Academic Ethics and Professional Standards

Students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest academic standards of honesty and integrity. The acts of, or the intent to engage in the acts of, cheating, plagiarism, illegitimate possession and/or disposition of examinations, and similar acts, are grounds for suspension or dismissal from the university. Students are advised that plagiarism consists of any act involving the offering of the work of someone else as the student’s own, including the use of work authored by a paid or volunteer person or organization contracted by the student. Students participating in experiential courses must adhere to all rules and regulations of the specific hospital, long-term care facility, industry site, etc.

LIU Pharmacy Honor Code

I. Statement of Philosophy

As students enrolled in a professional program, pharmacy students of LIU Pharmacy represent the university, the college, and the profession of pharmacy. As such, it is imperative that students conduct themselves in a professional manner, both academically and in any other situation where they are viewed as representatives of the university, the college, and/or the profession. It is imperative that pharmacy students shall be of good moral character and recognize a responsibility to participate in activities contributing to an improved community. Pharmacy students caring for patients must not be harmful, dangerous or negligent to the welfare of the patient. Therefore, standards of professional and ethical behavior have been developed as a guide for students to prepare them to meet the standards of the profession of pharmacy.

With all professions, it is the responsibility of the individual to be aware of all applicable standards (including academic, professional, ethical, and legal) and to follow them to the best of his/her ability at all times. Not knowing these standards is considered to be unprofessional, and does not provide defense in the case of errors in practice or unprofessional behavior. Therefore, each pharmacy student is required to become aware of and follow these standards, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the university, LIU Pharmacy, the experiential practice sites, and the profession of pharmacy. The elements of the professional commitment required of pharmacy students are outlined in the Pledge of Professionalism taken by pharmacy students, which reads as follows:

“As a student of pharmacy, I believe there is a need to build and reinforce a professional identity founded on integrity, ethical behavior, and honor. This development, a vital process in my education, will help ensure that I am true to the professional relationship I establish between myself and society as I become a member of the pharmacy community. Integrity must be an essential part of my everyday life and I must practice pharmacy with honesty and commitment to service.

To accomplish this goal of professional development, I as a student of pharmacy should:

DEVELOP a sense of loyalty and duty to the profession of pharmacy by being a builder of community, one able and willing to contribute to the well-being of others and one who enthusiastically accepts the responsibility and accountability for membership in the profession.

FOSTER professional competency through life-long learning. I must strive for high ideals, teamwork and unity within the profession in order to provide optimal patient care.

SUPPORT my colleagues by actively encouraging personal commitment to the Oath of Maimonides and a Code of Ethics as set forth by the profession

INCORPORATE into my life and practice, dedication to excellence. This will require an ongoing reassessment of personal and professional values.

MAINTAIN the highest ideals and professional attributes to ensure and facilitate the covenantal relationship required of the pharmaceutical care-giver.

The profession of pharmacy is one that demands adherence to a set of rigid ethical standards. These high ideals are necessary to ensure the quality of care extended to the patients I serve. As a student of pharmacy, I believe this does not start with graduation; rather, it begins with my membership in this professional college community. Therefore, I must strive to uphold these standards as I advance toward full membership in the profession of pharmacy.”

The standards of academic conduct, outlined in the sections that follow, apply not only to students enrolled in the professional program, but also to students enrolled in any of LIU Pharmacy's graduate programs. As such, violations of the Honor Code by students enrolled in these programs are handled in a manner similar to that of students enrolled in the professional program.

II. Academic Integrity

Students shall deal honestly with people, including colleagues, faculty, university representatives, patients, and health-care providers. Students are expected to demonstrate honesty and integrity throughout all aspects of their education. Specifically, students are responsible for:

• Understanding the types of conduct that are deemed unacceptable and, therefore, are prohibited by this policy
• Refraining from committing any act of cheating, plagiarizing, facilitating academic dishonesty, abusing academic materials, stealing, professional misconduct, or similar activities
• Maintaining a “duty to report” every instance in which students may have knowledge that academic misconduct has occurred; the student must report any infraction of the Honor Code to a faculty member or other appropriate authority (i.e., course coordinator, preceptor, etc.)

Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:

Cheating

• Use of unauthorized assistance during recitation sessions, quizzes, examinations, or pharmacy practice experiences
• Dependence upon the aid of unauthorized sources in writing papers, solving problems or completing other assignments
• Acquisition or possession, without permission, of examinations or other academic material belonging to a member of the university faculty or staff
• Multiple submission of work by a student that has been used in an identical or similar form to fulfill any academic requirement at the university or any other practice site
• Provision of assistance to others who are participating in the behaviors or activities mentioned above

Plagiarism/Copyright Infringement

• Paraphrasing without properly crediting the author(s) with footnotes, citations, or bibliographical reference or direct quotation of the work of others without applying quotation marks, and fully and properly crediting the author(s) with footnotes, citations, or bibliographical reference
• Use of materials prepared in collaboration with others without release in writing from the collaborators
• Reproduction of copyright material (e.g., textbooks, handouts, examinations) without obtaining written permission from the copyright owner
• Web-casting/taping or emailing lectures without permission of the faculty member or instructor

For further information about what constitutes plagiarism, the student is referred to: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/3/33.

Other

• Falsification of signatures, transcripts, grade reports, attendance records or other official documents
• Provision of false information regarding a missed examination or assignment
• Providing a false statement to any instructor in an attempt to gain an advantage or exceptions
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• Reusing, possessing, photocopying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in its entirety or in part, of instructor-prepared examinations, lecture materials or assignments unauthorized for release to all students

Academic Dishonesty Related to Clinical Practice

• Falsification of a patient’s medical records or providing fabricated information regarding a patient’s medical status or treatment presented either verbally or in writing
• Multiple submission of assignments from various practice sites

Abuse of Academic Materials

• Destroying or making inaccessible academic resource materials. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• Destroying, hiding, or otherwise making unavailable for common use library, computer, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or other academic reference materials
• Destroying, hiding, or otherwise making unavailable, another’s notes, experiments, computer programs, or other academic work

Representation

A pharmacy student shall accurately represent himself/herself to others, including, but not limited to, colleagues, faculty and staff of the university, patients, preceptors, and other health-care providers.

III. Professional Integrity

A student must not be harmful, dangerous, or negligent to the mental or physical health of patients, colleagues, faculty, or the public. Students must be familiar with and abide by the rules and regulations of their assigned experiential practice sites, as well as federal, state, and local laws pertaining to the practice of pharmacy.

Demeanor

The student is expected to be thoughtful and professional when interacting with faculty, patients and their families, physicians, preceptors, other students, and other members of the health-care team. Likewise, students must be respectful of and adhere to LIU Pharmacy’s rules and regulations.

Inappropriate behavior includes, but is not limited to:

• Absence from, or lateness to, required College professional activities
• Use of offensive language or gestures
• Intimidation or coercion of fellow students, faculty, staff, and patients
• Posting of offensive and/or unauthorized material on websites where the students are identified as being from LIU Pharmacy
• Defacing university property

Members of LIU Pharmacy are expected to comply with the College policies regarding food and drink in the classroom or clinical setting.

Smoking is not permitted in any part of the LIU Pharmacy indoor facilities.

Appearance

Students shall maintain a neat, clean appearance, and dress in attire that is appropriate for the setting. While in practice experiences and during official college professional events, students must be dressed in professional attire. For men, this includes a dress shirt, tie, and dress slacks or neat-appearing khaki pants. Women should be similarly appropriately and conservatively attired such as in a blouse with skirt or dress pants, or in a dress. Sneakers, open-toe shoes of any kind, work boots or shoes that look like work boots, T-shirts, shorts, and jeans of any color are examples of what is not permitted. In the classroom, students should be dressed in clothes that are clean and neat and are not considered offensive or embarrassing to the faculty or students. Additional/specific dress code requirements may be outlined in individual course syllabi.

Impairment

The student will not use alcohol or drugs in ways that impair his/her ability to perform required work or result in compromised patient care. When a student uses a medication that may impair his/her ability to care for patients, it is his/her responsibility to discuss this with his/her advisor, faculty member, or preceptor at the college or experiential practice site. Students should protect the public from an impaired colleague and assist an impaired colleague in receiving appropriate help with his/her drug or alcohol problem. Students must also refer to the Alcohol Policy and Regulations, detailed in the LIU Brooklyn Student Handbook.

In addition to the Honor Code, students are expected to follow the policies and procedures for criminal background check and drug screening policies for LIU Pharmacy and, when applicable, the affiliated experiential practice site.

IV. Pledge of Honor

All students are expected to sign the following Pledge of Honor upon matriculation to LIU Pharmacy:

“As a student of the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences of Long Island University, I will actively pursue behaviors that are consistent with professional conduct, as outlined in the college’s Honor Code. I will maintain a professional relationship with faculty, colleagues, other health care providers, and patients, and will maintain academic integrity, as outlined in the Code. I fully recognize that violation of any of the standards of the Code may result in disciplinary actions, including possible dismissal from the college.”

Students are reminded that failure to sign this document does not relieve them from the professional and academic responsibilities set forth in the LIU Pharmacy Honor Code and/or other documents delineating student conduct and behavior.

LIU Pharmacy Violations of Standards of Professional and Ethical Behavior and Academic Integrity

Students accused of violating the college’s standards of professional and ethical behavior and academic integrity may be subject to disciplinary action. Disciplinary actions may include suspension or dismissal from LIU Pharmacy or specific forms of remediation, such as completion of a course on ethics, service requirements to the college or other not-for-profit or charitable organizations or agencies as the college may specify. A disciplinary Committee consisting of members of the faculty and student representation will be convened to hear the accusations and hear defense on the part of the student. All parties involved may request the presence of other individuals with knowledge pertinent to the case to present evidence. The Disciplinary Committee will present its finding of fact and recommendations as to the disposition of the case to the associate dean for academic and student affairs or the associate dean for research and graduate studies for students enrolled in the college’s graduate program. Students are advised that they may request the presence of counsel for said hearings only for purposes of observation and advisement. Counsel is not afforded the opportunity to question those appearing before the committee or to advocate on behalf of the student. Decisions of the Disciplinary Committee and/or the associate dean for academic and student affairs (or the associate dean for research and graduate studies for students enrolled in the college’s graduate programs) that the student believes may demonstrate arbitrary and capricious treatment or to be fundamentally unfair may be appealed, as a final step, to the dean of LIU Pharmacy.

LIU Pharmacy Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures

Students at LIU Pharmacy may expect a scrupulous regard for their rights as students and individuals and should expect to be treated fairly and with courtesy by all members of the academic community. In any matter in which students feel that their rights have been violated, or in matters of serious dispute with members of the administration or faculty, students may avail themselves of the following formal grievance procedure:

1. The student will write out a clear statement of the grievance.
2. The student may submit this statement to the staff member involved. The student will be given a written response within a reasonable time.
3. If the student is not satisfied with the response, or initially, if preferred, the student may submit a statement to the appropriate division director or department head. The director will review the matter and provide the student with a written response within a reasonable period of time.
4. After a student receives a response from the Division Director, a disciplinary committee may be convened upon the request of the student, the faculty member or the administration. This committee advises either the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs (Doctor of Pharmacy students) or the Associate Dean for Research and graduate Studies (graduate students) regarding the matter; the respective dean's decision is then communicated to the concerned parties. The appropriate dean may initiate disciplinary proceedings upon request of a faculty member or Division Director.
5. If still not satisfied, the student may institute a formal complaint with the Dean of the College in which he or she is enrolled. The Dean will review the matter, hear the student and staff member where appropriate, and see that the proper action is taken.

This procedure shall be a formal grievance procedure for the resolution of all student grievances and disciplinary matters, including those alleging actions prohibited by legislation.