Use of Service Animals at the Geisel School of Medicine
Certain students, due to functional limitations associated with recognized disabilities, may be entitled to the assistance of a service animal on the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth campus, and at some satellite educational sites. (Other animals/pets are informally allowed on the Geisel School campus in certain areas, but there is no legal entitlement involved unless the animal is considered a service animal.) Access for service animals is generally much more restricted in medical-school environments than in other educational settings, and the same is true at the Geisel School - especially in its clinical environments.
A service animal is allowed to accompany a student with a disability, referred to as a partner, on the Geisel School campus and at approved affiliated sites, unless those areas are excluded 1) in this policy or 2) by a Geisel School official for one of the following general reasons:
- Access may be denied due to a danger posed to the animal itself, to patients, or to others in the Geisel School community.
- Access may be denied if there is reason to believe that the animal might substantially interfere with the educational environment, with research and/or other laboratory protocols, or with any level of patient care.
- Access may be denied based on regulations mandated by relevant government agencies or hospital/clinic protocols.
Definition
A service animal is defined as an animal (usually a dog) that has been specifically trained to provide assistance with the normal activities of daily living for a person with a disability. The services must be directly related to the disability, and to the training received, in order to meet our definition. In this policy, a service animal is distinguished from a pet, whose primary function is companionship. Companionship, whereas it may provide benefit to the owner, is deemed intrinsic to the animal's nature and not the result of specific training related to disability. Pets, therefore, are not considered service animals.
Requirements
- A service animal must be registered with the Geisel School Office for Learning Services, and a contract of mutual understanding signed.
- There must be evidence the animal has undergone formal training to perform specific and relevant functions for an individual with a disability. Certification by a training agency is preferred.
- The animal's access to the Geisel School community must have been approved as a reasonable accommodation for the student partner by the Committee on Students with Disabilities, or by the Office for Learning Services on a temporary basis.
- A service animal must be well behaved and under the control of the student partner at all times while on the Geisel School campus or at any Geisel School affiliated site or function.
- A service animal must wear visible identification.
- The animal must be in good health, well kempt, and up-to-date on all recommended vaccinations.
- The partner must take responsibility for maintaining the cleanliness of the animals' surroundings, and for preventing any disruption to educational or medical activities.
- The partner must make arrangements for someone to care for a service animal while the student is in restricted areas. The animal cannot simply be left alone, and any cost involved is the responsibility of the student partner. The Geisel School assumes no responsibility for the care of service animals. If an animal should have to be removed from the Geisel School or affiliated premises, the student partner will also assume that cost.
Specific Standing Limitations
- Service animals are prohibited from entering any patient's hospital room or examination room without express permission in advance from the attending physician, the area coordinator, and the patient. Students should always check on specific hospital or clinic policies before bringing a service animal on the premises.
- Service animals may be denied access to any setting in which a patient is present, if the faculty person or staff member in charge has good reason to believe that the animal would pose a danger to the patient(s) or interfere with optimal care. This includes patient presentations in lecture halls.
- Service animals are always prohibited from entering operating rooms and other areas in which a sterile or strictly controlled environment is deemed essential.
- Service animals are denied access to congested medical areas in which efficient movement is essential, or in which blood-borne pathogens may be present (e.g. ERs)
- Service animals are most often prohibited from entering laboratories.
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