Medical Learners

Green completed
Yellow in progress
Red      pending

 

  Recommendation Status
1 Dean of medicine and senior leadership of Memorial release a strong statement reaffirming their commitment to providing a respectful learning and work environment free from intimidation, bullying, harassment and sexual harassment for all learners, academic and clinical faculty members and administrative and other staff members. The Dean of Medicine statement from June 2020 is one example of communications reaffirming the commitment to a respectful work and learning environment.
2 An anonymous on-line survey on intimidation, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and the perceived culture in the faculty be developed and distributed to all learners, academic and clinical faculty members, and administrative and other staff members. The Mistreatment survey has been distributed twice (March 2019 and April 2021). The Professionalism & Mistreatment Research Working Group has ownership over the analysis and communication of findings, as well as making recommendations on how to address issues identified through the surveys.
3 An accountability framework and process be established to:
• Monitor the implementation of measures taken towards an enhanced respectful environment;
• Evaluate how the measures are working; and,
• Determine changes needed for continuous improvement.
In November 2019, the Unit Assessment Working Group ceased its work and ​the Culture of Excellence Project Team (CoE) team was established to take responsibility for implementing the unit assessment recommendations, monitoring, and evaluating progress. The Culture of Excellence Project Team reports to the Destination Excellence Implementation Steering Team (DEIST).

Mandate of Culture of Excellence Project Team (approved June 2021):
  • To foster within the Faculty of Medicine a culture of professionalism which values every individual in environments free of all forms of discrimination, racism, intimidation, and harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual assault.
  • To provide an equitable, inclusive, and culturally safe environment within the Faculty of Medicine.
  • To support the sustainability of the implemented recommendations from the Unit Assessment.
  • To appraise the learning and work environments to inform decision making within the Faculty of Medicine.
4 A Respectful Environment Working Group be established to have input into the development of the accountability framework and be convened on a regular basis to receive reports on ongoing progress. The Culture of Excellence Project Team was established in February 2020 and took over the work previously done by the Unit Assessment Working Group. 
5 The Respectful Environment Working Group will establish the essential elements of mandatory training on IBH&SH [Intimidation, Bullying, Harassment, and Sexual Harassment] that are required by all learners, faculty and staff members in the faculty. Modules, workshops or other mechanisms will be developed and delivered on a regular basis. The Office of Professional and Educational Development (OPED) created a Professionalism in Practice (Clinical) online module for clinical learners and clinical faculty, which is now available for completion. The module is compulsory for undergraduate medical learners and is being added to the Phase 4 curriculum for the 2021-22 academic year.

The Professionalism in Practice (Academic) version for MUNFA faculty and graduate learners is in development and should be available in the fall of 2021. 

A third (Administrative) version will be developed for staff members.

Discussions are underway to add the completion of the module to the faculty annual review forms and for managers to encourage staff to complete the module when it becomes available.
6 An accountability progress report issued from the Dean’s Office to be published at regular intervals on issues related to a respectful workplace and the culture of the school. Submissions from all constituencies in the faculty should be encouraged for inclusion. The Culture of Excellence Project Team established a Report Card Working Group to create a process for collecting data and disseminating results on progress being made. The Working Group is in the process of reviewing and revising a draft Report Card.
7 Short-term policy recommendation: Respectful Learning Environment Policy and Procedure. Please see the Respectful Learning Environment in Medical Education Policy and Procedure.
8 Short-term policy recommendation: Process for Addressing Breaches of Professionalism by Undergraduate Medical Students Form. After extensive discussions, the Process for Addressing Breaches of Professionalism by Undergraduate Medical Students was removed from the Office of Student Affairs website as substantive issues were identified with the procedure. Learners must now use the Respectful Learning Environment in Medical Education Procedure to report concerns. 
9 Short-term Policy Recommendation: Confidentiality Policy (revised Privacy Policy) Please see Memorial University's Privacy Policy.
10 Long term policy recommendation: The Professionalism Working Group, or other appropriate committee, begin a comprehensive review of all policies in the Faculty of Medicine that relate to mistreatment, intimidation, harassment and professionalism with the view to eliminate confusion, redundancy, and inconsistencies and provide greater transparency. This comprehensive policy review has begun and will continue going forward as policies are developed, approved, and reviewed. This is an example of one of the recommendations that is marked green for completed, but will in fact be an on-going process for years to come.
11 The Office of Student Affairs be reconstituted as the Office of Learner Equity and Wellness. This office would integrate the non-academic resources of the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs together. The Office of Student Affairs was reconstituted in 2019 as the Office of Learner Wellbeing and Success (LWS). LWS supports undergraduate and postgraduate medical learners.
12 Mistreatment concerns be removed from the current QRS reporting system and a new secure on-line reporting system be developed specifically for learner mistreatment concerns. This reporting system would be available to undergraduate medical education learners and postgraduate residents. Reporting of mistreatment has been removed from the QRS and an anonymous reporting system is now in place. Memorial’s Incident Management System (MIMS) was modified to provide learners with a secure, confidential online tool to disclose their concerns of learner mistreatment with the option to remain anonymous. This process was launched in December 2021.
13 The Office of Postgraduate Medical Education, the chairs of Postgraduate Residency Programs and appropriate others partner with Eastern Health [Regional Health Authorities] to develop clear job or role descriptions for postgraduate learners at each stage of residency training. The Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Office will be addressing this recommendation in the coming months (fall 2021) as part of the development of their unit strategic plan.
14 The Postgraduate Education Committee or appropriate other groups develop formal preparatory training materials that clearly identify roles during periods when postgraduate learners transition from one setting or level of training to another. The PGME programs at Memorial University are based on the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada standards which specify required competencies at various stages of learning. PGME offers an orientation session at the beginning of each program about competency-based roles and responsibilities and provides resources to residents throughout their training.
15 Organize education and training specific to the issue of IBH&SH at the undergraduate, postgraduate, graduate, and continuing education levels taking into account the suggestions raised by learners and others. Learners have been involved in the development of the Professionalism in Practice modules (Recommendation 5).

Each of the units (undergrad, postgrad, graduate studies, and continuing education) are being asked to provide the CoE Project Team with information about their current initiatives related to IBH&SH education and training and to submit a plan for building upon those initiatives.
16 The faculty initiate an Equity Speaker Series on the issues of equity, medicine and health care in a changing society. The faculty consider partnering with Eastern Health and other health professional schools at Memorial to bring in dynamic, nationally recognized speakers in this field. The Equity Speaker Series was launched in October 2021, and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Project Team is now responsible for the Series. 
17 The faculty initiate a review of all print and online materials provided to undergraduate and postgraduate learners and faculty websites to ensure that information about IBH&SH, applicable policies and procedures for reporting, available resources and a link to the Sexual Harassment Office website are clearly displayed. As well, one sheet info-graphics should be designed to guide learners in decision making about which the faculty or Memorial policy applies to address a concern related to IBH&SH, who to contact, etc. These one-pagers could be prominently displayed in student areas. The CoE Project Team has established a working group to conduct this review.
18 The Office of Student Affairs (or reconstituted office) and Resident Wellness Committees and appropriate others consult with learners about the kinds of social events that would be welcoming for all learners and their families and then organize these types of activities on a more regular basis. The Office of Learner Well-Being and Success offers a number of events each year. Some higher profile events are hosted in consultation with the Learner Committee members.

LWS administered a survey was to learners requesting their feedback and/or suggestions on wellbeing and family initiatives/activities that could be implemented. LWS will incorporate suggestions from the survey and continue to enhance programming based on learner feedback. With this survey, LWS now has a process in place to consult with learners about organizing social activities.