W. Va. Code § 18B-1-6
It is essential that students’ grading, promotion decisions, and investigations are completed by faculty that are unbiased towards the student.
Fair and unbiased evaluations are essential to the educational process. Faculty who have formed a physician-patient relationship with a student by medically treating them have a conflict of interest and may not be able to provide unbiased evaluations, decisions on student promotions and investigations.
No faculty that has ever formed a physician-patient relationship with a student may evaluate and/or grade them. They must recuse themselves from that student’s evaluations. The faculty must also recuse from decisions about that student’s promotion and any investigations.
If a student is aware that they are scheduled to be evaluated by a faculty member who has served as a treating physician to them, they must ask that the faculty be recused from grading them.
If a student goes before the Student Promotions Committee, Graduate Academic Performance Committee, or Fact-Finding Committee and becomes aware that a faculty physician that medically treated them serves on that committee, they should ask that the faculty be recused.
Students should not seek medical treatment (including OMM) from faculty physicians or preceptors. Family members of students may seek treatment from faculty physicians and preceptors.
Students on the WVSOM campus in Lewisburg may seek healthcare through contracted Student Health Services at the Robert C. Byrd Clinic. When making an appointment, they must identify themselves as a WVSOM student so they will be scheduled with a non-faculty physician or nurse practitioner. Students should not make appointments with resident physicians, if possible, since they are often supervised by faculty physicians.
Unless an emergency, faculty physicians should not medically treat a WVSOM student if they are involved in evaluation, grading, decisions about student promotion or investigations.
This policy will be implemented using applicable WVSOM policies and procedures.