I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that no faculty member or clinical preceptor who provides medical care or behavioral/psychiatric care to any New York Medical College (“NYMC” or the “College”) student(s) has any role in the grading, assessment or promotion of NYMC student(s) to whom they provided care.
II. POLICY
The relationship between a student and a faculty member who is grading, evaluating or assessing that student is one that creates a power dynamic, and one that can be at risk for conflicting interests. As such, this policy requires faculty recusal in certain situations so as to avoid a conflict of interest and ensure that no private medical information about student medical conditions is improperly considered in the assessment or promotion of medical students.
Any faculty who is providing medical or psychiatric/behavioral care to a medical student must recuse themself from contributing to that medical student's summative assessment, final grade, and/or promotion decisions in any element of the NYMC curriculum. NYMC medical students’ rights to privacy in receiving medical care and/or behavioral or psychiatric care is to be preserved at all times.
III. SCOPE
This policy applies to all faculty members, residents, or clinical preceptors involved in the assessment and/or grading of students enrolled in the College’s School of Medicine.
IV. DEFINITIONS
None
V. PROCEDURES
All student summative evaluation forms will include a required field where faculty must attest that, to the best of their knowledge, the faculty member is not currently, nor has the faculty member been a treating physician for medical or psychiatric/behavioral care for the student being evaluated in at least the last five years.
In the event a violation or potential violation of this policy should arise, the faculty physician and affected medical student are advised to immediately contact the appropriate clerkship/course director and/or Office for Undergraduate Medical Education.
VI. EFFECTIVE DATE
This policy is effective immediately.
VII. POLICY MANAGEMENT
Executive Stakeholder: Dean, School of Medicine
Oversight Office: Office of Undergraduate Medical Education
