3 - Other Policies and Student Resources

Classroom decorum is a set of behaviors that demonstrate respect for the learning environment and others while in the educational building.  

Students should contribute to the cleanliness of the College by appropriately disposing of all food items, paper, and other trash.  Students using a classroom or laboratory should leave the room as they found it, including returning technology to the default setting or placing furniture in an orderly manner for use by the next occupants of the room.

Classes are in session in the Allied Health Building (OKC) and in the Academic Buildings (Tulsa) from 7:00 am until 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Therefore, noise level in hallways, laboratories, classes, lounges, and offices should be kept low to prevent disruption of classes and meetings.  Doors to labs, classes, and common areas should be kept closed to reduce noise.  Computers in labs and classrooms are for educational purposes only and should not be used for entertainment or personal use. 
 

Students are responsible for mastering the content of all courses in which they are enrolled.  Specific requirements for class attendance are provided by the individual course instructor and will be included in the course syllabus.  Attendance is required in all program courses.

When absences affect a student’s coursework, the instructor will schedule a formal meeting with the student and may also impose disciplinary action in accordance with department and university policies.  If absences are excessive, a student may be withdrawn from the program in accordance with university policy.

It is recognized that while in the program, situations may arise that could cause a student to be late to or absent from class or clinic rotation, but those instances should be kept to a minimum.  A professional sense of responsibility to put patients first is required from the outset of the program to develop the professional attitude expected by employers.

Guidelines for notification of absence from a clinic rotation are provided in Section 4, Clinical Education Policies. The following are guidelines for absence from all other programmatic activities:

• A student must contact or leave a message in advance for all faculty in the courses he/she will be absent or tardy, and copy their Program Director. Failure to contact a faculty member may impact a student’s course grade as delineated in the course syllabus.
• If absence will last several days, the student should contact his/her program director to explain the situation and the expected date of return. 
• It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with absence policies in course syllabi and to contact each course instructor upon return to school regarding options to make up missed work. 
• Students with military or jury duty must inform their program director as soon as possible and provide documentary evidence of the activity.  These students must notify all course faculty of their absence and make advance arrangements for makeup of missed tests, labs, etc.

Make-up activities are at the discretion of each course instructor, including make-up of clinic time  or final examinations.  The faculty member has the authority to assign a grade of “0” for any  assessment or activity when the absence or tardy is unexcused. The faculty member can request documentation of an incident to excuse an absence. 

Students are not allowed to attend classes if they do not submit University training certificates or required documentation to Complio by the due date. Any class activity is considered unexcused when class is missed due to noncompliance. See Section 4: Clinical Education Policies of this handbook for more information on Complio and required documentation. 
 

Information on campus closings is announced by the OU emergency alert system, the television media, the OUHSC or OU-Tulsa home page, and at 405-271-6499 (OKC) or 918-660-3999 (Tulsa). Closings are based on campus location so just because one campus is closed doesn’t mean all campuses are closed. 

If academic units of the Health Sciences Campus or OU-Tulsa Campus are officially closed due to hazardous weather or other conditions, students are excused from attending all didactic courses.  If a single campus is affected, the College computing staff will attempt to initiate video capture of all classroom lectures which are being video-conferenced, so that, at the discretion of the instructor, those class sessions may be made available via video streaming.

Students assigned to be in the clinic setting on the Health Sciences Campus or OU-Tulsa campus when a campus and/or an academic unit is officially closed, are dismissed from clinic. This clinic time is not required to be made up, so long as the closure impacts 3 days of clinic or fewer for seniors and 2 days of clinic or fewer for juniors, during a given semester. 

However, students in clinic are considered professionals-in-training and are learning the responsibilities of health care providers whose services are vital to patients, clinics, and hospitals. Therefore, students are still held responsible for meeting performance and competency requirements for each semester, and as such, fulfillment of these minimum standards may necessitate making up of the allotted clinic time to complete the requirements. 

If a campus is not officially closed, and a student chooses not to attend classes or clinic due to the weather or other conditions, they must follow the policies for notification of absence and will be responsible for making up missed clinic time and appropriate class activities. These absences may be unexcused.  See course syllabus for details related to unexcused absences.

Some clinic affiliates recognize holidays that are not observed by the University. When students are assigned to such a clinic site, they are not responsible for clinic attendance that day but must notify their clinic coordinator of such holidays and attend all scheduled classes.
In the unlikely event that a clinic affiliate unexpectedly closes for equipment updates or other reasons, a student must contact his/her clinic coordinator or program director immediately for assignment to another facility or alternate activity.

Additional policies and procedures of interest to students, general safety, hazardous weather, and emergency services may be found at the Campus Police and Public Safety website.
 

Students are required to have their laptop computers available for examinations and in-class assignments. Students should come to the class with their laptop fully charged and with all required software installed and updated.  The number of available outlets for charging laptops are limited in some classrooms. Should a student come to class without their required laptop, he/she will be expected to retrieve his/her laptop immediately and complete the exam or assignment with what time remains in class.  Forgetting to bring a laptop will not be an acceptable excuse to extend the time period assigned to complete the exam or assignment nor to request a make-up exam or assignment.  IT services have limited laptops that are used for system-testing purposes but those laptops are not distributed on a regular basis to students who forget their laptop. If the examination time permits, a classmate’s laptop may be used to take or complete an exam, however, one should not expect that someone else will make their laptop available. Students are responsible for content missed while retrieving their laptop and the time missed will be considered an unexcused absence. Failure to comply with this policy may result in the student receiving no credit for the exam or assignment.

Students shall not post or forward photos, comments, or any other material of OU faculty, students, clinical personnel, or patients to any social media site, without the person’s written permission or the patient’s written authorization. Any student found to have posted, supplied, or forwarded copyright or protected course materials to online communication sites without written permission or authorization shall be subject to disciplinary action and/or state or federal action.

Students should be especially careful to avoid discussing or sharing any information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). If HIPAA policy is accidentally breached, the student should report the breech to their PD immediately so steps can be taken to mitigate the incident. 

In addition to being subject to the University’s HIPAA Privacy and Security policies, students are also held to the standards outlined in the MIRS Essential Competency Policy and Document, Zerograde policy and the University Procedures for Handling Breaches of Ethical and Professional Behavior Standards. 
 

Students may be recorded by audio and/or video while attending class or seminars.  These recordings are shared with other classmates and faculty using a secure password protected portal.   Any specific behavior that does not meet the Essential Competencies during these audio and video captures may be used in cases of academic misconduct proceedings. 

Students must request permission to audio or video record any lecture, laboratory or educational occurrence with another individual including faculty, students or clinical personnel.   
 

Department policy recommends, but does not require, that students be allowed to review a graded examination.  Students should generally be permitted to review a graded paper or project within a reasonable time. A two-week limit for reporting grades is considered reasonable.  To provide a fair and consistent testing environment that discourages academic misconduct, departmental faculty may utilize the following standards when conducting proctored tests and quizzes:  

• Time will be given just prior to the start of the examination for faculty to prepare the testing environment.
• Exams must be taken at the time and place indicated by the course instructor.
• For proctored online exams, the course instructor may require a password to access the exam. The password will be provided in the proctored location at the scheduled time.
• Hats or hoodies may not be worn while taking the exam.
• Programmable calculators (including devices such as cell phones or smart watches) are not permitted.
• Instructors will provide scratch paper if needed.
• All electronic communication devices must be stored in a backpack or in a designated area during an exam or quiz and should be turned completely off.
• Book bags, notebooks, flash cards, electronic communication devices and other items must be put away before the exam begins.
• Items other than materials needed for the examination may not be allowed in the testing room.
• Students may not leave the testing room until the exam is completed unless they are acutely ill.
• Students arriving late for an exam must schedule a make-up version of the exam if any student has already completed the assessment and left the testing room prior to the late arrival. Additional penalties may also be imposed for students arriving late to exams.  
• Seating guidelines will be used. 

Faculty in the Department adhere to the University schedule and policy concerning final examinations unless an exception is granted at the beginning of the semester.  Every course will have a final examination unless otherwise announced by the instructor. Early final examinations are prohibited.  When a final examination is given, the student must take the examination unless a makeup examination has been discussed with the course instructor.  A student will not be expected to take more than two final examinations in one day. The OUHSC final examination schedule is published online with additional information listed for each semester.  
 

Students must maintain simulation laboratories with as much care and order as actual patient care facilities. Maintenance of laboratories in the clinic setting is the responsibility of practitioners; therefore, students are expected to assume maintenance and organizational responsibility for laboratories in the educational environment.  

Each program will provide students with specific procedures for maintenance and safe use of its laboratory. Many of these rules are mandated by federal or state regulations; therefore, failure to observe policies regarding laboratory use may subject a student to disciplinary action.

General Laboratory Guidelines: 

• Students are not permitted to use any laboratory without first obtaining permission from a faculty member in their designated program. The faculty member must be present in the lab, Department and/or on campus depending on the program. 
• All laboratory equipment must be correctly turned off when laboratory exercises are completed.
• Accidents, questions or problems when using laboratory equipment should be brought to the immediate attention of the supervising faculty member.
• Use of laboratory facilities after school hours is strictly by advanced arrangement with a faculty member, who must be on-site to supervise the activity.
• Lab materials including videos, images and equipment must remain in the laboratory unless a faculty member has authorized removal by a student.
• Laboratory supplies are purchased with student fees. Careful use of supplies and reduction of waste will assist in maintaining fees at their current level.
• Faculty should be notified when laboratory supplies are running low so more can be ordered in a timely manner.
• Eating, drinking, smoking, and other tobacco use is prohibited in laboratories.

Ionizing Radiation Laboratory Guidelines:   

• For any laboratory exercises using ionizing radiation, a faculty member must be aware of the activity and on campus.  
• In ionizing radiation laboratories, students may only use phantoms to perform procedures or activities.  Under no circumstances should fellow students or human models be scanned.  
• When a radiography faculty is not available for supervision, the X-ray and CT equipment exposure mechanism will remain disabled and locked.
• Doors to labs must be kept closed at all times.  The door to AHB 1032 and AHB 1038 must be locked when x-ray equipment is being used.
• Students using AHB 2029 must always have badges and lab coats when sealed sources or radioactive doses are in use. Additionally, if students use the sealed sources they must be returned and locked in the radioactive materials cabinet.
• Radiation dosimeters must be worn when working in laboratories using ionizing radiation.
• Students must follow all radiation safety policies applicable to the laboratory setting. 

Sonography Laboratory for Scanning Human Subjects:

• Students may scan fellow students or human models when an appropriate release form has been signed, a witness is present and faculty are on campus.  
• Students should sign up for and/or request to be in the lab scanning at least 24 hours prior to scanning to ensure that faculty will be present. 
• All scans performed in the sonography laboratory are for educational and scientific purposes.
• Minors may never be scanned, even with parental consent
• Minors cannot  serve as witnesses
• Students should not scan themselves
• Scanning of pregnant patients will follow the profession’s AIUM Guidelines for hands-on scanning of pregnant subjects during educational activities which includes:  
  • Subject participation should require appropriate informed consent. The obstetrician providing prenatal care should provide written permission for the educational scan.
  • There will be no first trimester examinations.
  • The subjects should be without fever and have already received a prenatal scan in the 2nd trimester.
  • Exposure time, i.e. duration of student scanning should not exceed 1 hour per subject per pregnancy.
  • There should be no pulsed Doppler examinations.
  • Examinations should be performed in a manner consistent with the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle, including limiting the TI (≤0.70) and MI (<1.0) as necessary for educational purposes.

Managing incidental findings in the sonography laboratory:

• When there is an incidental finding, the supervising faculty should be notified immediately. 
• No attempt at making a medical diagnosis will be made. 
• Observations made will not be used for medical treatment or management.
• No verbal or written report will be generated for medical purposes.
• The student or human model will be referred to their physician for follow-up.

An important right of students is participation in a regular system of course and program evaluation. All courses are evaluated by students at the conclusion of each course.  Since this input is important to the ongoing improvement of courses and instruction, evaluations are conducted in a manner that creates the maximum benefit from the process for all concerned. Course evaluations are conducted as follows: 

• No more than two weeks prior to the final exam of a course, a link will be emailed to the student for the electronic course evaluation
• The student will use the College’s standard online evaluation tool  
• With due care to preserve student anonymity and to ensure a thoughtful, objective, and individual evaluation of the course by the student 

Students are urged to frame their criticism as strongly as they like but should realize that no matter how valid it may be, it may be considered as personal hostility if profane language is used or if the comments are inconsistent with common decency and respect. 
In addition to course evaluations, students are asked to complete program evaluations at the conclusion of the first year and the end of the program, and at six to twelve months following graduation. 
 

The University of Oklahoma is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity and full participation for students with disabilities. Consistent with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, The University of Oklahoma ensures that no “qualified individual with a disability” will be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination solely on the basis of disability under any program or activity offered by The University of Oklahoma.

Accommodations on the basis of disability are available by contacting the Student Accommodations Services (SAS).  Contact information can be found in course syllabi. Students requesting disability-related services or accommodations are required to submit appropriate documentation to substantiate the disability. The SAS staff will review the documentation and will contact the student to begin an interactive process to obtain the appropriate accommodations. Students can expect to receive a response to their University email account within 15 University business days of the Center’s receipt of the documentation explaining their final eligibility determination. 

If students need accommodations regarding Family Medical Leave for Pregnancy or Parenting they may need to contact the SAS office. Additional pregnancy policy information can be found in Section 6 of this handbook. 

Student Accommodations Services websites:  
OU Health Oklahoma City
OU-Tulsa
 

Students may need program modifications because of a documented pregnancy or childbirth. Program Faculty will discuss the options available to students who have declared they are pregnant, including course sequencing, clinical make up, requesting reasonable accommodations, and voluntarily reporting the pregnancy.  

Academic options for the student may include the following:

• Continue in all aspects of the program; 
• Withdraw from clinic courses during the pregnancy but continue in didactic courses.  An “I” grade would be assigned for the clinic course, which would be completed after the birth of the baby.  Graduation may be delayed; 
• Take a Leave of Absence from the program.  No credit would be lost and “I” grades would be assigned to all courses in progress.  The student would arrange with the Program Director to resume coursework after the birth of the baby.  Graduation would likely be delayed;  
• Programmatic accommodations are subject to approval through the College of Allied Health Academic Dean and/or the OU Health Student Accommodations Services (SAS). 

Also see MIRS Student Handbook, Section 5: Radiation Safety Policies 
OUHSC Student Handbook: 4.18 Pregnancy

 

A student who is absent from class for a religious observance may have an examination, presentation, clinical experience or other “in class” required class work rescheduled without penalty. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor of the potential absence during the first week of classes.  Rescheduling of make-up work will be at the instructor’s discretion.  

Students experiencing personal problems in their daily activities are encouraged to seek counsel from the staff at the OUHSC Office of Student Counseling, located in the Student Union, Suite 300 (405-271-7336) in OKC or OU-Tulsa Student Affairs Counseling Services, 1C76 (918-¬660-3109) in Tulsa. This student service is completely confidential.  Aspects of this service are covered by fees and student health insurance.

Students may request a leave of absence for one academic year. The department and college must approve a leave in advance, unless unforeseen circumstances prevent this process. The leave cannot be granted retroactively. More information can be found in The University of Oklahoma Health Student Handbook.

OUHSC Student Handbook: 4.8.9 Leave of Absence

The Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences follows the University Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination and Harassment Policy with regards to monitoring conduct and reporting any possible complaints of conduct.   

Students are directed to the Institutional Equity and Title IX Office website www.ou.edu/eoo.html for the full policy, definitions and contact information.  For any complaints concerning actions governed by this policy, students should contact their Associate Title IX Coordinator on the OUHSC or OU-Tulsa campus.    Students may also refer to their University and College Handbooks.  

OUHSC Student Handbook: 3.18 Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, and Harassment

 

Financial advisement is available at the OUHSC Office of Financial Aid, located David L. Boren Student Union, room 301 (405-271-2118) in OKC and Office of Student Affairs 1C114 (918-660-3388) in Tulsa. More information is available at the Financial Aid website.  

University and College IT require all students to encrypt their laptops. Encryption helps protect the data on your device so it can only be accessed by people who have authorization. This helps protect any private data stored on your computer should your laptop be stolen. This is a critical component to being HIPAA compliant. 

• Instructions for encryption for Windows and Mac users  can be found at this link.
• For questions and help please contact the IT Service Desk for your campus.

Students in the Department are encouraged to participate in the governance and social activities of the College of Allied Health Student Association.  The Department is given four voting representatives and four alternate representatives. One representative and one alternate will be elected by the students in each of the traditional programs. Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences representatives not only represent their specific major but the Department as a whole. 

Elections occur during the spring semester of the junior year, though the newly elected representatives do not become the voting representatives for their program and department until the summer/fall of their senior year.  This gives students an opportunity to observe council actions and become aware of student issues in advance of assuming the voting position.  If an elected representative cannot fulfill their obligations, the elected alternate will assume the position. 

Student Association representatives are expected to attend all meetings and communicate regularly with the Departmental student body and the other MIRS representatives to pass on information and to determine the position of those they represent on all issues. This communication may occur via email, memos, flyers or brief reports given during class sessions with the instructor’s permission. Additional information on Student Association, including its bylaws, can be found in: 

CAH Student Handbook (select applicable year): 14.1 College of Allied Health Student Association

 

Student groups may elect to raise money for departmental social, academic or travel activities. Students must follow the fundraising guidelines within the CAH Student Handbook (select applicable year): 14.5 Sales and Fundraising Activities.  

Use of any professional meetings or clinic affiliates for fundraising is subject to the college guidelines in addition to any guidelines the University or organization may have; refer to the Student Organization website.
 
To avoid questions of impropriety in fundraising activities, the Department requires students consult with their Program Director or the Departmental Chair before launching a project. A request for permission must also be obtained from the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. This ensures support by the Department and College for the activity.  Students should refer to the Student Affairs, Registered Student Organization website for specific policies.
 

Advanced standing examinations of program coursework may be attempted by students in accordance with University policy on Extra-Institutional Learning.  The Department Chair coordinates departmental advanced standing examinations.  Students wishing to attempt advanced standing examinations should first consult with their program director, then the Department Chair.  Further information is located: 

OUHSC Student Handbook: 4.7

The Department believes it provides opportunities for the development of the person as a professional.  Students are required and/or encouraged to join their respective professional associations(s) and participate in professional meetings, activities, and competitions. Opportunities for participation vary with each Department program. Junior students are encouraged to attend local professional activities while senior students are encouraged to travel to state, regional, and national meetings. 
 
Though the department encourages students to attend professional meetings, it does not assume responsibility for expenses. Expenses are the responsibility of the student.   The College of Allied Health may provide student support for professional travel for in-state and out-of-state meetings.   Students should contact their CAHSA representative to learn about the annual funds that are offered. 

In addition, if stated conditions for participation in educational activities at the meeting are not met, the student may be required to make-up the absence according to the clinical absence make-up policy. 
 

The Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences is committed to educating radiographers, nuclear medicine technologists, radiation therapists, and sonographers who meet nationally accepted ethical and performance standards in their professional fields. Student employment in the capacity of an unsupervised practitioner in the discipline in which the student has not yet completed training is strongly discouraged. Students considering such employment should discuss the situation with their Program Director. 
 
In the event a student does accept general employment during the program, it remains the student’s responsibility to meet all requirements of the professional program, such as attendance in class, clinic rotations, competencies and satisfactory grades. In addition, under no circumstances will professional employment hours or activities substitute for assigned clinical education requirements.
 
A student anticipating such employment should first discuss the matter with their Program Director.  Students accepting employment must complete a Professional Employment Notification form found on the CAH “Students”, “Department Information”, “Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences”, “Forms” webpage. Departmental approval of professional employment in no way implies any level of department responsibility for the student when he/she is engaged in employment activities. 

Students engaging in professional employment should be aware that based on accreditation standards, they are not allowed to receive payment for services rendered while on scheduled clinic rotations. In addition, students should not wear their student dosimeters during professional working hours.    Students receiving payment while on scheduled clinic rotations can receive a Zerograde, delay their graduation, and/or jeopardize the program’s accreditation.  Additionally, student malpractice insurance covers them only while they are on assigned clinical rotations as a student. 

If a student is certified in another medical imaging/ radiation sciences modality, he or she may not act as an employee or be substituted as an employee of the facility under any circumstance during regularly scheduled clinical rotations. 
 

Students requesting a faculty member to serve as a professional reference or to write a letter of recommendation for employment or other purposes are required to complete a Consent Authorization Form and Letter of Recommendation Request found on the CAH “Students”, “Department Information”, “Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences”, “Forms” webpage.  

The form must be completed in its entirety including the individual or institution that will request the recommendation. Completion of this form by the student permits faculty identified by the student to release the student’s academic and clinic performance in oral or written communication to the identified individuals.  
 

Students who believe a program may not be following the accreditation standards of the program’s accrediting body should communicate such concerns to appropriate Department and College personnel and administration in a manner congruent with the Strategies for Resolving Problems.  If such concerns have been communicated with the Department and College and the student feels the issue is not being addressed in accordance with existing University policies, the student may contact the appropriate programmatic accrediting body to report such complaints.  Students should follow the accrediting agency’s policies for complaints so the matter will receive formal consideration. Contact information for the accrediting agencies of all departmental programs is provided. 

Diagnostic Medical Sonography 
Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRCDMS)
http://www.jrcdms.org
6021 University Boulevard, Suite 500
Ellicott City, MD 21043 
Phone: 443.973.3251
Fax:   866.738.3444
Email:  mail@jrcdms.org

Radiography and Radiation Therapy 
Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)  
http://www.jrcert.org
20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 2850 
Chicago, IL 60606-3182
Phone: 312.704.5300
Fax: 312.704.5304
E-mail: mail@jrcert.org

Nuclear Medicine
Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT)
http://www.jrcnmt.org
2000 W. Danforth Rd. STE 130, #203 
Edmond, OK 73003 
Phone: 405.285.0546 
Fax: 405.285.0579 
Email:  jrcnmt@coxinet.net