Adams School of Dentistry: Policy on DDS and DH Student Programs Compliance

Title

Adams School of Dentistry: Policy on DDS and DH Student Programs Compliance

Introduction

Purpose and Scope of Applicability

To define mandatory health, safety, and legal elements of all Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Dental Hygiene (DH) student compliance and describe Adams School of Dentistry (ASOD) and student responsibilities for ensuring satisfactory student accountability with all aspects of compliance.

Policy

Overview

State and federal statutory regulations, University policy, and accreditation standards require that ASOD students demonstrate cognitive and clinical competencies consistent with minimum practice standards. Specific requirements are addressed within the following:

ASOD is obligated to ensure all students attain and maintain full compliance with each required competency detailed in this policy. Further, ASOD is contractually obligated to share individual student compliance data with health care agencies to which students have been assigned for clinical education experiences.

Student Responsibilities

Each enrolled student must attain and maintain compliance with ASOD and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) requirements by the posted date within introductory classes or within 30 calendar days after the start of the respective program, whichever comes first, and through the last day of class in the semester of graduation, and to clinical agency requirements minimally six weeks prior to and throughout the semester of assignment. In all cases, compliance is achieved by submitting documents and updating related dates to ASOD’s online compliance vendor by posted due dates. DDS and DH students must complete any compliance items scheduled to expire between semesters prior to the start of the next term.

Adams School of Dentistry Responsibilities

ASOD is legally required to maintain documentary evidence of policy compliance in each student’s permanent file. Further, ASOD communicates requirement expectations to students through an external compliance vendor - a secure, web-accessible, name/email authenticated database and document repository (currently, eMedley). The system provides easily identifiable compliance requirements for the ASOD, UNC-Chapel Hill, and clinical agencies by containing documentation and dates within each student’s Compliance Profile. Instructional documents, tutorials, forms, and reminders of impending deadlines and expirations are housed and maintained by ASOD, but integrated into the external compliance vendor database. Through this 24/7 accessible system, students are able to independently monitor their compliance status.

Health Requirements

Safety Requirements

  • Current BLS/CPR (Basic Life Support) certification
  • Annual validation of personal health/accident insurance coverage.
  • Background check conducted prior to acceptance into a program that is based on legal name, date of birth, student provided SSN, and covering the lesser period of the past seven years or since the student’s 16th birthday, to include a search of:
    • all geographic addresses, both domestically and internationally, associated with the student’s complete residential history, places of employment, and educational institutions attended;
    • all felony and misdemeanor charges and convictions;
    • the national Sexual Offender/Predator Database check;
    • the Office of the Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) and the General Services Administration’s Excluded Parties list (EPLS); and
    • the UNC-Chapel Hill Suspension and Expulsion Database, National Student Clearinghouse and NC Department of Public Instruction enrollment database (as available).
  • 12-Panel Urine Drug Screen prior to acceptance and upon request, which includes: AMP (amphetamine), BAR (barbiturates), BZO (benzodiazepines), COC (cocaine), THC (marijuana), MTD (methadone), mAMP methamphetamine), MDMA (ecstasy), OPI (opiate), PCP (Phencyclidine) PPX (Propoxyphene), and OXY (oxycodone).

Legal Requirements

Consequences of Non-Compliance

DDS and DH students admitted to ASOD are expected to be of strong character and high integrity who epitomize professional standards and consistently demonstrate policy compliance. Consequences for a student failing to satisfy initial requirements or meet compliance standards continually throughout the program of study may lead to a clinical suspension, dismissal from the program, or reclassification. The ASOD Student Dismissal and Reclassification Policy are applicable to both DDS and DH students. DDS student clinical suspensions are outlined in the Policy on DDS Academic Standing. DH students may be suspended from clinic for reasons including:

  • Behavior that imperils the safety of the student, or of patients, faculty, staff, or other students.
  • Activity, including inadequate patient record-keeping, that poses a risk management issue for the ASOD.
  • Substandard clinical judgment or skills that endanger the health and safety of patients.
  • Non-compliance with clinic policies.
  • Failure to obtain required immunizations or infectious disease testing by announced deadlines.
  • Failure to complete required training or periodic retraining, such as Basic Life Support (CPR) or HIPAA.
  • An isolation order received from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Failure to pay fees due to the ASOD. This will also include a suspension from attending classes.

During a clinical suspension, the student is not permitted to treat patients or attend intramural or extramural rotations, including clinical volunteer activities. The student's access to the Epic medical records system will also be removed.

Exceptions

  • Students admitted less than two weeks prior to the first day of class must meet compliance within 30 calendar days after the start of the program.
  • Students who are able to demonstrate intent, with proof, related to immunizations, are able to continue into/through their program beyond specific deadlines (most commonly, restarting HBV series and reaching appropriate serological conversion).

Procedure for DDS Program Non-Compliance

  1. First Warning
    1. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will provide verbal or unofficial written warning to DDS student, reminding them to review the automated warning emails, which contain guides and resources on returning to compliance.
  2. Second Warning
    1. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will remind DDS student of Non-Compliance via email, phone call, and/or in-person visit.
    2. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will provide appropriate guidance again and determine that DDS student understands which compliance item is needed, how to upload/update documentation via the ASOD Compliance Portal, and relay consequences of continued Non-Compliance.
    3. DDS student Care Coordinator (CC) will be informed of situation and student’s current status of Non-Compliance. Location/contact information of appropriate CC can be obtained from ASOD Clinical Education office.
    4. Deadline of 10 calendar days from when second warning is issued.
  3. Final Warning
    1. If DDS student remains Non-Compliant, the Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will generate a summary report and will send that summary report to the Executive Vice Dean for Education, Associate Dean for Clinical Operations, and Director of the Clinical Curriculum for review.
    2. The Executive Vice Dean for Education, Associate Dean for Clinical Operations, and Director of the Clinical Curriculum will reach a consensus that includes a new deadline and appropriate consequences including but not limited to clinical suspension until the DDS student has returned to compliance.
  4. Post Final Warning
    1. If Non-Compliance continues beyond the deadline set above, Epic access will be revoked.
    2. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will generate a report with dates DDS student was informed about Non-Compliance, options offered, deadlines, prior communications, and any other relevant information. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will submit that report to the Executive Vice Dean for Education and the appropriate program’s academic performance committee. A non-compliant DDS student may be reclassified or dismissed from the program, per the ASOD Student Dismissal and Reclassification Policy.

Procedure for DH Program Non-Compliance

  1. First Warning
    1. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will provide verbal or unofficial written warning to DH student, reminding them to review the automated warning emails, which contain guides and resources on returning to compliance.
    2. DH Program Director, CC, and/or DH designee will be informed of the situation and DH student(s) Non-Compliant item(s).
  2. Second Warning
    1. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will remind DH student of Non-Compliance via email, phone call, and/or in-person visit.
    2. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will provide appropriate guides again and determine that DH student understands what compliance item is needed, how to upload/update documentation via the ASOD Compliance Portal, and relay consequences of continued Non-Compliance.
    3. DH Program Director, CC, and/or DH designee will be informed of situation and student’s current status of Non-Compliance. Location of appropriate CC can be obtained from DH Program Director or designee.
    4. Deadline of 10 calendar days from when second warning is issued.
  3. Final Warning
    1. If DH student remains non-Compliant, the Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will generate a summary report and will send that summary report to the DH Program Director for review, with a copy submitted to the Executive Vice Dean for Education and Associate Dean for Clinical Operations.
    2. The Director of the Dental Hygiene Program will provide the DH student a new deadline and appropriate consequence, including but not limited to clinical suspension, until DH student has returned to compliance.
  4. Post Final Warning
    1. If Non-Compliance continues beyond the deadline set above, EPIC access will be revoked.
    2. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will generate a report with dates DH student was informed about Non-Compliance, options offered, deadlines, prior communications, and any other relevant information. Director of Clinical Compliance or designee will submit that report to the DH Program Director, with a copy submitted to the Executive Vice Dean for Education.
    3. DH Program Director will forward the report to the Dental Hygiene Curriculum Committee, or appropriate committee, for final review, per ASOD Student Dismissal and Reclassification Policy.

Related Requirements

External Regulations and Consequences

Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures

Contact Information

Policy Contacts
Topic Officer Contact Info
General questions about policy Director of Clinical Compliance ASOD_ClinicalCompliance@unc.edu
Specific DDS questions Executive Vice Dean for Education edward_swift@unc.edu
Specific DH questions Dental Hygiene Program Director lattice_sams@unc.edu

 

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