Disciplinary and Termination Procedures

All efforts will be made to accommodate student problems with respect to rotation assignments. However, when a student does not abide by stated policies and student guidelines or continues to fail to meet an acceptable level of performance, disciplinary action or termination may be necessary. Problems which may result in termination can be broken down into two categories:

Not abiding by stated policies: Students who do not abide by stated policies, including the student guidelines (see separate document) are subject to immediate termination. A preceptor in a site can reserve the right to terminate a student in the interest of patient/client/employee safety. In order for a student to be terminated in this manner, both preceptor and program director must agree that the intern's behavior was sufficiently inappropriate to warrant such action. Stated policies include policies in effect at rotation sites, which must be made aware to students at the beginning of their rotation.

Not succeeding in a rotation: If, at the midpoint performance/evaluation appraisal (i.e., midpoint check-in), or at the discretion of a preceptor at any timepoint, a student is unsuccessfully meeting the expected competencies, the student may either (a) be reassigned to another rotation site, or (b) work with the preceptor and program director to develop a remediation plan acceptable to all involved to correct the problem. Missed time must be made up by the student, and in some cases repeating rotations/experiences may be necessary to ensure that all competencies are met. If reassignment to a new rotation site is not possible (which is likely the case with clinical placements), the student must meet with the program director and preceptor to develop an action plan on how to achieve the delinquent competencies. The plan must be acceptable to both the preceptor and program director, and should include a timeline for completion. Reassessment of the student’s competency will be made by the preceptor and the program director within a reasonable timeframe. If at that time, the student remains unsuccessful in meeting the planned competencies, the program director reserves the right to terminate the student. Per ACEND requirements, efforts will be made to assist the student in choosing another career path. Dispute resolution procedures described above are available to the student. In any case of termination or voluntary withdrawal, students may be released from program fee obligations not yet due when the termination occurs.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Part 99 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations) allows present or former students at educational institutions access to educational records kept on them, as well as basic protections of privacy of their records. The law does not apply to applicants seeking admission to the University. The law applies to educational records, which are defined as those records that are directly related to a student and maintained by an educational agency or institution.

The Dean of Students Office, 227 Whitmore Administration Building, keeps a list of types of educational records maintained by the University, where they are kept, and who is responsible for them. The Dean of Students Office also has available a description of your rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and procedures to be followed in exercising those rights.

If you wish to see any of the educational records which apply to you, go to the office which keeps the records during regular working hours. Make your request in writing, following the procedures established by the office. If possible, you will have immediate access to your record. In no case will you have to wait more than 45 days. If you are required to wait, the office will tell you when your record will be available. You will have to identify yourself with a picture ID to see your record.

If you wish to challenge the content of your record, first try to work the problem out with the person responsible for the record. If this proves unsuccessful, you may request in writing a hearing at which you may present your challenge. Complete information on hearing and appeal procedures is available from the Dean of Students Office, 227 Whitmore Administration building.

More information about UMass FERPA policies. All students will have access to their records, projects, and assignments, including evaluations in CastleBranch.

UMass Amherst Health and Support Services

University Health Services serves UMass Amherst students, faculty and staff, along with their spouses, domestic partners and dependents. Information and access to healthcare services at UHS may be found on their website at: https://www.umass.edu/uhs/accesstocare

Mental health and counseling services, including telehealth services, are available for students/students at UMass Amherst. For more information visit the Center for Counseling and Psychosocial Health at: https://www.umass.edu/counseling/.

Non-Discrimination Policy

The University of Massachusetts Amherst prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in employment and application for employment. Furthermore, University policy includes prohibitions of harassment of students and employees, (i.e., racial harassment, sexual harassment, and retaliation for filing complaints of discrimination). Go to the Equal Opportunity and Access Office website for the university’s policy statement.

Inquiries concerning applicable laws, regulations, and policies should be addressed to the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Office, 305 Whitmore Administration Building, (413) 545-3464. rev. 4/2013

Identity Verification and Privacy Protection Policies

UMass Amherst uses the NetID for credentialing in our online courses. What is a NetID 

The NetID is a student’s passport for all of UMass Amherst IT services. See the IT Guide for UMass Amherst

Student identity and privacy concerns are regulated at UMass Amherst through SPIRE by the IT department. UMass Amherst DI program adheres to the university’s policy for ensuring student identity and verification and uses the DUO and/or the Microsoft two-step verification processes. For more information on the two-step verification process, go to: https://www.umass.edu/it/authentication

For more information on your UMass Amherst IT account, go to Accounts at UMass Amherst

The UMass Amherst Privacy Policy

Background Checks and Screenings

All students will have several background checks/screenings conducted before entrance into the program. This is at no additional cost to the student. However, individual rotation sites may require fingerprinting, which will be at the student’s expense if not covered by the facility. The following are the background checks performed for the internship:

• Nationwide Background check (7 year look back)
• Federal Criminal check (unlimited look back)
• CORI check
• County Criminal check (7 year look back)
• OIG & OFAC
• Massachusetts exclusions list

Drug Testing

The UMass Amherst DI program does not perform drug testing on the students; however, many rotation sites do require a 10-panel drug test before a student is able to begin the rotation. Note: while marijuana is considered legal in the state of Massachusetts, it is still considered an illegal drug at the federal level. Therefore, facilities that accept Medicare (a federally run program) or facilities whose headquarters are in a state where marijuana is illegal, may refuse to allow a student who tests positive work at that facility. If you believe you may test positive for marijuana, notify the program director immediately, so that you may be placed in facilities that do not adhere to strict rules on this particular drug. However, there is no guarantee that a facility will waive a positive drug screen for marijuana or any illicit drug. Students should be aware of the potential impact on their ability for placement. It will not be the program director’s responsibility to find an alternative placement for a student if they have been denied one due to a positive drug screen.

Preceptor Training

Preceptors, faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants who will be mentoring students will be provided with an orientation to the program’s mission, goals, objectives, and educational philosophy, and will be trained on the program’s expectations and the current 2022 ACEND Standards with emphasis placed on their specific area of expertise. New preceptors will be asked to participate in the ACEND preceptor training program and will be granted eight CEUs upon completion. The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) also provides CEUs for preceptors.

Information and the self-reflection form can be found on their website: https://www.cdrnet.org/cpeu-credit-for-preceptors. All mentors will receive feedback in the form of an evaluation from the students and/or program director.