Policies, Procedures, & Information

Registration is conducted each semester and consists of paying tuition and fees as well as completing the appropriate registration forms and submitting them to the offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid and Student Affairs. Late fees are assessed for late registration for each day following the designated registration date. PA students are only permitted to attend courses and clinical practica listed on their official schedules and/or otherwise approved by the Chair of PA Studies. Students are not permitted to enroll in two or more courses scheduled to meet at the same time. Only properly enrolled students will be permitted to attend classes. No record will be kept of academic work done by individuals whose enrollment has not been duly authorized. A check returned because of insufficient funds will incur a penalty and may also result in additional charges for late registration.

As per UNTHSC Procedure 01.138 Attendance, “Class attendance is expected of all students.” The course directors reserve the right to take attendance at any time using manual, electronic, or other methods. Attendance and participation may be used as part of the grading scheme for a course. No student may register or record the attendance of another student for any reason and to do so constitutes a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Student attendance is considered when making a recommendation for remediation, dismissal, awards, scholarships, honors and other student related issues. Students are expected to arrive on time and chronic tardiness may be subject to disciplinary action.

Excused absences are usually granted for emergencies (i.e., death in the family) or personal illness. Documentation for substantiating reasons for extended absences may be required from the student. Absences for special activities must be approved by the course director prior to the absence. Students are cautioned not to confirm travel plans or purchase non-refundable tickets until written approval for an absence has been obtained. Each student is responsible for obtaining and learning subject material presented during their absence. Course directors are not obligated to provide make-up sessions to students.

Clinical practicum experiences generally will require 40+ hours per week of attendance. Some practica may require students to be available for more than 40 hours a week in order to meet all educational and performance objectives; including taking call and attending to patient care experiences during non-regular hours. Other activities that may require additional attendance by the student include attending rounds and medical education activities; researching and presenting case studies. Students who become ill or have an emergency which causes them to be absent from any portion of a clinical practicum are required to notify the attending preceptor and the program as soon as possible. Excused absences are approved by the Vice Chair of Clinical Education in accordance with school procedure. Clinical preceptors are not authorized to approve excused absences. Students will usually be required to make up any missed time from a practicum experience, even if the absence was considered excused. Students who miss more than 4 days of a practicum may be required to repeat all of the affected clinical practicum and may be subject to other sanctions as well, including dismissal. Most rotations will occur within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Each student should anticipate a minimum of one rotation to be conducted outside of the Metroplex area.

Clinical rotations are assigned by the program faculty based upon the needs of the student and upon availability of clinical sites. The PA student is not required to arrange, provide or solicit their own clinical rotation sites.

Student involvement in patient care is permitted only when authorized or by an assigned clinical preceptor or faculty member. Achieving educational goals of the program calls for students to become involved in activities at medical clinics and hospital settings where patient care is provided; this includes supervised direct patient care and provides students with access to confidential patient care information. Students are expected to follow all procedures, regulations, and laws related to maintaining patient confidentiality. Students also are not permitted take the responsibility or place of qualified professional staff. Under no circumstances are students permitted to write patient care orders independently.

Some educational experiences take place off-campus and outside the immediate vicinity of Fort Worth. Attempt is made to assist students in obtaining reduced-cost housing; however students are not guaranteed its availability.

Students are expected to give attendance to completion of assignments and rotation requirements priority over employment. Some assignments may call for the student to attend patient care activities at unusual or irregular hours or at places that are geographically separate from the main campus and/or their primary residence. Failure to meet course expectations due to employment conflicts may be cause for dismissal from the program. Students must not substitute for or function as instructional faculty or clinical staff or administrative staff while they are a student in any phase of the PA program. Students are not required to work for the program.

Consult the official academic calendar for school-approved holidays. Students may request excused absences to observe religious holy days by submitting a request within 14 days of the first day of the semester the holy day falls within. A letter of verification may be required from the religious institution. Reasonable attempts are made to accommodate all requests. Please refer to Section 51.911 of the Texas Education Code to see other applicable guidelines for this procedure.

A student in good academic standing may request a leave of absence due to a medical or serious personal problem. Students seeking leave of absence should obtain assistance from the Office of Student Affairs. Requests for leave of absence must be submitted in writing. Leave cannot be granted for reasons of poor academic standing. Requests for leave of absence submitted by a student on academic probation shall be considered on a case-by-case basis. A request for leave of absence due to medical reasons must be accompanied by documentation from a physician or licensed professional describing the nature of the disability and the estimated length of time for recovery. A request for leave of absence due to personal reasons may also require substantiating documentation. Students must submit a written request for an approved leave of absence through the Chair of PA Studies to the Registrar before they can be placed into an approved leave status. In addition, prior to readmission into the program the student must submit a request for readmission through the Chair of PA Studies to the Office of the Dean. The request for readmission must be accompanied by documentation (such as a letter from a physician) substantiating the student’s ability to participate fully in the academic program upon their return. The student may also be required to reaffirm their compliance with the Health and Technical Standards of the program. Leave of absence will not be approved beyond one calendar year.

The primary method used for evaluating student performance is by direct observation and through the administration of practical and written assignments. Evaluation of student performance occurs in small group, classroom, laboratory, and individual settings, where students are required to demonstrate visual, somatic, communicative, analytical and behavioral discriminatory skills. Student behavior and professionalism is also assessed.
Methods used include asking students to correctly respond both orally and in writing to questions; asking students to identify and name anatomic structures; asking students to set up and use properly use medical equipment and instruments; asking students to properly demonstrate manual skills, to conduct medical interviews, and to perform physical examinations; and asking students to demonstrate proficiency in problem-solving, by participating in group discussions, and by making entries on official documents.

All course and practicum grades are recorded on transcripts, including repeated courses if applicable. Grade point averages are determined using a 4.0 scale. The academic standards for successful completion of the program include a minimum requirement to obtain letter grade of C or pass or better in each course and clinical practicum.