Learning Environment

The University of Illinois College of Medicine is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and effective learning environment in which students, faculty, residents, fellows, healthcare staff, and university administrative staff work together to both educate and learn in a manner that promotes the highest level of patient care and research.

As an institution that trains the physician leaders and researchers of tomorrow, we expect members of our community to uphold an academic environment that encourages mutually respectful relationships, is conducive to learning, and is free of mistreatment, unlawful discrimination and harassment, and threats of retaliation.

All members of the medical education community have a shared responsibility to protect the integrity of the learning environment, have a right to work and learn free of unlawful discrimination, harassment and mistreatment, and have a right to report any incident in which that positive learning environment has been compromised.

Relevant Policies & Procedures

The UI COM expects that students and teachers alike will adhere to the applicable college, campus and university-wide policies, procedures, and guidelines that establish standards for professionalism and conduct, as well as those principles of professionalism and ethics generally accepted within the medical profession, including, but not limited to the following:

• The UI COM Positive Learning Environment Policy
• The Standards of Conduct contained in the UIC Student Disciplinary Policy
• Reporting Medical Student Mistreatment & Learning Environment Concerns
• The University of Illinois at Chicago Discrimination and Harassment Policies
• The University of Illinois Nondiscrimination Statement
• The University of Illinois at Chicago Prohibition of Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct
• The University of Illinois Statement on Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
• University of Illinois Code of Conduct
• AAMC Statement on the Learning Environment
• The principles set forth in Medical Professionalism in the New Millenium: A Physician Charter

Medical Students

Medicine is a profession that requires the acquisition and mastery of a large body of knowledge and clinical skills as well as high standards of professionalism in both behavior and attitudes demonstrated both within and outside the academic setting. Effective, humane, respectful and compassionate communication with and care for patients, teachers and fellow students is an essential component of the academic expectations and standards of the UIC medical school program. In addition, those responsible for educating medical students are expected to emphasize the importance of professionalism and demonstrate it by example.