Deceleration

Policy:

It is the policy of the BUPAP to document student attrition due to deceleration. The ARC-PA definition of deceleration is “The loss of a student from the entering cohort, who remains matriculated in the physician assistant program.” This loss could be due to medical issues, personal issues, military service requirements, or academic issues during the current student enrollment.

The student may be required to retake courses that the student has already passed in order to maintain knowledge and skills with matriculating with the incoming class. The Program Director/Medical Director may allow a student in good academic standing that decelerates to resume studies with the next matriculating class in the semester in which the deceleration occurred. The student should note that deceleration would result in delayed graduation and additional tuition from its original cohort.

Procedure:

The Bethel University PA Program’s academic policy as it relates to deceleration is as follows:

1. If a student requests a deceleration for any reason, the Promotion/Retention/Disciplinary (PRD) Committee will determine the validity of the request, and the student will meet with the PRD Committee for determination and possible student requirements for re-entering with the next matriculating class.
2. Deceleration will be authorized for a valid medical issue verified by a licensed health care provider, personal issues, military service requirements, or academic issues encountered during program enrollment, if recommended by the PRD committee.
3. Occasionally, students may be offered deceleration as an alternative to dismissal, if the program feels it is in the student’s best interest to take time to handle personal issues and return to the program at the next matriculation date.
4. If remediation efforts are unsuccessful and a student fails a course, the student will meet with the PRD Committee to determine the future in the program. The recommendations from the committee may include dismissal from the program with or without the option to reapply, continued remediation efforts, or deceleration.
5. This policy in no way guarantees the option of deceleration for a failed course; it is one option that will be considered by the PRD Committee.