Complaint and Grievance Policy
The following policy applies to complaints or grievances reported against the DPT Division by an individual who is not an enrolled student, a member of the faculty, or a member of the staff.
Policy
The Complaint Procedures for Students, Family, and the General Public is intended for students, family members of students, and the general public to bring matters of concern about the DPT Division to the attention of the University and to enable an investigation of those concerns with the goal of a satisfactory resolution.
Procedure
The complaint procedure is divided into two parts: Informal and Formal Procedures.
- The Informal Procedure emphasizes the resolution of the complaint at the local, DPT Division- level.
- The Formal Procedure directs the complaint from the DPT Division to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
It is anticipated that most complaints will be resolved at the DPT Division level. Therefore, individuals with a complaint should first present their complaint to the Division Chief. The Division Chief will respond to the complaint in writing, within three weeks from receiving it.
The Division Chief may choose to include senior faculty as a consultative resource when a complaint has been received. A course of action will be recommended and the complaint resolved. Any complaint received about a student, staff, or faculty member of the DPT program should be processed as follows:
Verbal complaints should be referred to the Division Chief. The Chief will investigate the issue, and either a) resolve the concern to the satisfaction of either party or b) request that the complaint be made in writing for further consideration. Written complaints will be forwarded to the Chief of the program who will investigate the issue, and communicate the outcome to the individuals involved.
Any individual who wishes to pursue a complaint beyond the resolution achieved at the department level will be referred to the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs/Dean of the Medical School.
An electronic record of all complaints, verbal or written, and the methods used to resolve the issue will be kept in the Division Chief’s files on Duke Box, the university's internal file storage system. Notification of this policy will be given in writing to any individual who inquires about the complaint process.