title: Legal aspects associated with dismissal from clinical laboratory education programs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review academic dismissals, students' rights in dismissal cases, and several key cases involving academic and disciplinary dismissals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recent academic literature and legal precedents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students involved in dismissals are protected under the principles of constitutional law and/or contract law, depending on whether the institution is public or private. The basis for dismissal from educational programs is either academic or disciplinary in nature. In academic dismissals, a student has failed to meet either the cognitive or the noncognitive academic standards of the program. In disciplinary dismissals, a student has violated the institutional rules governing conduct. Policies that affect progress in the program and the dismissal process should be published and distributed to students, as well as reviewed for consistency with institutional policies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The amount of documentation needed in the defense of a dismissal decision has not been specified, but, in general, more is better. Procedures are suggested as a guide to dismissals in clinical laboratory programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7145, USA.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Legrys
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Laudicina
mesh_terms: D004282:Documentation; D006801:Humans; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel / Q000193:education*; D012576:Schools, Health Occupations / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013332:Student Dropouts / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States