Duke University School of Medicine senior leaders, undergraduate medicine education leaders, graduate medical education leaders, departmental and hospital administrators work together to identify opportunities, facilitate participation, and support program development to globally provide a safe, health, improved and positive learning environment for all learners in the clinical arena.
Duke is committed to creating and maintaining a positive learning environment for learners that is respectful and appropriately attentive to their learning needs and free from conduct by teachers that could be interpreted by learners as mistreatment.
Mistreatment: How to Report, Process After Report, And Follow-Up
Review a detailed explanation of the process from filing a report, review at Committee on Appropriate Treatment of Learners (CATL) Committee, and follow up with outcomes.
Policies
How Students Can Report Mistreatment
Students are encouraged to report mistreatment that occurs in their courses and in their clinical education.
What Events to Report: Examples of events to report include: Microaggressions, sexual harassment, inappropriate treatment of or by a patient, peer, or colleague, humiliation, use of grading in a punitive manner, discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation, or any event which you feel showed disrespect for the dignity of yourself, a patient, or a colleague or which adversely impacted your learning environment.
Tell us what happened with as much detail as possible: Including the names of specific individuals makes it much more likely that the SOM can effect change and prevent these events from happening to others.
There are multiple ways to report mistreatment, including:
- Central Reporting Process (tracked, monitored and reviewed by CATL Committee Meeting, outcome shared with students on a delayed basis- see below)
- AERS-Adverse Events Reporting System (anonymous)
- Sharing a concern
- End of course/End of clerkship evaluation (anonymous)
- Other Reporting Process (these reports are not tracked, monitored or reviewed by CATL Committee and outcomes are not shared)
- Course Director/Clerkship Director
- Advisory Dean via email Dr. Joseph Jackson
- Ombudsperson for SOM via email Dr. Jean Spaulding
- Associate Dean for Learning Environment & Well-being via email Dr. Jane Gagliardi
What Happens When A Student Reports Mistreatment?
The formal process for adjudicating mistreatment occurs through the committee for the appropriate treatment of learners (CATL). This committee meets monthly, or sooner if an egregious report is filed, and reviews all reports from the AERS submitted the preceding month. Students may indicate if they would like to delay release of an AERS report to the CATL committee. The seriousness of reports informs the decision making by the CATL committee. Watch a mock video of CATL process. Here
Follow-Up/Outcomes on Mistreatment
The Duke University School of Medicine reports rates of mistreatment to the learning community every 3-6 months via confidential email and at the Annual Duke SOM Student Research Symposium. .
Breaking Down Silos: How GME, DUHS, SOM work together
The School of Medicine works with the Graduate Medical Education office (GME) as well as the Duke University Health System (DUHS) so that any residents or faculty who have been reported through other means are also known to the school. Similarly, if the school receives a report about a resident or faculty, these reports are shared with GME and the health system. This helps to define the seriousness and pervasiveness of any potential problems. If a SRS report is submitted by a student or about a student, that report is shared with the Assistant Dean of Learning Environment and Well-Being.