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Learner Mistreatment

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Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) is dedicated to preventing the mistreatment of learners (medical students, residents, and fellows) by preclinical and clinical teachers, staff, and administrators.

Learners have a right to learn in an environment free from harassment. As part of Rosalind Franklin University, CMS will not tolerate learner mistreatment. A core principle of Rosalind Franklin University is the education of learners who will meet the health care needs of society in a caring, competent, and professional manner. A profession based on the ideals of service to others should be sensitive to the humanity of its practitioners, especially during training. Insensitivity during training runs counter to the fundamental tenets of health care and impairs the ability of many learners to maintain their idealism, caring, and compassion past training into their careers. This affects the quality of patient care as well as collegial relationships.

No person will be subjected to retaliation, retribution, or reprisal for making a good faith report of, seeking guidance regarding, or participating in the investigation or resolution of a potential, known, or suspected violation of any provision in this policy. The Chicago Medical School’s Learner Mistreatment Policy and Flow Chart for Reporting Mistreatment are available online.

Mistreatment Complaint Reporting

Non-Discrimination Based Complaint Reporting Procedures

There are four ways a CMS learner can report mistreatment:

  1. Learners with complaints of mistreatment are encouraged to complete and submit the Learner Mistreatment Complaint Reporting Form. Anonymous submissions of this form will not be possible.
  2. Learners may report mistreatment in their learning environment to any of their faculty, learning community mentors, and course/clerkship directors who are expected to discuss and resolve complaints informally, or they may inform the Director of House and Learning Communities, the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Equity, the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs, or the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education for additional preliminary investigation. Learners may also report mistreatment relating to their learning environment directly to the Director of House and Learning Communities, the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Equity, the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs, or the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education.
  3. Learners evaluate teachers with whom they have worked through the University's online evaluation platform, Brightspace by D2L.
  4. Reports may be made to the Office of Compliance directly or through EthicsPoint, Inc.

Discrimination Based Complaint Reporting Procedure

All discrimination complaints involving learners are addressed by the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (VPDEI) in compliance with the following University Policies: Equal Opportunity (Non-discrimination) and Title IX Policy Against Sex Discrimination. Complaints can be reported directly to 847-578-3205 or by filing a report. As an alternative, reports may be made to the Office of Compliance directly or through EthicsPoint, Inc.

Any person seeking guidance or who becomes aware of any potential, known, or suspected violation of this policy may seek guidance from any of the contacts listed in this policy to ensure effective management of the concern. Reporting suspected mistreatment based on discrimination, investigation, and resolution should be referred to the VPDEI.

Mistreatment Complaint Investigating

All substantiated complaints of learner mistreatment will be investigated. All investigations will be confidential to the extent possible and investigative information will be protected during any follow-up investigative activities. Due process will be assured during any investigation of an allegation of unprofessional behavior.

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