Academic and Professional Integrity Policy

Background

This document on academic and professional integrity applies to all Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) students participating in the MD program. The policies, procedures, and guidelines contained within were established to address instances of academic and/or professional misconduct by students and are in keeping with relevant university-wide policies and procedures as well as with relevant state and federal laws. Such university-wide policies include, but are not limited to, the Washington University Student Conduct Code, the Policy Against Abusive Conduct, the Discrimination and Harassment Policy, and the Research Integrity Policy.

Policy

The Academic and Professional Integrity Policy is meant to clarify WUSM's expectations with regard to student behaviors related to professional integrity and to provide specific examples of misconduct. These examples are meant to be illustrative and should not be taken as exhaustive. Students are encouraged to seek clarification from the appropriate representatives in the Office of Medical Student Education (OMSE) or the Office of Medical Student Affairs (OMSA) in any situation of uncertainty. Violations of professional integrity include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Any act of plagiarism, which would consist of taking someone else’s ideas, words, or other types of work and presenting them as one’s own. This includes the use of material from the internet or other material generated by an artificial intelligence without citation.
  2. Cheating on an assessment or any other violation of rules or conditions of assessment, including the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.
  3. Copying or collaborating on assignments without permission.
  4. Unauthorized use of materials, including the use of artificial intelligence, as specified by the relevant course leadership.
  5. Fabrication or falsification of data or records.
  6. Other forms of deceit, dishonesty, or inappropriate conduct, including but not limited to the following:
    1. Submission of the same work, or essentially the same work, for more than one assignment or course without explicitly obtaining permission from all instructors/course masters/thread leads.
    2. Requesting an academic benefit based on false information or deception.
    3. Willfully damaging the efforts or work of other students.
    4. Stealing, defacing, or damaging academic facilities or materials.
    5. Submitting any academic work under someone else's name other than their own.
    6. Collaborating with other students planning or engaging in any form of academic misconduct.
    7. Engaging in any behaviors or activities that, upon review, are deemed consistent with academic misconduct and not explicitly described here.
  7. Abuse, harassment, or any other seriously improper conduct in relation to instructors, students, educational and clinical staff, patients, or other members of the Washington University and/or Barnes Jewish Hospital communities.
  8. Breaches of confidentiality (e.g., public posting of proprietary educational material, HIPAA violations).
  9. Participation in illegal activities and/or substance misuse.
  10. Misrepresentations of one's credentials or status or failure to correct others' inaccuracies or misrepresentation of one's credentials.
  11. Aiding or abetting any individual in the violation of the professional integrity policy.

All faculty, staff, and students are responsible for reporting incidents of student misconduct in a timely manner, which can be done through the completion of a Professional Behavior Form (PBF) or submitting a Supporting a Fair Environment (SAFE) report, when applicable. Failure to report incidents of misconduct may be considered a separate act of academic and/or professional misconduct.

Reported incidents of misconduct will be reviewed by the Student Success Team (SST), the Competency Attainment Committee (CAC), and/or the Committee for Academic Promotions (CAP), depending on the particular circumstances of the incident in question and in a way that is in keeping with relevant university-wide policies as well as federal and state law. Incidents that occur within the scope of the MD program will generally be reviewed by the SST and referred to the CAC for review alongside other performance information aligned with the medical education program objective "exhibit high standards of professional integrity" to support competency decisions and promotion recommendations in keeping with standard CAC operations and policies. Incidents involving behaviors that do not clearly occur within the scope of the MD program (e.g., extracurricular activities like student groups, illegal activities, abusive conduct that occurs off-campus) will generally be reviewed by the SST and referred for adjudication by the CAP, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, or another university office responsible for the investigation and adjudication of certain university policy violations (e.g., the Office of Institutional Equity, Human Resources, or the Gender Equity and Title IX Office). Students accused of misconduct will be given notice of the alleged violation and an opportunity to respond in accordance with the relevant procedures of the office investigating and adjudicating the complaint. For sake of clarity, even if another university office adjudicates a professionalism complaint involving a medical student, WUSM retains jurisdiction to make additional decisions regarding a student's status if the student is found in violation.

Guidelines

Students who observe incidents of academic and/or professional misconduct may seek advice on reporting from their coach, the Associate Dean for Educational Strategy, the Assistant Dean for Student Assessment, a Dean of Student Affairs, or the WUSM ombuds. Students are reminded that university policies preclude the use of medical or recreational cannabis on campus or at off-campus events and activities sponsored by the university. In keeping with these policies, students who present to classroom, lab, or clinical responsibilities appearing to be impaired may be subject to for-cause testing and additional action as specified in these policies.

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