School of Medicine Policies

Academic Freedom

Freedom of inquiry and the free exchange of ideas are essential for the fulfillment of the university’s mission. Academic freedom is a right and responsibility of students as well as faculty.

Students who believe that their academic freedom has been abridged should submit a written complaint to the Vice Dean of Education. The Dean may enlist the faculty in establishing the merits or extent of the complaint by appointing a disinterested two-person subcommittee of the Clinical Sciences Faculty Council on Academic Affairs to provide advice. Cases not resolved by the Vice Dean may be brought to the attention of the provost. Students may also seek advice of the student ombudsperson in resolving a complaint.

Academic Standards

The faculty of the Duke University School of Medicine has the responsibility to define minimum acceptable standards for academic performance. In all courses, minimum passing standards are defined by the course director in collaboration with their department chairperson and faculty. These standards are communicated to the students at the beginning of each course. In clinical departments, acceptable professional standards of behavior and attitudes are included in performance evaluation.

Faculty have the responsibility of notifying students who are not meeting minimal standards for passing a course early enough for the student to be able to work toward achieving the minimal standard by the end of the course. In most cases, this is at the midterm of a course. Tutorial help or guidance in correcting deficiencies should be offered to any student so notified.

In addition to performance directly related to course requirements, all students must maintain a high standard of professional behavior. Examples include how a student communicates with course faculty and support staff, their manifestations of responsibility to the school, fellow students, and patients, as well as behavior off-campus that would be deemed unprofessional for students becoming medical professionals. Incidents reported to the Vice Dean’s office are investigated. The number of such reports, the severity of the transgression, and other aspects specific to the behavior in question can result in disciplinary action, including dismissal from medical school.

Commencement

Graduation ceremonies are held once a year, in May, when degrees are conferred on, and diplomas are issued to, those who have successfully completed requirements by the end of the spring semester. Those who successfully complete degree requirements at the end of the summer or fall terms receive diplomas dated September 1 or December 30, respectively. There is a delay of about one month in the mailing of September and December diplomas because diplomas cannot be issued until they are approved by the Academic Council and the Board of Trustees. Degrees will not be conferred prior to the actual graduation date. Students that receive a degree during December or September are invited to participate in the May commencement program immediately following their actual graduation date.

Students are required to apply for graduation online through their DukeHub accounts. Students are sent email notifications from the SoM Registrar's Office or their program to advise of dates and times for the online apply for graduation periods. It is extremely important that students who wish to be graduated in absentia notify the SoM Office of Student Affairs (medstudaff@dm.duke.edu) at least a month prior to graduation.

Computer Policy

Laptops are provided to students that matriculate into the Doctor of Medicine, Pathologist Assistant, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Biomedical Science programs. Duke required software is installed on each laptop depending Duke Health System and on the program requirements. Students are expected to use the Duke issued laptop during their time at Duke. Devices must be kept regularly up to date with all security updates provided by Apple, Microsoft, Google or other vendors to keep the Duke Health systems secure.

Students that go on an approved personal or medical leave of absence, that will be on a leave six months or longer, are required to meet with Medical School Education Information Technology (MedEdIT) staff to have their computers erased and returned to factory settings. This will remove Duke installed software from the computer. Students will continue to have access to their Duke email and most web-based applications during this time. Students should contact the MedEdIT staff once they have been approved to return from leave of absence to have their laptops reconfigured and Duke software re-installed.

Students that are placed on suspension are required to have their laptops returned to their factory setting. Students will be given 5 business days to clear personal data from the laptop after being notified of their status change. Medical School Education Information Technology (MedEdIT) staff will remotely have the computers erased and returned to factory settings after the 5 business days. Students that return from suspension will need to meet with MedEdIT to have the Duke required software installed.

Students in their final year are required to meet with MedEdIT staff prior to match day or prior to graduation to have their laptops erased and retuned to factory settings without Duke installed software. This is a requirement for clearance to graduate. Medical students who have rotations after Match Day can arrange a time with MedEdIT to have their computer erased once their rotation is complete.

Students charged the technology fee that withdraw from the program or go on a leave of absence, cannot return the equipment for the technology fee to be waived. The only exception would be a student that receives a laptop and then withdraw prior to the first day of classes. Students that withdraw before the first day of classes and return the laptop (and iPad if one was issued) and accessories to the MedEdIT department in good condition within 20 days of the withdrawal, may have the technology fee waived.

Duke Community Standard

The Duke Community Standard policy is available at students.duke.edu/get-assistance/community-standard/osccs.

Duke’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences ﬂourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Excellence, Diversity, and Inclusion: A statement by the faculty, Provost, and President

To achieve our mission and meet the needs of a rapidly changing world, Duke strives to create a climate of collaboration, creativity, and innovation within and across disciplines. Our success depends upon the robust exchange of ideas – an exchange that ﬂourishes best when the rich diversity of human knowledge, perspectives, and experiences is heard. We nonetheless acknowledge that our policies and practices have often failed to ensure equality of participation within our community. Our renewed commitment and responsibility to one another is articulated in the following statement.

Duke University Community Commitment

Because diversity is essential to fulﬁlling the university’s mission, Duke is committed to building an inclusive and diverse university community. Every student, faculty, and staff member—whatever their race, gender, age, ethnicity, cultural heritage or nationality; religious or political beliefs; sexual orientation or gender identity; or socioeconomic, veteran or ability status—has the right to inclusion, respect, agency and voice in the Duke community. Further, all members of the University community have a responsibility to uphold these values and actively foster full participation in university life.

Duke University Degree Revocation Policy

The university degree revocation policy is available at provost.duke.edu/duke-university-degree-revocation-policy.

Education Records/FERPA

In accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students are granted certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:

The right to inspect their education records.
The right to amend the contents of the education record to ensure that they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning perceived failure on the part of the school to satisfy the requirements of FERPA.

FERPA also limits the disclosure of personally identifiable information to others without the student’s prior consent with the following exceptions:

Directory Information

Certain categories of information are considered to be directory information and do not require the student’s prior written consent to be disclosed. However, the medical school registrar’s office complies with a student’s request to withhold directory information if notice is submitted in writing during the first three weeks of each new academic year; such requests must be renewed annually. Students considering nondisclosure should be aware that negative repercussions may result when inquiries are made by prospective employers, educational institutions, or other interested parties. This is particularly important for graduating students whose final nondisclosure requests continue to be honored until rescinded by the student.

The following have been designated as directory information by the university: name, address, telephone listing, e-mail address, date and place of birth, photograph, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and most recent previous educational institution attended.

Education records include those records which contain information directly related to a student and are maintained as official working files by the university. They do not include records made by faculty and administrators for their own use and not shown to others; campus police records; employment records; records of physicians, psychologists, etc., made or used only for treatment purposes; and records containing information relating to a person’s activities after they graduate or withdraw from the university.
Although FERPA regulations do not require institutions to provide copies of the education records, unless to do so would effectively prohibit an individual from viewing her or his records, it is the policy of Duke University School of Medicine to make such copies available. However, the medical school may deny requests to release copies of the transcripts of those students in financial default. The medical school also does not release copies of other schools’ transcripts unless mandated by FERPA.

Legitimate Interests

The university discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the university in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the university has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using university employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing their tasks. A school official has legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the University. Prior consent is not required for disclosure of education records to school officials of Duke University who have been determined to have legitimate educational interests, appropriate parties in connection with an emergency, and in response to a court order or subpoena.

The complete university policy regarding FERPA is located on the website for the university registrar, at registrar.duke.edu/student-records-resources/ferpa.

FERPA: registrar.duke.edu/student-resources/family-educational-rights-and-privacy-act-ferpa/

Federal Textbook Requirement

To view the policy, go to registrar.duke.edu/faqs/?f=/faq/federal-textbook-requirement.

Email, Official Means of Communication

Duke University School of Medicine uses email as an official means of communication with students. Deans, faculty, and administrators will generally employ the Duke e-mail address (@duke.edu). Students are expected to check their Duke email account on a regular basis and to respond in a timely fashion. Students who have their @duke.edu forwarded to a different email address are responsible for ensuring that important and time-sensitive communications are not lost. Failure to read and respond to official email in a timely fashion can have serious consequences.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, requires health care professionals to protect privacy and create standards for electronic transfers of health data. The Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services will enforce the regulations and impose penalties on institutions that do not make a good-faith effort on privacy and security.

HIPAA came about because of the public’s concern about how health care information is used. HIPAA gives patients more control over their own health information. All Duke University School of Medicine students are required to complete online HIPAA Compliance Update training on an annual basis via an online training module. This module is located on the Occupational and Environmental Safety Office website at safety.duke.edu.

For more information about HIPAA compliance training, visit dukehealth.org/privacy/patient-bill-of-rights.

Immunization and Health Record

North Carolina state law and the Infection Control Committee at the medical center require all new students to provide, within thirty days of matriculation, evidence of immunity to certain vaccine-preventable illnesses. Upon acceptance, students receive the Student Health Immunization Form, which should be uploaded to shc.duhs.duke.edu, no later than June 15.

Duke University Medical Center and the School of Medicine hold the health and welfare of their students, patients, and faculty in the highest regard. Students’ failure to comply with North Carolina state immunization requirements and those of the School of Medicine will result in the student not being allowed to continue coursework or to take exams until all immunization requirements are met. For questions or concerns about immunization requirements, please contact the Student Health Department at immunizations@duke.edu or by phone at (919) 681-WELL.

All incoming Duke students are required to have certain immunizations to meet North Carolina and Duke University requirements. Students in a health professional program have additional requirements. Students are encouraged to review and update their records as soon as possible. Failure to meet requirements may result in course scheduling delays. Refer to studentaffairs.duke.edu/studenthealth/immunization-compliance for the most current detailed immunization information.

Payment Policy for Students Who Do Not Hold US Citizenship or US Permanent Resident Status

Each non-US citizen admitted for enrollment at Duke University School of Medicine is eligible to apply for need-based financial assistance at the time of admission. Financial Aid eligibility is determined at the time a student is admitted and the student is notified of their eligibility prior to accepting admission into the school. Funds accepted by the student will credit to the student account. The amount disbursed is dependent on the number of terms a student is enrolled. It is the student’s responsibility to pay all required tuition and fees on a semester/term basis.

For questions regarding this policy, please contact the Office of the Bursar at bursar@duke.edu or the Duke University School of Medicine Office of Admissions at medadm@mc.duke.edu.

Safety/Compliance Training

All students enrolled in Duke University School of Medicine are required to complete annual online compliance and safety training modules. Newly matriculated students will receive a list of required modules and where to access the modules using Canvas. Completion of the modules will be done on the Occupational and Environmental Safety Office (OESO) website at safety.duke.edu, the Learning Management System (LMS) website at hr.duke.edu/training/learning-management-system, and the CITI website, citiprogram.org. Annual reminders to complete required modules, will be sent to returning students from OESO and LMS. Requirements are also tracked via the Compliance Canvas Portal. Requirements are subject to change based on OESO and LMS compliance requirements. Failure to satisfy requirements by specified deadline(s) may result in the completion of a professionalism form. Additional information can be found at safety.duke.edu.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid

Federal regulations that went into effect July 1, 2011 require that Duke establish and implement a policy to measure whether students applying for and/or receiving financial aid are making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) towards a degree. This regulation applies to all students applying for aid, whether or not financial aid has been previously received. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the successful completion of degree requirements according to established increments that lead to awarding the degree within published time limits. There are three measurements that are used to determine eligibility: Qualitative (grades), Quantitative or PACE (percentage of completion) and Maximum Timeframe to complete degree. Not meeting these requirements may result in loss of all financial aid. Below is an explanation of these requirements.

Monitoring of Academic Progress

Students’ progress will be reviewed after grades are finalized, with the exception of Medicine which will be at the end of each year. A determination of eligibility to receive financial aid for subsequent enrollment periods will be made at this time. Although Duke will send a notification to the student, the student is fully responsible for monitoring their own academic progress as it relates to financial aid eligibility. The student should review their grades on an on-going basis and compare it to the standards set forth in this SAP policy to determine if they are meeting (or failing to meet) the established criteria.

Should the student be concerned that they may not have met the requirements, they may contact the Financial Aid Office during normal business hours. Students will be notified via their Duke e-mail account if they have failed the measurement. Students may appeal the decision. The appeal form and directions will be located on our website.

Frequency of Evaluation and Communication of Status

Satisfactory Academic Progress for students enrolled in Allied Health Programs, Doctorate of Physical Therapy, Doctorate of Occupational Therapy, and Doctor of Medicine second, third and forth will be checked when grades become available for each term in which the student is enrolled (including summer). Satisfactory Academic Progress for students enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine first year will be checked at the end of each year. Students not achieving SAP will be notified of their status (Financial Aid Warning or Financial Aid Probation) by receiving an email to their Duke email account.

A student who fails to meet any of the SAP standards will be placed on a Financial Aid Warning for the next semester.

Financial Aid Warning and Loss of Federal Financial Aid Eligibility

A student who fails to meet SAP will be automatically placed on “financial aid warning” for the next enrollment period.

During the “financial aid warning” enrollment period, the student may receive federal financial aid despite the determination that the student is not meeting SAP standards.

The student must meet SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning period or will be placed on SAP probation, in which the student is ineligible to receive federal aid without an approved appeal (outlined further in this policy).

There are three (3) parts to the SAP measurement:

Maximum Time Frame for Eligibility: Reviewed Each Term/Year
- The normal time frame for completion of required course work is determined by each program. Students are allowed to take 1.5 times the years of the program to complete the degree. Leave of Absences (LOA) are not counted unless the time frame from the date of matriculation reaches 10 years. Students are not allowed to take more than 10 years, including LOAs, to complete degree requirements.
Quantitative: Reviewed at the end of each Term/Year
- Students must successfully complete a minimum of 70% of the total number of hours for which they are enrolled after the first week of the enrollment period and cumulatively. Each program determines progress to be reasonable by dividing the cumulative number of credits the student has successfully completed by the cumulative number of credits the student has attempted.
- Students enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine Program must complete 100% of attempted credits in the first year in order to progress to the second year. All fourth-year students must have satisfied all requirements as specified by the program in order to graduate.
Qualitative Requirement: Reviewed at the end of each Term/Year
- Successful completion of a course for all students, for purposes of SAP calculations, means a student must earn a grade of Credit (Cr), Pass (P), Satisfactory (S) or better. All other grades, including F (Fail), I (Incomplete), or W (Withdrawal) will not be counted as successful completion. Only an incomplete that has been changed to a passing grade can be added to the number of hours completed for the semester of the original registration. It is the students’ responsibility to notify the Office of Financial Aid once an incomplete grade has been changed to a valid grade.

SAP Probation and Appeal Process

Students who lose eligibility for financial aid may appeal the decision by following the procedures outlined below. Those wishing to utilize this process must indicate mitigating circumstances that occurred during the course of the semester or year in question, that could not have been anticipated prior to that period, and that adversely affected their ability to successfully complete their required coursework. (Events such as the death of an immediate family member, extended illness suffered by the student, or other unforeseeable events that may have caused significant hardship for the student may be considered as examples of mitigating circumstances.) To appeal, a student must:

Submit a letter of appeal to the Financial Aid Office. The appeal letter should include the following:
- mitigating circumstances that prevented the student from meeting the requirements of academic progress (e.g. death in the family, student illness or injury, other personal circumstances). Mitigating circumstances do not include: withdrawing from classes to avoid failing grades, pursuing a second major or degree, etc.;
- documentation that supports the student’s basis for the appeal;
- steps the student has taken/will take to ensure future academic success. This plan should outline the student’s academic goals for each period (e.g. number of credit hours and/or cumulative GPA) that will enable the student to meet the requirements of academic progress at a specified future point in time; and
- anticipated graduation date.
In most cases, the SAP Appeals Committee will render a decision within two weeks of receipt of a fully completed appeal. All decisions of the SAP Appeals Committee are final. Notification of the decision will be sent via the student’s Duke email account.
If applicable, the promotions committee will monitor and review progress of the student. Failure to meet SAP during the probationary period may result in dismissal from the program.
If the SAP appeal is approved, financial aid will be awarded for the next semester on a probation period as long as an approved Academic Plan is in place. An Academic Plan must be formulated with a student’s advisor. Student will be placed on financial aid warning for the approved appealed term.
Federal aid will be cancelled for a student on SAP Probation. If the SAP appeal is approved, federal financial aid will be re-instated for the term in which the aid was cancelled.

Students who fail to meet the requirements for academic progress after the second financial aid warning period and do not complete the requirements of their academic plan will again be ineligible for financial aid for the following term and will be placed on financial aid probation and subject to the appeal process.

Students who meet the requirements for academic progress for their second warning period will resume good standing and again be evaluated at the conclusion of the following term/year.

Regaining Financial Aid Eligibility

Upon receipt of all completed appeal materials, the student will be considered for a probationary semester of financial aid in order to reestablish satisfactory academic progress. Students whose appeal is approved will be placed on financial aid warning. Academic progress will be evaluated at the conclusion of each enrolled term.

Students who meet the requirements for academic progress for their second warning period will resume good standing and again be evaluated at the conclusion of the following term/year.

School of Medicine (SoM) Severe Weather Policy

The School of Medicine will handle the cancellation of classes in the following manner:

All School of Medicine students will follow the provost’s decision in regards to cancellation of classes. If classes are cancelled, students should not report for any medical school activities (classes, labs, clerkships, clinical assignments, etc.). Course directors, mentors, and faculty are aware of this policy so that individual decisions should not be made.

These decisions can be determined by calling (919) 684-INFO or the DukeAlert site, emergency.duke.edu, or today.duke.edu, or by visiting the School of Medicine, Office of the Registrar’s website, registrar.mc.duke.edu. Severe weather policy information is automatically added to the top of the SoM and SoM registrar’s websites when conditions warrant.

Please note that (919) 684-INFO and emergency.duke.edu are considered the official communication for inclement/severe weather announcements.

Social Media Policy

Duke School of Medicine adheres to Duke Health’s policy on social media:

Duke Health, which includes Duke University Health System (DUHS) and its subsidiaries, the Duke University Schools of Medicine and Nursing, understands the significance, and supports the use of social media to promote Duke Health and its educational, clinical and research activities. Duke Health recognizes and supports the professional use of social media and recognizes that Duke Health workforce participates in social media for personal use. This policy covers the use of social media and internet activities that associate Duke Health workforce with Duke Health through use of a Duke Health title, email address or other DUHS-identifying information.

Transcripts & Diplomas

Transcripts of Academic Record

Current students may request copies of their academic transcripts online via their DukeHub accounts. Alumni students may obtain a copy of their academic transcripts by completing a request via a Parchment account. The link to Parchment is included on the SoM Registrar’s website, medschool.duke.edu/education/health-professions-education-programs/student-services/office-registrar/alumni-services. Students are charged a one-time transcript fee during their first year. Transcripts are released at no charge and only upon consent of the student. Students that elect to have their transcripts sent by a priority mail service are responsible for the mailing costs. Students who graduated during the year 2000 or later may request for the School of Medicine registrar’s office to send a secure online transcript via email. Current students and those who have graduated in the past year should make their requests through DukeHub.

Transcripts and records submitted from other schools, through the admissions process, cannot be duplicated and released from the registrar’s office. If you have additional questions, please contact medreg@dm.duke.edu or (919) 684-2304.

Replacement Diplomas

Duke University partners with Parchment Exchange to fulfill replacement diploma requests. The basic fee for a non-expedited order mailed to an address in the U.S. is $35 per diploma. For both U.S. and international destinations, expedited processing and delivery services are available for an additional fee as outlined within the Parchment order request. Expedited shipping does not mean expedited processing. Please allow up to 8 weeks for processing and shipping.

Replacement Certificates for Approved School of Medicine Certificate Programs (May 2000–present)

Duke University School of Medicine provides only one certificate to graduates from approved School of Medicine certificate programs, whether original or replacement. If a student has lost their certificate and wishes to have a replacement certificate made, they must fill out a Request for Replacement Certificate Form, certifying how their certificate was lost, misplaced, or damaged. The form must be notarized and must include the notary seal. The original signed form, not a copy, must be returned along with a $25 replacement fee, made payable to Duke University School of Medicine Registrar. In cases where the original certificate has been marred beyond legibility, the original certificate must be returned along with the Request for Replacement Certificate Form. Please allow eight weeks for processing. In accordance with university policy, a statement of replacement will be printed above the seal on the certificate. It does not mar the appearance nor detract from the value of the actual certificate. The format of the replacement certificate will be the format that was used in the year the student received their degree. To obtain a Request for Replacement Certificate Form, please contact the Office of the School of Medicine Registrar, 8 Searle Center Drive, DUMC Box 3878, Durham, NC 27701; (919) 684-2304 or by email at medreg@duke.edu, providing an explanation for the need of a replacement certificate. Replacement certificates may only be provided for students that completed approved School of Medicine Certificate programs from May 2000 to present.