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Purpose
This policy ensures the confidentiality of health and counseling services provided to PHSU students and eliminates any actual, perceived, or potential conflicts of interest in student evaluations, promotions, or disciplinary actions.
Policy Statement
Health professionals and faculty or staff who provide psychiatric, psychological, personal counseling, or other sensitive medical and healthcare services to students at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU)students will not be involved in academic, professionalism, or disciplinary evaluation, promotion, or dismissal of students receiving those services.
Scope
This policy applies to:
- All PHSU students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs.
- Faculty, staff, and healthcare professionals, including contracted or visiting personnel, providing services to students.
- Institutional committees or boards responsible for student evaluations, promotions, or disciplinary actions.
Definitions
- Conflict of interest is a situation in which a faculty or staff member’s ability to evaluate, promote, or discipline a student is compromised due to their prior or current provision of sensitive health services to that student.
- Sensitive health services are psychiatric, psychological, professional counseling, or medical services that involve private or potentially stigmatizing health information.
- Student evaluations are the process of assessing a student’s academic, clinical, or professional performance.
- Disciplinary actions are decisions or measures taken in response to a student’s violation of institutional policies or academic/professional standards.
Procedures for Enforcement
Faculty and Staff Responsibility
Faculty members assigned to evaluate or make decisions regarding the promotion or disciplinary actions of students for whom they have provided psychiatric, psychological, or other sensitive health services must immediately report the conflict of interest to the clerkship director. The clerkship director is responsible for reassigning either the student or the faculty member to eliminate any conflict of interest.
Students’ Responsibilities
Students assigned to a course, preclinical experience, or clinical clerkship rotation in which they would be evaluated by a faculty or staff member who has provided them with sensitive health services must report the conflict of interest to the block or clerkship director as soon as they receive the assignment. Failure to report such conflict within two days of the initial contact with the faculty member forfeits the student’s right to request reassignment.
Escalation Procedures
If a conflict of interest has not been resolved after reporting, the student should escalate the matter to the Vice President of Student Affairs. Similarly, faculty or staff must escalate any unresolved conflict of interest to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
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