Accredited perfusion training programs are committed to honoring certain policies and procedures pertaining to the equitable treatment of students. These are set forth in the governing "Standards and Guidelines for an Accredited Educational Program for the Perfusionist", and are reproduced below. (Students and prospective students are encouraged to review the entire publication.)

C. STUDENTS

1. Admission Policies and Procedures

   Admission of students, including advanced placement, shall be made in accordance with defined and published practices of the institution. Any academic and technical standards required for admission to the program shall be defined, published and accessible to prospective students and the public.

   Policies for advanced placement, transfer of credit and credit for experiential learning shall be accessible to prospective students. Requirements for previous education or work experience, if required, must be provided and be accessible.

2. Evaluation of Students

   Criteria for successful completion of each segment of the curriculum and for graduation shall be given in advance to each student. Methods of evaluation of students shall include content related to the objectives and competencies described in the curriculum for both didactic and supervised clinical education components. Evaluation shall be employed frequently enough to provide students and program officials with timely indications of the students' progress and academic standing and to serve as a reliable indicator of the effectiveness of course design and instruction.

   There shall be a mechanism for evaluating the clinical competency of each student based on completed evaluation forms for each clinical experience which shall be reviewed by faculty with the student.

   A clinical competency committee should assist in this evaluation process.

3. Appeals

   Appeal mechanisms for decisions regarding academic or clinical performance or infractions of institutional policies shall be made known and be available to all students and faculty.

   The process should be expedient while preserving the students' rights to due process. Deadlines for instituting and resolving the appeal should be published and known to the students and faculty. The appeal mechanism should include individuals not involved with the program as participants in the process.

4. Health

   The program officials shall establish a procedure for determining that the applicants' or students' health will permit them to meet the written technical standards of the program. Students must be informed of and have access to the health care services provided to other students of the institution, including emergency care. Personal counseling, by other than program officials, shall be available and made known to the students and faculty. Education in infection control practices must be provided.

5. Guidance

   Guidance shall be available to assist students in understanding course content and in observing program policies and practices and to provide counseling or referral for problems that may interfere with the students' progress through the program.

1. Fair Practices
   1. Announcements and advertising must reflect accurately the program offered.

   2. Student and faculty recruitment, student admission and faculty employment practices shall be nondiscriminatory with respect to race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability(ies) and national origin.

   3. Academic credit and costs to the student shall be stated, published and made known to all applicants.

   4. The program or sponsoring institution shall have a published policy and procedure for processing student and faculty grievances, which will be made known to all students and faculty.

   5. Policies and processes for student withdrawal and for refunds of tuition and fees shall be published and made known to all applicants.

   6. Policies and processes by which students may perform service work while enrolled in the program must be published and made known to all concerned in order to avoid practices in which students are substituted for regular staff. Students must not take the responsibility for or the place of staff.

   7. The health and safety of patients, students and faculty associated with the educational activities of the students must be safeguarded.

   8. The program must comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration blood-borne pathogen requirements. Education in infection control practices must be provided.

2. Student Records

   Satisfactory records shall be maintained for student admission, attendance, evaluation and program completion/graduation. Grades and credits for courses shall be recorded on the student transcript and permanently maintained by the sponsoring institution in a safe and accessible location.

   Records should be maintained for all courses for which the student is registered after the institution's add/drop period.

   The master plan for education should include a system for maintaining records in order to document achievement of program goals and objectives, to indicate compliance with accrediting and program policies, and to provide a database for program self-evaluation. Provisions for availability and security of records should comply with the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974" (Buckley Amendment). The system should be sufficiently detailed to provide for the continuity, delivery and evaluation of the program in the event of staff changes.