The Alaska Dental Therapy Educational Program (ADTEP) Student Professionalism Code of Conduct
ADTEP is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic performance, which includes professional conduct. You are expected to develop and exercise a new level of professionalism in this program and throughout your new career. The purpose of this document is to serve as guidance for your professional conduct during your education and lay out the ramifications for any failure to follow these expectations. If it is necessary to remove you from a classroom, clinic or lab due to professionalism concerns, this may result in failure of the course. Violation of the ADTEP Professionalism Code of Conduct may be grounds for discipline, up to and including dismissal from the ADTEP program.
Behavior:
- Take responsibility for your actions.
- Treat all faculty, staff and patients with respect. Keep conversations polite, truthful, culturally appropriate and present yourself with a positive attitude at all times.
- We encourage you to be friendly and engage in conversation with the staff, but all conversation must be professional when you are on in an educational setting (e.g. classroom, clinic, laboratory, lunch room, external rotation, village travel, etc).
- Maintain healthy relationship boundaries. You are not to engage in intimate relationships with faculty, staff, or patients.
- We expect you to comply with all reasonable clinical requests from your instructor(s). For example, placement of a rubber dam during treatment, use of retraction cord, preparing the tooth with a specific prep design, etc. Please remember that all dental health aides are supervised providers. It is important to develop a trusting relationship where your supervisor is able to trust that you will do what is asked.
- If an instructor or staff member behaves inappropriately toward you, your course of action will be to remain professional and report their behavior to ADTEP Leadership (ex. ADTEP Director, ADTEP Clinical Site Director or ADTEP Program Manager) immediately so we can assist you in managing the situation.
- If a patient behaves inappropriately towards you, your course of action will be to remain professional and seek the help of your clinical instructor to manage the patient.
- Behaviors such as cheating (including unauthorized use of artificial intelligence), plagiarism, or falsified documentation of clinical findings reflect attitudes that guide professional conduct and, as such, indicate that a person may not be prepared to assume the responsibility of making professional clinical judgments. These non-professional behaviors are also considered to be academic performance issues.
- In general, cell phones are to be kept out of treatment areas and are only to be accessed during non-clinic hours, such as lunch time. (An exception is the use to login to your operatory computer and use of TigerConnect for clinical photos and clinic-related communication).
- You are required to comply with the Iḷisaġvik College, ANTHC and YKHC Social Media Policy and Guidelines.
- You are representing Iḷisaġvik College, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Consortium, and Southcentral Foundation (SCF) everywhere you go in the community while enrolled in the program. Your patients live in these communities, some of which are small towns or villages. Please maintain your professionalism in all places accessible to the public, whether at a grocery store, eating at a restaurant, etc.
Examples of violations may include, but are not limited to:
- A disrespectful comment or use of inappropriate language at any time.
- Having a negative attitude. Complaints and concerns are welcome and help improve the program, but need to be directed to ADTEP Leadership.
- Raising your voice to anyone at any time.
- Not complying with reasonable requests from your instructor. If you have concerns about requests, contact ADTEP Leadership.
- Inappropriate cell phone use during clinic hours.
Dependability:
- Daily attendance and participation is expected at all classes and clinics so that the student can gain maximum benefit from the instruction that is offered. Ask questions when appropriate.
- Arrive on time every day. The arrival time is determined by the facility and/or clinic, not your first scheduled patient. On time doesn’t mean you are physically present in the building. It means ready to go, not finishing your breakfast or brushing your teeth.
- If you cannot arrive on time due to an emergency or circumstances beyond your control, you must inform the site contact person immediately with an updated arrival time.
- If you are too sick to make it to the clinic you must notify the site contact person immediately.
- If weather limits your ability to be on time or you are unable to travel due to the weather, you must notify the site contact person immediately.
- Students must get approval to leave at the end of each day by the instructor. There may be times when you need to stay after the clinic closes for the day. Even if your last patient is a “no show” you are still part of the dental care team and should offer to help your classmates. Beyond direct patient care, there are many opportunities to learn.
- There are only three absences allowed in the Fall and Spring Semesters. These should be communicated in as far in advance as possible to limit disruption to the clinic schedule. Due to the short duration of the summer semesters, only one absence will be granted.
- Students are expected to monitor their own attendance and assume full responsibility for any course work missed during their absence. More than three absences in a Fall or Spring semester or one absence in a summer semester will require additional remediation time during planned ADTEP break weeks (e.g. Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break) or during the summer.
Examples of violations may include, but are not limited to:
- Arriving late, even by a few minutes.
- Neglecting to inform the site contact person if you are late or ill, in a timely manner.
- Leaving at the end of the day without permission from the instructor.
Appearance:
- Professional appearance is required every day. Your attire should reflect you as a working professional and be consistent with health and safety standards. This includes clean attire, washed and appropriately secured hair, closed toed shoes, no strong scents (including perfume, cologne and body care products), clothing that is not see through, free of stains and properly fitted. Exposure of the midriff area, cleavage, bare shoulders, or undergarments is not permitted. No backless, strapless, halter or tank-type garments may be worn.
- While treating patients, students will be in full clinic-provided scrubs and a gown, including, mask, gloves, eye protection and other items of personal protective equipment (PPE) required by the clinical policies of the clinic where you are seeing patients. Scrubs are not worn outside of the building. Scrubs may not be taken home.
- Dangling bracelets, necklaces, and earrings present a risk and must not be worn in the clinical setting.
- Artificial nails and nail art are not permitted for those with direct patient care duties.
- Long hair must be pinned or tied back, out of the field of vision and away from any operating surfaces. Disposable surgical caps/bonnets are recommended.
- You are acting as a representative of Iḷisaġvik College, ANTHC,YKHC and SCF and it is important to appear professional.
Examples of violations may include, but are not limited to:
- Wearing flip-flops
- Unkempt or unclean appearance/attire
We want this experience to be valuable and fun. If you encounter a difficult situation, respond professionally, and contact the ADTEP Clinical Director (contact info below) immediately for assistance. You are a representative of Iḷisaġvik College, ANTHC, YKHC, and SCF and we ask that you maintain the School’s standards of excellence..
Anchorage-based Students contact: Dr. Charles Truncale (cctruncale@anthc.org) and Dr. Thomas Allen (tjallen@anthc.org)
Bethel-based Students contact: Trisha Patton (Trisha_Patton@ykhc.org) and Dr. Erin Giauque (esgiauque@anthc.org)