How to Successfully Prepare for Your Dismissal Hearing

School’s in session. Today we are talking about something that is MORE than stigmatized. It’s unspoken. When I was going through my medical school dismissal appeal, I learned there was one other student from my school who—in a history of 30 years—had successfully appealed after being dismissed. I tried my hardest to find that person, but ultimately could not. I believe it’s because that Doc did not want to be found. I don’t blame him/her. Still, I wonder how much easier the process could have been for me if I had that person’s wisdom to lean on. I wonder how empowered, informed, and prepared I would have felt. ONE. 30 YEARS. As most of you know, I successfully appealed and became the 2^nd student in that 30 year time span. Glory to God.

I wanted to share this post and all the information I learned so you all do not get to the point where you have to appeal. I want those who are up for medical school (or really any school) dismissal to have the knowledge concerning how to successfully prepare for your hearing. And yes, I have received this question from many. You are NOT alone. Most schools do offer guidelines on their particular dismissal process, but please do make these considerations as well:

Gather your documents and not just the ones the school tells you to. I’m talking email receipts between you and higher-ups, communication demonstrating how and with which faculty members you studied, everything. Keep Everything. Print out the emails and have them in a folder just in case anyone tries to say you did not do your due diligence to prepare for the exam in question. Don’t present them right away. Keep them in your back pocket. Also, print out any articles you can find on students who failed STEP 1 and successfully match. Keep copies on hand to pass around in case your likelihood of matching is called into question. You are building your case here. You are now in a court of law and I want you to be the best lawyer you can be! Let’s get some more evidence demonstrating why you should get another chance:

Obtain letters of support. At least at my school, this was a requirement. I had to get 3 as if I was applying to med school all over again. I highly suggest you request letters from faculty members who helped you study during 2^nd year, those who helped you study for the exam in question, and/or those who can speak to your clinical rotation performance. Make sure these persons believe in you. Make sure they know you and your work ethic as much as possible.

Next I want you to prepare a detailed day by day study plan. You absolutely want to present this during your hearing. Briefly mention your study plan in the past and then pass around copies of your new study plan. Make sure the plan CLEARLY ARTICULATES just how different the new plan is and how your new approach will yield successful results. And you know the faculty members who wrote you those letters of support? Have at least one of them sign off on your study plan and mention in their letter how they have seen your plan and will help you successfully implement it. You have to round up your faculty advocate(s) and get them to publicly show they are on your side. That display of support is Powerful. If you are looking for ideas on how to study, check out this post.

Prepare your written statement. This was another mandatory part of the process at my school. Ensure your statement shows ownership of past mistakes, humility, honesty, and your plan to move forward and successfully complete your degree. Apologize for falling short of expectations. In the statement, you can enclose an outline of your new study plan and then expound during the actual hearing. Do not spend too much time on what went wrong with the exam(s) in question. It happened. You own it. State what you’re doing to improve. The committee may print out their own copies for the meeting, but you bring copies just in case.

Print out recent practice test scores. Y’all. This one is clutch. Please please please have these on hand if you have taken any. You want to show an upward trend of practice test scores. And if your test score increased each time, print those reports as well and emphasize the continued improvement. Make it easier for the committee to say YES to giving you another chance. Upward trending test scores and especially PASSING practice test scores can absolutely help tip the scale in your favor. Again, you are a lawyer building your case. Print these out and pass them around during the hearing.

Update that CV (if needed) and bring copies to the hearing. This is where you appeal as a human being. Pass around copies of your CV demonstrating the YEARS worth of blood, sweat, and tears it took to get to where you are. Your CV illustrates your breadth of work and your passion for what you’re doing. Those with a heart will think twice about allowing one exam (which you have shown via practice tests you are projected to pass) to stop you from fulfilling your dreams.

Show humility and apologize. This is where you speak to the cold ones who are all about numbers and policies. Faculty like that LOOOOOOOVE when you apologize. Own your past mistakes. Own any time you may have not listened to advisement (only if anyone in the room knows about it). Make it clear you have learned your lesson and that you are prepared to use the wisdom and assistance of school faculty to make the mark. Sincerely apologize for the time(s) when you did not meet the mark and then bring the conversation back to your new and improved plan.

Find out what happened to other students who failed the same exam in question. Unlock. Your. Inspector. Gadget. Find those students. Ask around. Speak to them. This is something else to have in your back pocket. You want to know if anyone was ever offered special treatment so you can leverage it should things go south. There was a student at my school who met with a faculty member when he failed STEP 1 multiple times. He and his father were pretty much guaranteed a fourth retake should he need it. I did not mention the student’s name, but I DEFINITELY brought it up in the meeting with that same faculty member when all she wanted to guarantee me and my parents was student handbook policy. What they were not going to do was provide special treatment for one student and treat me like yesterday’s garbage. By the end of that meeting, the faculty member was bright red. I got back into school though.

Have social support nearby. A dismissal hearing can be extremely scary and daunting to say the least. While you cannot have any of your loved ones in the room with you, ask your person if he/she can sit in the holding room with you, drive you and stay in the car, and/or video chat with you before you go in. There were at least 25 faculty members in my hearing…and then there was one me. It would have been nice to have my parents super close directly before and after to help calm my nerves. They showed up full force for subsequent meetings, but I did not think to have them there the day of my hearing. Notify your person(s) of what is going on and keep them near. I know it’s hard to ask for help and to admit shortcomings—especially for us Type A docs—but humility goes a long way here. Lean on your tribe.

APPEAL. APPEAL. APPEAL. Y’all, if the dismissal hearing does not work out in your favor, DO NOT GIVE UP. Know your rights and APPEAL. Read the dismissal portion of your student handbook and know the exact number of days you have to complete the appeal process. If you cannot get an email or telephone response from the Dean to schedule an appeal meeting, STALK the office of the Dean until they schedule you. Keep telling them of the date by which you must have that meeting. DO NOT LET UP. Present all your materials from the dismissal hearing to the Dean in a clear and organized fashion. And if you can, meet with at least one person who was in the dismissal hearing and glean from them what was said about you. This was a GAME CHANGER for me!! I learned the reasoning behind why I was dismissed so I could build my case for the appeal. These are documents (ones I mention above) that I did not present during the dismissal hearing because I did not have anyone to advise me:

“Anya will not pass STEP 1 or any other STEP exam.” = “Dean, here are my upward trending scores for the actual exam and my practice exams. Also, here is my revised, detailed study plan and a letter of support from a faculty member who has agreed to help me study.”

“Anya will not pass her shelf exams.” = “Dean, I already took 3^rd year Psychiatry while I awaited my first STEP 1 score. I passed that shelf exam. Here is the documentation and here are the passing score reports from my 1^st and 2^nd year miniboards.”

“Anya will not match.” = “Dean, here is a research article I found on students who fail STEP 1, go on to pass the exam, and still successfully match.”

Y’all, building your case works. It certainly worked for me and that is why I am advising you to prepare all these documents UPFRONT for your dismissal hearing. Hopefully, this way you can avoid having to appeal.

Pray. God CAN. He is no respecter of persons and if He did it for me, He WILL do it for you.

Isaiah 61:7

Revelations 3:7-13

Revelations 10:6

Amos 9

Ephesians 3:20

Hebrews 11:1

2 Corinthians 2:14

Romans 4:20

Genesis 50:20

Mark 10:52

Romans 4:17

Romans 8:32

Psalm 86:17

Proverbs 10:22

Hebrews 6:10

Matthew 10:23

I want y’all to know you are Special. You are Anointed. You are Appointed. You are Talented. You are Intelligent. You are Capable. You are Worthy. These racist, elitist, man-made tests say NOTHING about you, your future, and your Light. Press forward, get back on track, pass that exam, and, in your own time, rebuild your confidence. And if you are looking for scholarship resources, click here. I hope this blueprint helps you. Praying and believing your dismissal gets dismissed.

xx,

Photos by Tina Smith