including but not limited to, the following:

i. Failure of two or more courses or failure of a course while on Probation.

ii. Failure to pass USMLE Step 1, Step 2CK, or the OET.

iii. Insufficient time remaining to complete the requirements for the MD degree within seven (7) years of matriculation.

Dismissal Process

Dismissal is not automatic and requires a review by the SPC. The process for review is as follows:

a. A student will be notified via their WAUSM email by the Office of the University Registrar
(OUR) if they are being considered for dismissal no later than seven (7) business days from the official grade release. The OUR also will notify the SPC of all students to be considered for dismissal.

b. A student being considered for dismissal may apply for a personal leave of absence while the SPC deliberates.

c. Students who chose not to take a personal leave of absence will be administratively withdrawn.

d. The SPC will review and meet with each student brought before SPC and render a decision on each student no later than thirty-five (35) business days from the official grade release.

e. The Chair of the SPC will notify the student via their WAUSM email of the time and location of the SPC meeting, as well as the student’s rights and responsibilities. The student may present why they should not be dismissed at the meeting and may provide written materials supporting their position to the SPC prior to noon on the last business day before the meeting. The student may not have a guest or advisor at the meeting or remain during SPC deliberations.

f. After deliberation, the SPC will decide as to whether the student should be dismissed. The Chair of the SPC will notify the student of its decision no later than forty-five (45) business days from the date of the official grade release unless circumstances exist making the forty-five (45) business day timeline impractical.

g. A student who is dismissed may choose to accept the dismissal, request reconsideration by the SPC, or appeal to the Executive Dean.

Reconsideration & Appeal

a. A student dismissed by the SPC may request reconsideration by the SPC if the student has new relevant information that was not previously available and presented to the SPC. Request for reconsideration must be emailed no later than five (5) business from receipt of the SPC decision.

b. The SPC will reply to a request for reconsideration no later than ten (10) business days from receipt of the student request. If the student provides no new information, the request for reconsideration will be denied.

c. A student who is dismissed, or whose request for reconsideration was denied, and believes that policies and procedures were not followed by the SPC, may appeal to the Executive Dean. The student must send their letter of appeal to the Executive Dean no later than five (5) business days from the date of the SPC notice of dismissal.

d. The Executive Dean will review a student’s letter of appeal, the student’s academic record, the record from the student’s meeting with the SPC, and the SPC decision Letter.

e. The Executive Dean then will issue a written decision and send it to the student’s WAUSM email account no later than twenty (20) business days from the date of the student’s letter of appeal. The Executive Dean may deny the student’s appeal and accept the SPC recommendation of dismissal, or they may reject the recommendation and refer the matter back to the SPC and the Office of Student Affairs to develop an appropriate remediation program with the student.