Student Standards of Conduct

It is the philosophy of MTSA to uphold Christian ideals and values. While it is MTSA’s policy to freely accept students regardless of religious persuasion, MTSA’s philosophy is that students, faculty and staff are public representatives of MTSA, and are expected to avoid any conduct that would conflict with its Christian values.

Actions and conduct not in harmony with the Christian standards of MTSA include, but are not limited to, the following, and commission of any of these actions will result in disciplinary action that may include dismissal from the program. Students who witness or have personal knowledge of any participation in the following activities, on the MTSA campus, and any contingent site, or on the campus of any clinical affiliate site, have a responsibility to report such infractions to MTSA administration. To underscore the seriousness with which MTSA takes the issue of health and welfare of its constituent populations, the School will impose disciplinary sanctions on students - up to and including expulsion, and possible referral for prosecution. Dismissal from the School or any lesser penalty as determined by the Program Director and the Progressions Committee may result from participation in any of the following activities:

1. Furnishing false information to the School with the intent to deceive;
2. Knowingly providing false information or testimony during the investigation of, or hearing on a disciplinary matter;
3. Refusal or failure to respond to a request from MTSA to report to a School administrative office or other location;
4. Vandalism, malicious destruction, damage, or misuse of private or public property, including library or computer center material;
5. Forgery, alteration, destruction, or misuse of School documents, records, or identification.
6. Obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary proceedings, or other School activities, including any authorized activities on School property; In no event shall this rule be construed to prevent speech protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution;
7. Unauthorized use of or entry to School facilities and/or unauthorized possession of keys to School facilities;
8. Disorderly conduct or lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct on School-owned property or at any other institution affiliated with the School, or at School-sponsored functions;
9. Physical abuse of any person, or other conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person (i.e., this includes attending class or clinical under the influence of drugs or alcohol) whether such conduct occurs on or off School property;
10. Participation of students in group activities on or adjacent to the campus, which causes damage to public or private property, causes injuries to persons, or interferes with the orderly functioning of the School or the normal flow of traffic;
11. Violation of written School policies or regulations as stipulated herein or as published and/or announced by authorized School personnel;
12. Falsely reporting the presence of an unlawful explosive or incendiary device with the intent to mislead, deceive, or disrupt the operation of the School or a scheduled event sponsored by the School;
13. The use of tobacco in any form, other than in properly designated smoking areas;
14. Possession, while on School-owned property, or of any other institution affiliated with the School, of any weapon such as, but not limited to, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, handguns, air guns, including explosives, such as firecrackers, unless authorized in writing by the School Administration.
15. Unauthorized use or misuse of MTSA’s computing facilities to include logging on an account without the knowledge and permission of the owner; changing, deleting, or adding to the programs, files and/or data without authorization of the owner; theft of program data or machine resources; attempts to thwart security of the computer system, including hardware and software;
16. Use of technological/electronic device(s) in the classroom. Students are allowed to use iPads/Microsoft Surface Pro or laptop computers in the classroom before class begins. However, the only use for iPads/Microsoft Surface Pro or laptops during any class will be for taking notes specifically related to the current class in session. No other activities utilizing any technological/electronic device(s), including but not limited to computers, iPads/Microsoft Surface Pro, cell phones, or scanners, such as (but not limited to) web-surfing, Medatrax case record completion, game-playing, or text-messaging will not be allowed during any class. The only exception to this is if web-based research is part of the curriculum for a given class, and this is specifically stated by the instructor. Some (but not all) instructors may allow calculators to be used during quizzes/tests/exams. If they do, students are only permitted to use calculators provided by MTSA at that time, which have no communication or data storage capability (i.e. no cell phone or PDA calculators).
17. Participation in or conviction of theft, wrongful appropriation (i.e., theft with intent to temporarily deprive the owner of possession), unauthorized possession, or sale or damage to School property or any organization affiliated with the School or of another member of the School community (i.e., faculty, staff, student, or campus visitor);
18. Any act of arson, falsely reporting a fire or other emergency, falsely setting off a fire alarm, tampering with or removing from its proper location fire extinguishers, hoses, or any other fire emergency equipment, except when done with real need for such equipment;
19. An attempt to commit or to be accessory to the commission of any act in violation of other Standards of Conduct;
20. Commission of an act or an attempt to commit an act on School property or involving members of the School community (i.e., faculty, staff, student or campus visitor) in an act that would be in violation of state or federal law;
21. Violation of local, state, or federal law, whether on or off campus, when it appears that the student has acted in a way that adversely affects or seriously interferes with the School’s normal educational function, or that injures or endangers the welfare of any member of the School or its affiliate community. Such violations include, but are not limited to, violation of state or federal drug laws, commission of or attempt or threat to commit rape, murder, felonious assault, arson, domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or any other felonious crime against person or property. Any violation results in an arrest; the School must be notified within 24 hours.
22. Unprofessional conduct, or any conduct or action that could bring dishonor or discredit on MTSA or would reflect unfavorably on its reputation as a Christian institution
23. The use of any illegal drug.
24. The use of addicting drugs and/or alcohol, which would impair judgment or function, including those prescribed by a physician, since mental alertness is crucial during the provision of anesthesia. Students participating in clinical rotations must submit a current copy of any prescription to the Clinical Support Coordinator of any medications they are using which may impair judgment or function. If this prescription is changed or modified, the Clinical Support Coordinator needs to be notified. Additionally, whenever specimen samples are collected for drug testing, the student must notify the collection personnel of any medications in use currently. Student anesthetists administer narcotics daily and must not be lax in signing out drugs, administering them properly, or properly disposing of unused portions. If circumstantial evidence renders students suspect of drug abuse, they may be asked to have urine, blood, or hair analyses to document their non-use of drugs. MTSA reserves the right, and students should expect, that a routine or random analysis for drugs may be requested at any time and without prior notice, to rule out substance abuse.
25. Reporting for duty at any hospital or for any class or professional meeting while under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or ANY mood-altering substance;
26. Unlawful manufacture, possession, use, influence or distribution of illegal drugs and alcohol
27. No student should start or initiate a general or regional anesthetic without proper supervision of a licensed anesthesia personnel.
28. Refusing to follow the COVID campus guidelines/contract utilizing the Ascend platform.