23 October 2011

SJB & LCME: Silence = Greed & Cowardice

From a Comment left on My very long "Bitch-Slapping Brugal, SJBullshitters And The LCME" post, just below this one:

Anonymous said... 

Absolutely, the whole steering committee for preparation for the LCME visit had to know as of at least June 13, 2010: 

Alvaro Perez 
Marta Garcia 
Shirley Valentin 
Sandra Chinapen 

ALL of the DEANS and likely more characters..


My response: Okay, they must have known. Looking at the situation, the LCME comes to the SJB in April, in a surprise visit directly-related to the Hospital's bankruptcy, pushes hard on the SJB to show its mettle (note the level and breadth of information requested), comes back with a hard-hitting Report (not yet revealed in public...yet) that suggests that the SJB's accreditation is seriously at risk and a letter to that effect--withdrawal--from the LCME to the SJB goes out June 13th. An appeals process is now a certainty.

Given this situation, wouldn't it stand to reason that:

A) Anyone directly involved in dealing with the LCME visit would want to know--or seek to find out--where the SJB stood after the visit?

B) That Brugal, no matter how incompetent or competent (chuckle...giggle...ROFLMAO) she may be, would HAVE to notify somebody and get other SJB personnel involved in fighting the withdrawal, and that the best allies for that defense would be the same people whose jobs it was to present the basic case and fight hard to save their jobs? (Note: NOT "help the students": SAVE THEIR JOBS.)

C) That the SJB--and the LCME--each adhering to their own convenient "best interests," ended up effectively CONSPIRING AGAINST THE STUDENTS, in essence, hiding behind "confidentiality" when that so-called "right" consistently and deliberately exposed the students they "swear" they serve to a chaotic situation that the students could have CHOSEN to avoid?

It is safe to say that the SJB imposed a very strict code of silence on their personnel to keep the SJBullshitters from being exposed as a pack of incompetent failures. It's certain that the employees--key and ancillary--were told that if they stepped out of line and told anyone about the SJB's situation, their jobs would be at stake.

But here's the thing: their jobs were at stake anyway. The SJBSOM had lost its accreditation and was very close to losing it for several years, a devastating blow that undermined every program they offered, if not directly, then indirectly by being painted as a school that wasn't up to LCME standards. The expected result of this accreditation loss would be a huge drop in registered students, possibly killing their new Nursing and Public Health programs. The SJB was in grave danger: and the students were deliberately not told.

Was the SJB required to tell them? Not according to LCME Procedures, for there are no guidelines about what a school is required to do or say when withdrawal of accreditation is decided.

However. How-motherfucking-ever...

On page 17 of the Rules of Procedures documents specifies that:

Any program placed on probation must promptly notify all enrolled students, those newly accepted for enrollment, and those seeking enrollment, of this accreditation status; failure to do so may result in withdrawal of accreditation.

That is for probation, a status that the LCME says allows the following: "Programs placed on probation retain their accredited status with all of the rights and privileges conveyed by such status... (Rules of Procedures, page 17; emphasis Mine.)

So let Me get this clear: A school placed on probation--where essentially NOTHING fucking changes--HAS to, is FORCED to, is REQUIRED to, is OBLIGATED and COMPELLED by the LCME to tell every student, enrolled or prospective, that the school is on LCME probation...but a school slammed with LOSS OF ACCREDITATION, under LCME Rules of Procedures, has NO requirement, NO obligation and is NOT forced to tell any-fucking-body?

And this is how a responsible organization """protects""" students? Really? Motherfucking REALLY??

Fuck the LCME and the horse's ass Rules of Procedures they rode roughshod over the students with.


Did the SJBullshitters fail, in a multiplicity of ways, including not being honest and responsible with students? Hell yeah, and We're going to find out much more; I guarantee it.

Did the LCME play coy with its own self-defined mission of """protecting""" students? Hell fucking yeah. Slapping a warning on a medical school to "shape up or ship out" merits a clarion call to students, but a decision that wrecks academic plans, maligns careers, wrecks budgets and hurts the students more than it could EVER fucking hurt the school is treated like "don't mention it" gossip?

SJBullshitters "followed orders," the infamous Nuremberg defense, though the crime here was mere selfishness and greed.

The LCME followed "rules" that were obviously flawed and in direct denial to a "responsiblity for a greater good." There's no need to label that attitude and behavior with a 20th-century label, because from time immemorial it's been called craven cowardice.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually, these professors had absolutely nothing to do with this. They were just as surprised as we were. The administration at SJB completely ignores the faculty and leaves them in the dark.

GCSchmidt said...

Okay, Let's accept that as truth. (A) Does this bolster the case for the SJB being run by liars? Yes. (B) Does it bolster the case that the SJB has an incompetent administration? Yes. Does it bolster the conclusion that cowardice runs rampant in the SJB? Yes.

What I fail to see is the outraged response of those "kept in the dark." Now I'm not asking for torches and pitchforks (actually, I am), but sitting back and saying "Gosh darnit, that's not nice" and letting the SJBullshitters keep treating them like crap is wrong. And that mistake falls squarely on their shoulders.

Anonymous said...

Is there any chance to this University to recover the full accreditation? You think it will be a risk if I enroll to the semester of 2014?

I will really appreciate your thoughts and orientation.

And how you translate this message left on the official page:

Accreditation

Dr. Yocasta Brugal, President/Dean of the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, hereby notifies all students, applicants, faculty, deans and administrative staff, the LCME’s decision regarding the School’s accreditation status.
On June 20, 2012, we received the LCME’s letter notifying that the SJBSM has full accreditation on probation.
A medical education program on probation remains accredited, with all rights and privileges. After meeting with the Board of Trustees, the recommendation was not to seek reconsideration of the LCME’s decision.
We reaffirm our commitment to quality in medical education and look forward for SJBSM to become an academic medical center of excellence in the central region of Puerto Rico with the support and collaboration of all the academic community.

GCSchmidt said...

Here's My advice: if you have any other option for medical school, ANY other option, go there.

If your only viable option is the SJBSOM and its pathetic excuse for administration, then keep in mind that this school has been on probation twice and was unaccredited once since the serially-incompetent Yocasta Brugal took the helm and basically shat on it.

As for the message on their website, it reads like legalese garbage that simply supports to a 100% level the accurate and precise accusation I made in this post, back in October 2011. Nothing has changed since then, so I urge you to seek another option. Even a semester here can amount to a colossal waste of time, not through any fault of your own, but through the insanely stupid and selfish incompetence that characterizes this broken heap of lies.