Is it?
- workload abuse
- ridiculing
- threatening gestures
- exclusion from learning experiences
- disallowing sick leave
- belittling comments
It's not "just part of the
job," and it's not a "necessary part of training."
It's harassment.
Surveys have confirmed that
resident harassment does occur and, worse yet,
is somehow viewed as acceptable behavior by
some staff and residents.
It is not.
Trust, respect, fairness and
a spirit of collegiality between faculty and
residents at Dalhousie is essential for creating
the best possible environment for learning.
And in a teaching hospital, creating this environment
will attract the best to Dalhousie as well
as produce top quality physicians.
Research has shown that harassment
and intimidation actually achieves the opposite
environment - one that hinders learning. Incidents
of harassment or intimidation undermine professional
confidence, and in some cases compromise health
care delivery. And, simply put, it's unprofessional.
Harassment and intimidation
includes, but is not limited to:
- unfair work demands;
- discrimination
based on race,
culture, gender,
religion, sexual
orientation or
school of medical
graduation;
- verbal
abuse:
shouting,
swearing,
belittling,
ridiculing,
disparaging
remarks
of
sexist,
homophobic,
religious
or
ethnic
grounds;
- physical
abuse:
throwing
objects,
pushing,
slapping
or
making
threatening
gestures;
- sexual
abuse:
unwelcome
comments,
gestures, touching
or
actions
of
a sexual
nature;
- workload
abuse:
contractual infraction,
excessive service
volume,
lack of
supervision, or
not
making reasonable
illness, disability
or leave
allowances;
- reprisal
for having lodged, or being
a witness in, a harassment or
intimidation complaint; and
- education
compromise: grading unfairly, or unreasonable exclusion from a learning experience.
The only way to break the cycle is to come forward. Dalhousie needs a process
that is open and responsive to these issues, for everyone involved.
As a first step, residents
can discuss the situation with:
- the individual involved;
- a
clinical supervisor;
- a
representative
of
PARI-MP;
- a
Program
Director;
- a
Department
or
Division
Head; or
- the
Associate
Dean of
Postgraduate Medical
Education.
If a resolution does not occur,
residents are encouraged to make a written complaint
to the Associate Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education.
The next step is to have the Faculty Resident Relations
Committee intervene and, if necessary, the Dean
of Medicine.
The process is complainant
driven, meaning the complainant will be consulted
along each step of the way. Complaints will
be dealt with in a fair and just manner for
all parties involved.
Dalhousie Postgraduate Medical
Education strongly encourages faculty to be
familiar with and adhere to the guidelines
on harassment and education. A copy of these
guidelines can be obtained from departmental
administrators or by calling the Postgraduate
Medical Education Office at (902)494-2362.
Like any form of abuse, resident
harassment will continue in a generational
pattern. If residents are taught in a way that
focusses on learning through intimidation,
they will be more likely to teach their future
residents in the same destructive manner. All
faculty and residents must help break this
cycle.
For more information contact:
Postgraduate Medical Education
Office
Dalhousie Medical School
(902) 494-1850
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