Faculty of Medicine Statement on Mistreatment
The Faculty of Medicine is committed to creating a learning and work environment conducive to optimal education, research, and clinical care. This is sustained by learners and faculty committing to the highest level of professional conduct in their communications and interactions in all University-related activities.
The Faculty of Medicine is aware that despite efforts to foster a respectful and professional learning environment mistreatment of learners continues to be a significant concern and barrier to meeting the Faculty’s education goals. This concern is not unique to UBC. Educational institutions across North America have become increasingly aware of the mistreatment of learners and are aware that mistreatment often goes unreported, either because learners fear reprisal, anticipate there will not be a meaningful response to their concerns, or because they do not know how or when to report or what to expect once a report is made.
All members of the Faculty of Medicine community are responsible for the learning environment. We must all recognize that learning cannot take place in an atmosphere that is characterized by disrespect, disruption, intimidation, or abuse. We must each commit to taking action against learner mistreatment whenever it manifests in our learning environment. We cannot expect, or rely on, learners to address these issues without support.
The Faculty of Medicine is committed to culture change to move from a culture of blame to one that supports and promotes positive change in behaviour. The Faculty is actively developing proactive initiatives to (i) raise awareness of the damaging effects of learner mistreatment; (ii) help learners, faculty and staff acquire skills that will contribute to creating and sustaining a healthy learning environment; (iii) develop processes for dealing with mistreatment that are accessible, fair, transparent and effective; and (iv) develop performance metrics and collect and analyze data to assessing progress and identify ongoing needs.
To achieve these goals the Faculty of Medicine will work with leaders in the community who contribute to the learning environment. All participants in the education of learners in the Faculty of Medicine are responsible for the environment in which education and training takes place and each of us must support and actively model the principles embedded in the Respectful Environment Statement and the professional standards of the medical and health profession programs.
We are each accountable for our own conduct and for holding others accountable for theirs. We must all be engaged in supporting a supportive, positive culture that fosters the values in the Statement on Respectful Environment and the Standards of Professionalism to which we as members of this community are committed.