2021 - 2022 COM Student Handbook

Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM)—Department of Nutrition 2021–2022 313 K. Student Concerns The RDN program strives to uphold all ACEND requirements for policies and procedures related to the accreditation standards. Visit the ACEND website for the complete standards — eatrightpro.org/acend . Students should proactively contact the program director regarding issues of concern related to the standards and program requirements before significant problems arise. Concerns a student has regarding programmatic issues should be dealt with on an individual level, (i.e., student and faculty member or student and preceptor). If resolution of the concern is not achieved, the student may take the concern to the next level, (i.e., student, faculty, and director; or student, preceptor, and clinical coordinator). The program director is available in person or via phone. The student may email the program director to schedule an appointment. If resolution of the concern is not achieved via the program director, the student may take his or her concern to the associate dean for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Community Education and then the dean for the KPCOM. The program maintains a record of student complaints for a period of seven years, including the resolution of complaints. Any written complaints related to program noncompliance with ACEND accreditation standards, which cannot be resolved by the program, may be elevated to ACEND after all other options with the program and organization have been exhausted. L. Nutrition Practicums for Supervised Practice Students complete supervised practice (SP) under the direction of faculty members and qualified preceptors at affiliated training sites. Therefore, SP practicums must be completed within the semester they are scheduled and under no circumstances will a student be able to complete supervised practice hours before or after the assigned semester. Students placed on a leave of absence will work with the course director, under related policies, to fulfill the SP requirements for the course and/or program. Faculty members have the right to alter a practice experience or remove the student from the experience if the student’s performance is unsatisfactory. Students are not permitted to accept compensation for SP hours. In addition, students may not cover job duties for employees of the assigned facility. These hours are strictly coursework. Students are not permitted to complete SP hours at their place of employment, unless approved by the practicum coordinator. If a student is completing SP hours at a facility in which they are employed, paid work hours cannot count toward completion of the SP. Any violations of this policy may be cause for dismissal from the program. 1. Supervision Students should not be at a facility without the presence of the preceptor or his or her designee. A designee includes clinical dietitians, dietetic technicians, certified dietary managers, lead food-service employee such as a cook, food-service supervisor, manager or department director. A student should always have someone on-site who is his or her point of contact, and it may or may not be his or her main preceptor. A person should be identified and designated as the go-to person for questions and the one to provide the student with his or her work plan for the day. If a student is asked to be on-site without a preceptor or his or her designee, the student needs to contact the instructor immediately. On occasion, students may participate in virtual rotations and supervised professional training experiences through virtual technology. Such arrangements are approved in advance by the course