The following policies and procedures governing faculty and staff conduct in the teacher-learner relationship have been adopted by the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council in accordance with the new accreditation requirement of the Liaison Committee on Accreditation of Medical Education. They are in three parts: (I) Standards for Conduct in the Teacher-Learner Relationship; (II) Procedures for Reporting and Investigating Violations; and (III) Requirements for Dissemination and Education.
As a medical school which trains women and men who will be entrusted with the lives and well being of others, P&S is aware that it bears a special responsibility to assure that it’s students learn in an environment that fosters mutual respect and the values of professionalism, ethics and humanism in the practice of medicine. An environment conducive to learning requires that faculty, students and administrative and support staff treat each other with civility. The members of the faculty, however, bear special responsibility to assure that students are treated fairly and with respect in all settings where students are educated: the classroom, the laboratory, on patient rounds, at the bedside, in the operating room. Whether they wish to or not, faculty are the individuals on whom students model their own behavior. In addition, they often hold the key to students’ career advancement through their control of student evaluations and references.
Special care must be taken by faculty not to abuse the authority they exercise in the educational setting, to treat all students fairly, and to avoid exploiting or appearing to exploit their students. The quality and worth of a Columbia medical education rests not only in the excellence of the content and the skills that are taught, but in the examples provided of humane and ethical physicians and scientists who respect their colleagues in health care delivery, patients and one another. There is no place in the College of Physicians and Surgeons for incivility, verbal or physical abuse, exploitation or mistreatment of students or one another. Personal humiliation and the use of psychological or physical punishment are unacceptable as teaching methods.
Increasingly, the CUMC community is a diverse body of faculty, students and staff, and it is the expectation of the College that everyone will carry out their responsibilities in a manner that is professional and respectful of this diversity. This expectation extends also to residents, nurses and other health professionals in the medical center who because of their roles in the delivery of health care participate in the process of educating future physicians.
The following are examples of behaviors that P&S considers unacceptable:
Students are also expected to be respectful of one another and of the faculty, staff and support staff that they encounter in the classroom and the clinical setting.
The following procedures apply to students enrolled in the MD program or in the MD/PhD program during their MD years. Students enrolled in other Schools and programs should refer to their Office of Student Affairs for information and direction. Students enrolled in the biomedical PhD program through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences should follow the procedures established by that School which are available through the Office of Graduate Student Affairs.
P&S believes that the standards of appropriate conduct in the educational setting are generally respected and practiced throughout the Columbia University Medical Center and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. P&S recognizes, however, that there are occasions when the intensity and pace of study and work, and the differing expectations that members of it’s pluralistic, diverse community bring to their work and study, may lead to perceived or to real incidents of inappropriate behavior on the part of faculty towards students. When this happens, P&S is committed to establishing the facts through a fair process which respects the rights and confidentiality of the involved parties. This process will be the responsibility of a faculty Committee on Civility in the Learning Environment which will be chaired by a faculty member appointed by the Vice-President/Dean.
Students who wish to come forward and report inappropriate behavior on the part of a faculty or staff member may do so without fear of retaliation or reprisal, and with the assurance that complete confidentiality will be maintained unless the situation is such that there is a potential of immediate harm to the student or others.
In reporting such violations there are a number of avenues that students can follow.
Discriminatory Behavior, Sexual or Physical Harassment:Students who experience behavior they believe to be discriminatory, or who are the subjects of sexual or physical harassment should consult the University guidelines and procedures established for handling these complaints and contact the University offices designated to work with students on these issues. These guidelines and procedures are published annually in FACETS, the University’s Student Handbook, and can also be found on the Provost’s website. Students who wish to report other incidents of inappropriate behavior may do so to the Dean of Students; the Dean of Diversity and Minority Affairs; the Director of the Center for Student Wellness; the University Ombudsperson; a Special Advocate (see below) or to the Chair of the Committee on Civility in the Learning Environment.
The Committee will conduct its inquiry with fairness and with respect for the confidentiality of all parties. Its findings will be presented in the form of a written report to the student, the faculty member and the Dean who may refer it to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council. Recommendations for appropriate action may be made consistent with Columbia University Policies and Statutes.
The Committee on Civility in the Learning Environment will also advise the Vice-President/Dean on any measures that, in their judgment, need to be taken to reinforce the standards of conduct.
P&S realizes that it is not enough to simply articulate a policy. That policy must be widely circulated to students, faculty and staff and reaffirmed and reinforced through continuing and continuous education in a number of venues.
All medical students will receive a copy of the Standard and Procedures upon registering and it will be discussed during orientation, class meetings and in the monthly meetings of student representatives with the Dean. The Standard and Procedures will be prominently posted, together with the names of the special advocates, on the websites and bulletin boards where students receive their information.
Each course director, clerkship director and residency director will be responsible for seeing that the Standard and Procedures are made known to their teaching faculty and to all students at the start of each course, clerkship or rotation. Chairmen and Directors will be responsible for seeing that the policy and procedures are known to their faculty and discussed at departmental/center meetings and that it is discussed at all orientations of ward attendings and house staff.
The Committee on Civility in the Learning Environment will be responsible for recommending to the Vice-President/Dean further steps to foster an environment conducive to learning. The Special Advocates will meet as a group periodically with the Vice-President/Dean to assess their experiences (with no discussion of specific cases) with a view to seeing whether any patterns or problems have emerged that may need to be addressed on a school-wide basis.
The School will continue to develop and foster educational programs as needed and as experience under this policy dictate.
Either the student or the faculty member may appeal the decision of the Dean to the Provost. Findings of fact, remedies granted the student and penalties imposed on the faculty member are all subject to appeal. A written appeal must be submitted to the Provost within 15 working days of the date of the letter informing them of the Dean’s decision.
Normally the Provost takes no longer than 30 working days to evaluate an appeal. The Provost usually confines his or her review to the written record but reserves the right to collect information in any manner that will help to make his or her decision on the appeal.
The Provost will inform both the student and the faculty member of his or her decision in writing. If the Provost decides that the faculty member should be dismissed for cause, the case is subject to further review according to the procedures in Section 75 of the University Statutes, as noted above. Otherwise, the decision of the Provost is final and not subject to further appeal.