Student Responsibility Statement

Subject: I. Academic - A. Student Affairs

Department: Clinical Affairs

Reviewed and/or Revised: 09/01/2017, 02/24/2024, 08/01/2025

UMSOD Student Responsibility Statement (Updated 10/09/20)

OVERALL GUIDELINES

The primary goal of all UMSOD clinics is to ensure that patient-centered care is the priority.
- Patients should expect to be treated with high ethical standards, and students should exhibit qualities such as honesty, compassion, kindness, courtesy, integrity, fairness, and charity.
- Students must always strive to do what is right and in the best interests of the patient.
Students must provide patient-centered treatment at ALL times.
- Students will provide timely and high-quality dental treatment to ALL assigned patients.
  - This includes dental care provided to same day “emergency” patients.
- Students must attend ALL block assignments, clinical rotations, and assigned externships.
- Students must arrive on time to their designated clinic sessions or block assignments and must be dismissed by faculty before leaving.
- If students are not treating patients for a session, they must be reachable via cell phone or email and be able to return to the clinic floor ASAP.
  - The PCC for each GP will maintain a current list of phone number/emails.
- Students MUST ask faculty to intervene if they are unable to complete a treatment in a reasonable amount of time.

GENERAL RULES

Clinic Policies and Procedures
- Students must follow all UMSOD policies and procedures contained in the clinic manual.
- All dental treatment must be performed in designated clinical spaces under the direct supervision of a licensed faculty member.
- No patient dental care may be performed in Dental laboratory and/or Simulation spaces.
- Patients/visitors may not enter non-clinical spaces unless they are approved by Clinical Affairs.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Students must understand and follow all rules related to HIPAA.
- Students must remember that all patient information is the explicit property of the patient and the SOD.
- Patient images may NOT be published on social media.
- All mobile devices must be registered with the UMSOD Office of Information Technology
- All laptops and mobile devices must be encrypted and password-protected
- All patient images must be uploaded into the patient management system.
- No patient information is publicly accessible.
- Any HIPAA infraction is considered very serious and may result in a loss of clinical privileges.

CPR status
- Students must maintain a current CPR status (required recertification every 2 years) to work in the clinic.
  - Note: this CPR certification will be maintained on file with the UMSOD Director of Credentialing and Quality Assurance.
Swipe cards

Students CANNOT use faculty swipe cards, and faculty should NOT give their swipe cards to students to be used.
- This is considered fraud and is a legal matter of “impersonation.”

Clinic missteps
Chart documentation
- ALL clinical documentation must be maintained in the patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR), which includes:
  - All treatment notes,
  - Any relevant patient conversations/comments related to treatment, including, but not limited to:
    - Restoration shade approvals,
    - Verbal consents,
    - Specific questions.
  - The patient’s medical history/medications must be updated and approved at each visit (including BP).
Adverse incidents
- Students must immediately report any adverse incidents to the covering faculty.
- Students must complete all documentation and report any adverse incidence to the Emergency Response Team, which includes:
  - Incident Report Form,
  - A relevant note in the patient’s EHR
Infection Control
- Students must wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is compliant with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UMSOD Policies and Procedures:
  - Appropriate school-issued scrubs and closed-toed footwear,
  - Disposable blue jacket/coat,
  - Eye protection with side shields,
  - Properly fitting gloves
  - A mask that covers the nose.
- Scrubs approved by the UMSOD must be worn for all clinical, preclinical and lecture activity.
  - The proper color for each class should be worn.
- In addition, all hair should be properly contained (hair should be pulled back and off the face), and men should be neatly groomed.
- Students must properly disinfect the patient’s chair and all necessary equipment and apply all required barriers prior to seating the patient.
  - Students must properly remove all barriers and then properly disinfect the patient’s chair and all equipment after dismissing the patient.
- Disposable blue gowns/coats
  - UMSOD provided disposable blue gowns/coats must be worn during all patient contact/treatment.
  - Gowns must be worn ONLY in the clinical areas!
  - Gowns must NOT be worn in restrooms, in eating areas, or outside of clinic.
  - Gowns must be disposed of in the white cloth bins.
    - DO NOT place them in the trash OR in the red biohazard waste bags.
- Biohazard waste (RED bags)
  - Biohazard bags must be used for disposal of single-use items having come into contact with a patient.
    - Ex: GLOVES, gauze, cotton rolls, suction tips
  - Note: anesthetic carpules and syringe needles, scalpels, scalpel blades and other recognizable sharps should be placed in the RED SHARPS container.

BEFORE SEATING THE PATIENT

Students must ensure that their patient has been “checked in” at the front desk.
Patients are responsible for paying any past-due balance prior to being seated.
- If an outstanding balance cannot be paid, the patient should be escorted to the business manager to make financial arrangements.
If there is a problem with payment and/or collection of an outstanding balance, students must discuss this with their GP director/assistant director before providing any additional treatment, unless the treatment is of an emergency/urgent nature.
Ideally, all financial transactions will have been satisfied by the front desk staff prior to the patient being seated for treatment, however, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to verify that the patient’s account balance is current.

GETTING A “START”

Students must review the chief complaint, current radiographs, medical history, and take a current BP before requesting a “start” from faculty.
- Once the “start” has been granted, the student may begin clinical examination and/or treatment of the patient.
All dental treatment planned for the day must be reviewed and approved by the covering faculty before treatment is started.

PATIENT CONSENT AND COMMUNICATION

Students must obtain all appropriate patient AND faculty consents before rendering treatment.
Students should constantly be working to improve their patient communication skills, including:
- Active listening skills,
- Explaining procedures appropriately to ensure that patient comprehension,
- Giving patients the opportunity to ask questions.

BEFORE DISMISSING THE PATIENT

Students must ensure that all treatment is entered/swiped in Axium and approved/completed by faculty prior to the patient being dismissed.
Students must walk their patient to the front desk to check out.

I have reviewed and understand the above clinic Student Responsibility Statement and agree to accept the above referenced responsibilities while working under the supervision of faculty in clinic.

Print name: _____________________________________________ GP: ______________

Student signature: ________________________________________ Date: ____________