PharmCAS Community

 View Only
  • 1.  AACP Conduct Review Process

    Posted 03-04-2020 10:52 AM
      |   view attached

    AACP CONDUCT REVIEW PROCESS
    [Please download the attached PDF and register for the webinar noted below for additional details.]

    AACP continues to review its policies and procedures in light of the changes in the current higher education landscape and in consultation with counsel. At this time, AACP is modifying its conduct review process to assist member institutions in making independent decisions on every applicant. While making these modifications, AACP continues to fully support the principles of the Applicant Code of Conduct, which remain unchanged.

    Changes to the AACP Conduct Review Process

    Effective immediately, AACP will no longer place PharmCAS applicants on hold for potential violations of the Applicant Code of Conduct, nor impose any sanctions at the national level on those applicants who have violated it. Instead, AACP now serves as a clearinghouse for reports of possible applicant misconduct and will continue to partner with iThenticate to identify potential plagiarism in the PharmCAS personal statement. If an applicant is suspected of not abiding by the Code, AACP staff will email the applicant's designated colleges and schools of pharmacy with a report and evidence related to the case. Additionally, PharmCAS staff will enter a related note in the applicant's record in WebAdMIT visible to the applicant's designated colleges and schools of pharmacy. 

    School Review of Applicant Conduct Cases

    Colleges and schools of pharmacy are encouraged to continue to uphold the Applicant Code of Conduct, which sets forth the professional and ethical principles for the practice of pharmacy. In the new process, member institutions will review the evidence to determine whether an applicant may have violated the Applicant Code of Conduct and/or other local policy. If so, then the college or school must decide what action, if any, to take and whether to still consider the applicant for admission. AACP cannot comment on whether a college or school has reached an accurate conclusion or recommend a particular course of action for any conduct case. The institution may wish to consult with legal counsel for guidance.

    School Reports of Applicant Misconduct to AACP

    With the exception of plagiarism cases, colleges and schools of pharmacy should continue to report any potential violations of the Applicant Code of Conduct to AACP at conduct@aacp.org throughout the admissions cycle. AACP and PharmCAS staff may also identify potential misconduct by applicants and provide related evidence. AACP staff will compile and share all of the facts for a case with the primary contacts at each of the applicant's designated pharmacy schools. If any new, substantive evidence is received after the initial report is emailed, an updated report will be sent. Each college or school must decide independently what action to take, if any, after receiving a report of a potential violation of the Applicant Code of Conduct.

    Below is a brief description of how reports of potential Code violations will be managed by AACP:

    1) Potential Plagiarism Violations:

    *  iThenticate similarity report equals or exceeds 25 percent: AACP will alert all designated schools via email and enter a note in the applicant's record. Due to processing times, the iThenticate report may be visible in WebAdMIT before AACP has notified the primary contacts at the school. Applicants will not be notified by AACP, since the iThenticate reports are automatically generated for every applicant.

    *  iThenticate similarity report is less than 25 percent: AACP will not issue an alert to schools and schools should not report the applicant to AACP. Instead, member institutions should independently decide what action to take, if any, based on the iThenticate report.

    2) Potential Non-plagiarism Violations: Reports from colleges and schools should include any supporting evidence relative to the case. Examples include a description of the potential violation, related documents, emails, voicemails, and any notices sent to or issued by campus security or law enforcement. AACP will collect information about the case and alert all designated schools via email and enter a note in the applicant's record. Applicants will also be notified that a report was filed. Examples of potential, non-plagiarism violations include, but are not limited to, the following:

    * Inaccurate or incomplete materials or data in the application (e.g., falsified documents)
    * Offensive or threatening behavior (e.g., cyber-harassment)

    Unprofessional behavior (e.g., lack of communication, cancelling early decision commitment, disrespectful behavior, etc.) should generally be handled by the school or college. If campus security or law enforcement are involved, AACP staff should be notified immediately. 

    3) Interview No-Show: The Interview No-Show Policy remains unchanged. Colleges and schools of pharmacy should continue to report any applicants who violate this policy to conduct@aacp.org

    Conduct Review Committee

    The AACP Board of Directors and staff express their sincere gratitude to the current and past members of the Conduct Review Committee for their outstanding service and dedication to the association and profession. The recent changes were unrelated to the committee's exceptional contributions to the conduct review process.

    AACP Conduct Webinars for Schools

    Faculty, administrators, and staff in the college or school of pharmacy who are interested in learning more are invited to join AACP staff for an upcoming webinar. Each webinar will cover the same content and describe the rationale behind the decision to modify the AACP conduct review process and the potential implications for member institutions and applicants. The webinars will not be recorded. 

    * Register: Thursday, March 19 at 3:00 pm ET
    * Register: Monday, March 23 at 2:00 pm ET (repeated)

    We welcome your questions and strongly encourage your institution to support the principles of the Applicant Code of Conduct to ensure the profession of pharmacy continues to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. 

    Libby J. Ross, MA
    Senior Director for Student Affairs
    American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

    Katie Owings Bruce
    Director of Application Services and Student Programs
    American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

    conduct@aacp.org

    Attachment(s)



  • 2.  RE: AACP Conduct Review Process

    Posted 03-04-2020 12:00 PM

    To Katie Bruce,

     

    Hey Katie,

     

    How is it that the conduct committee collapsed as soon as I was no longer a member? 

     

    It always was a process that had potential problems, but I think we were doing the right thing.  It must make your life a little easier.  You were good at it.

     

    Mike Kelly

     






  • 3.  RE: AACP Conduct Review Process

    Posted 03-04-2020 09:02 PM
    On behalf of the AACP Board of Directors, I would like to emphasize a point made in the message from Libby and Katie - the Board's decision to suspend the activities of the Conduct Review Committee is in no way a reflection of any problems with the past work of the committee. 

    We did not arrive at this decision lightly and this action simply arose through ongoing due diligence by AACP staff as they regularly consider all of the association's policies and procedures.  From that review, which included consideration of policies and procedures followed by other health professions' CAS programs related to applicant misconduct, the Board of Directors deemed that empowering individual schools to make decisions on sanctions related to a breach of the Applicant Code of Conduct was a desirable change in procedure. 

    AACP is committed to continuing to serve as a clearinghouse for reports for potential misconduct, supporting each member institution's efforts to best manage its application and admissions processes.  The Conduct Review Committee has served an important function since it was first constituted several years ago. It has always conducted its work with professionalism and with an emphasis on ensuring that patients are best served by graduates of our programs.  We appreciate the service past committee members have provided on behalf of AACP's membership as we now adopt a procedure the Board expects will continue to effectively support the admissions processes of all schools that participate in PharmCAS.
    Regards,
    Todd Sorensen

    ------------------------------
    Todd Sorensen
    AACP President 2019-20
    University of Minnesota
    Minneapolis MN
    soren042@umn.edu
    ------------------------------