Unfair and Arbitary Practices

[HelpfulHus]

A few weeks ago, during my externship I found out that I had failed one of my clerkship based on *Faculty Evaluation*.

No harm no foul. I imagined that since I still have a year left for my graduation. I would continue with my externships and use my personals days/holidays/weekends to make up this course again. However, I was promptly informed that such a thing cannot happen and was promptly pulled out of my externship and now rather than graduating next year 2023 ..I have been pushed to class of 2024

I am absolutely devastated with this. What's worse is that no one has any idea on why I failed. Faculty evaluation seems extremely arbitrary as they do not have to justify their reasons of failing someone. I am a comparatively good student (3.4 gpa) and passed my Step 1 in my first try.

Has anyone else gone through this ? I cannot believe that a year of my life has just gone in such an unfair arbitrary practice

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[deleted1138023]

My condolences. But time for self reflection.

i feel like to fail a clerkship you have to do something dangerous like put a patients life in jeopardy or **** the directors wife or something. OR you’re extremely socially unaware.

Did anything happen that you aren’t telling us? If nothing major happened, then I would definitely appeal it. Seems extreme.

My program had some terrible externs that we ended up hating, but we still passed them…

 

[Feli]

So, basically, you skipped a rotation and got caught?

Any other thing would be totally forgivable and able to remediate. Unless students are supposed to do something besides show up reasonably well, hold up the wall, answer a pimp question here or there, maybe see the lower acuity patients... what's the deal?

It's none of my or anyone's business what happened, but you make a quick attempt to talk to the faculty who did the eval... then absolutely need to sit with the clinical dean or whoever's most appropriate and sort it out. I can't imagine it was a random reason. Regardless, no way it should cost you a year of your life. You will figure it out.

 

[PTPuser]

What are you not telling us?

 

[HelpfulHus]

My condolences. But time for self reflection.

i feel like to fail a clerkship you have to do something dangerous like put a patients life in jeopardy or **** the directors wife or something. OR you’re extremely socially unaware.

Did anything happen that you aren’t telling us? If nothing major happened, then I would definitely appeal it. Seems extreme.

My program had some terrible externs that we ended up hating, but we still passed them…

I appreciate you responding. I can assure you that as a married gay man. I did not do anything your suggesting neither did I put anyone's life in jeopardy. I am making everyone aware of the fact that the Faculty Assesment portion of a clerkship is arbitrary and this happens every year where a group of students are held back a year as the schedule is not open enough to make this clerkship. We'll I am glad you pass them and I wish you were the faculty in charge. It'd utter garbage that every year a group of students are held back for sole reason an arbitrary grading is done and no justification provided

 

[HelpfulHus]

What are you not telling us?

Yes my initial thought when I found this out. But I was told that this happens every year where a group of students fail a clerkship just before start of their rotation leading to them being pulled out and made to repeat rhat clerkship ..but impacting their entire graduation schedule

 

[HelpfulHus]

So, basically, you skipped a rotation and got caught?

Any other thing would be totally forgivable and able to remediate. Unless students are supposed to do something besides show up reasonably well, hold up the wall, answer a pimp question here or there, maybe see the lower acuity patients... what's the deal?

It's none of my or anyone's business what happened, but you make a quick attempt to talk to the faculty who did the eval... then absolutely need to sit with the clinical dean or whoever's most appropriate and sort it out. I can't imagine it was a random reason. Regardless, no way it should cost you a year of your life. You will figure it out.

If I had skipped a rotation and got caught. I would atleast know the reason of my failure . In this case it was due to appraisal from faculty ..an arbitrary way of determining someone's entire future. I have spent countless hours but have been brickwalled. There is no appeal process listed in the handbook ...it was simply deemed that ..you have failed and since there are not enough days to repeat this clerkship before next year without impacting your externship. You will try again next year. It's absolutely devastating ..I hope to talk again but I amfailing to see the light at the end of tunnel. Also since this is my first failure since middle school...there I'd an emotional toll of it. I hope someone here went through the same and can possibly discuss an alternative option ...crossing fingers

 

[wakaflocka88]

If I had skipped a rotation and got caught. I would atleast know the reason of my failure . In this case it was due to appraisal from faculty ..an arbitrary way of determining someone's entire future. I have spent countless hours but have been brickwalled. There is no appeal process listed in the handbook ...it was simply deemed that ..you have failed and since there are not enough days to repeat this clerkship before next year without impacting your externship. You will try again next year. It's absolutely devastating ..I hope to talk again but I amfailing to see the light at the end of tunnel. Also since this is my first failure since middle school...there I'd an emotional toll of it. I hope someone here went through the same and can possibly discuss an alternative option ...crossing fingers

Bro this makes zero sense. How can you fail
before you start the clerkship. If this doesn’t scream BS then clearly half the story is missing. Your time will be better spent fighting for yourself than accepting an arbitrary decision. This won’t be the last fight in your podiatry career.

 

[HelpfulHus]

Bro this makes zero sense. How can you fail
before you start the clerkship. If this doesn’t scream BS then clearly half the story is missing. Your time will be better spent fighting for yourself than accepting an arbitrary decision. This won’t be the last fight in your podiatry career.

I failed clerkship and I found out after I started my externship...these are two different things ?

 

[wakaflocka88]

I failed clerkship and I found out after I started my externship...these are two different things ?

Ok makes sense. But they should be able to tell you what you did wrong to fail a clerkship. You need the information so you Dont repeat the same mistake. I’ve never seen a student or resident fail a rotation.

 

[deleted1138023]

they'll have to give you a reason. so just find out.

 

[heybrother]

I've used some of these terms before interchangeably so just so I understand this:

You clerkship AKA - a 3rd year rotation presumably reported your grade after you were already on a 4th year clerkship at a program. The grade was a fail so your school required you to drop out of the clerkship. You said you have a year left to go and its July so essentially you had the 4th year left to complete?

If the above is close enough

-So DMU has these little rotation cards. Interestingly - they've had them forever. I say that because one of my former partner's left some eval cards in a desk from students forever ago. The card theoretically has room for comments, scores, and obviously the name of the person who evaluated you and signed it. Does your school do something like that? Have you been presented with any comments? Have you been told your exact score? Do you know who reviewed you? It seems strange to be failed without being given a reason.

-Did your school sit you down and discuss a process? Did they say what they think you should doing for this -year- you are sitting out. Did they tell you when you would retake the rotation? Presumably they forced you to cancel all of your current 4th year externships which burns your bridges (likely) with these programs.

-Have you actually gone back and sat down with your program.

Last small thing. I don't mean this unkindly, but the reason everyone is being skeptical is because historically people who post on SDN as a whole saying they were cheated often have withheld sizeable amounts of information about what actually happened. This process probably is arbitrary. If they really won't tell you what's going on it isn't transparent. I'm not sure yet whether its unfair. The simple truth is most podiatry students suck so its always complicated how you or anyone is the -1-? person who didn't make it through. What stood out about you etc that someone didn't just click the box and send you on your way.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

A few weeks ago, during my externship I found out that I had failed one of my clerkship based on *Faculty Evaluation*.

No harm no foul. I imagined that since I still have a year left for my graduation. I would continue with my externships and use my personals days/holidays/weekends to make up this course again. However, I was promptly informed that such a thing cannot happen and was promptly pulled out of my externship and now rather than graduating next year 2023 ..I have been pushed to class of 2024

I am absolutely devastated with this. What's worse is that no one has any idea on why I failed. Faculty evaluation seems extremely arbitrary as they do not have to justify their reasons of failing someone. I am a comparatively good student (3.4 gpa) and passed my Step 1 in my first try.

Has anyone else gone through this ? I cannot believe that a year of my life has just gone in such an unfair arbitrary practice

Sorry you're going through this but failing a student for the entirety of a clerkship is a big deal, so something must have happened from your side that you may not be aware of. Have you spoken with the course director yet and asked to review your grades? Review the syllabus and check each portion and the % pass rate and check with your grades. You should appeal the decision to your dean and ask to make it up during your off months. If you failed the entire clerkship for a point or two, I could see them amending anything; otherwise, you may not have an option.