Examples of Negative Behavior

The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of behaviors that may be considered mistreatment, lend to a suboptimal learning environment, and/or create concern for patient safety and, therefore, should be reported to the SLE Director:

Mistreatment

  • Publicly embarrassed or humiliated.
  • Physically harmed or threatened with physical harm.
  • Required to perform personal services.
  • Subjected to offensive sexist remarks.
  • Denied opportunities for training or rewards based solely on gender.
  • Received lower evaluation or grades solely because of gender.
  • Subjected to unwanted sexual advances.

  • Threatening to or actually grading, promoting, or otherwise evaluating a student on any basis other than that student’s academic/clinical performance or competency (e.g., on the basis of the student’s race, color, religion/religious beliefs, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, genetic information, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran).
  • Verbally abusing, attacking and/or harassing a student in a manner that fails to respect the student’s dignity, whether in public or private, in jest or in an attempt to reinforce learning.
  • Use of threatening or intimidating behavior or words.
  • Using obscenities, profanity or pejorative (e.g., racially/culturally-derived/gender-based) terms or names directed at or in the presence of a student.
  • Unwarranted exclusion from reasonable learning opportunities.
  • Endangering a student’s professional development by instructing the student to ignore institutional policies, or by inviting/encouraging students to do something unethical or illegal.
  • Pressuring or requiring students to exceed established restrictions on work hours.
  • Exploitation of students in any manner (e.g. by asking students to perform personal errands or by taking credit for work performed by the student).
  • Committing an act of physical abuse or violence of any kind (e.g. throwing objects, aggressive violation of personal space, etc.).
  • Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment.
  • Engaging in unlawful sexual harassment, discrimination or misconduct, including but not limited to making unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, or taunting remarks about another’s body, attire, appearance, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status.

Suboptimal Learning Environment

  • Inviting students to engage in or actually engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship with the student over which a teacher has supervisory or evaluative authority.
  • Unfairly singling out a student for adherence to higher expectations than others in that student’s cohort.
  • Assigning duties as punishment rather than education.
  • Intentional neglect or lack of communication.
  • Allowing students to witness the behavior described as “mistreatment” above, directed toward fellow students, patients, or others over whom the teacher has authority.

Patient Safety Concerns

  • Pressuring a student to perform medical procedures for which the student is insufficiently trained resulting in risk to patient care.
  • Endangering a student’s professional development by instructing the student to ignore institutional policies, or by inviting/encouraging students to do something unethical or illegal.
  • Demonstrating inappropriate behavior directed at residents, nurses, and other staff, which affects the quality of patient care.