Addressing a Concern | School of Medicine

Learner Concern Flowchart

Official Procedures

There are existing Queen's reporting procedures for serious situations and these are detailed below. However, it's also important to note that you are welcome to speak with a support person whether or not you choose to report an incident. It's understandable that you may wish to contemplate your options. You are free to discuss your situation with a support person of your choosing. If you opt to proceed with an official complaint for the following situations, then you must follow one of the processes outlined below.

Safety Concerns

If you have concerns related to what happened and you are concerned that there may be an immediate safety risk, you should contact professional services such as Queen's Campus Security, Hospital Protection Services, Clinic Security, local police services, or 911 depending on the situation. For non-emergency safety concerns, you should contact the Associate Dean, PGME directly, who will advise you on next steps. If you have more general concerns for your safety because you are considering submitting a written complaint, you can speak first with your chosen support person.

If your situation relates to sexual violence AND involves another Queen's learner, the procedure set out in the university’s Sexual Violence Policy must be followed. If you need support related to sexual violence, please reach out to the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator. Please refer to the above policy for further information.

If your situation relates to harassment, discrimination, or reprisal, then the procedure set out in the Queen's University Harassment and Discrimination Prevention and Response Policy must be followed. That process may include an investigation as outlined in the PGME Resident Harassment and Discrimination Procedure. Please review both of those documents carefully.

If you have any questions about one of the Queen's processes listed above, please reach out to a support person.

Resources for those who have experienced sexual violence, harassment, or discrimination include the following:

Talking to a support person

If you have experienced an issue and want to discuss it, there are many different options available to you. Which route you take will in large part depend on the person(s) with whom you experienced the issue and your own level of comfort in who you'd like to talk to.

Issue with another learner

If you've experienced an issue with another learner at Queen's (a medical or allied health student, a resident, or a clinical fellow), then you could talk to one of the following people:

Your Academic Advisor
Your Program Director
Your Assistant Program Director/Site Director
The PGME Wellness Office
Regional Learner Advocate (in Belleville/Quinte, Peterborough, Oshawa/Lakeridge, and Markham)
Queen's Student Wellness Services Counsellor for Medicine
The Associate Dean, PGME

You can choose to speak to the person with whom you feel the most comfortable. If you would prefer to submit feedback without providing your name, you can do so using this portal. It's important to note that anonymous feedback limits the ability to investigate and respond to specific complaints, but that the nature of your complaint will be read and used to improve the learning environment.

If you speak with a support person other than the Associate Dean, PGME, and your complaint requires further review, then that person will refer you to someone with more expertise with your consent. In the case of sufficiently serious concerns, such as abuse, patient safety, or egregious unprofessionalism, this referral may be mandated by our policies.

Issue with a faculty member

If you've experienced an issue with a faculty member, you could talk to one of the following people:

Your Program Director
Your Assistant Program Director/Site Director
The PGME Wellness Office
Regional Learner Advocate (in Belleville/Quinte, Peterborough, Oshawa/Lakeridge, and Markham)
The head of Medical and Academic Affairs (if at a hospital) or the clinic head (if at a clinic or medical centre)
The Associate Dean, PGME

If you speak with a support person other than the Associate Dean, PGME, and that person thinks that your complaint warrants further review, then they will refer your complaint to someone with more expertise who will then contact you directly. This will only be done with your permission, barring it being an egregious concern.

Issue with an administrative staff member or an allied health professional

If you've experienced conflict with a staff member or allied health professional, then you could talk to one of the following people:

Your Program Director
Your Assistant Program Director/Site Director
Your Department Head or Division Chair
The Associate Dean, PGME
Regional Learner Advocate (in Belleville/Quinte, Peterborough, Oshawa/Lakeridge, and Markham)
The head of Medical and Academic Affairs (if at a hospital) or the clinic head (if at a clinic)
The Human Resources Department at the hospital, clinic, or medical centre where the issue arose.

Please note that these complaints will be reviewed by the hospital or medical centre where the issue occurred and not by the PGME Office.

Issue with a patient

If you've experienced conflict with a patient, then you could talk to one of the following people:

Your Program Director
Your Assistant Program Director/Site Director
Regional Learner Advocate (in Belleville/Quinte, Peterborough, Oshawa/Lakeridge, and Markham)
The head of Medical and Academic Affairs (if at a hospital) or the clinic head (if at a clinic)
Hospital or Medical Centre Patient Relations Unit

Please note that these complaints will be reviewed by the hospital or medical centre where the issue occurred and not by the PGME Office.

Assessing the issue

After speaking with a support person about the issue you have experienced, they will assist you in assessing your complaint or will direct you to someone who can as there are different processes which must be followed.

If your complaint involves a patient, administrative staff member, or allied health professional, the appropriate hospital or medical centre process in the location where the issue occurred will be followed.

If you have any questions about one of the Queen's processes listed above, please reach out to a support person.

If your situation involves another learner or faculty member and does not relate to sexual violence, harassment, discrimination, or reprisal, then the following may occur with your permission:

Your support person may decide to provide you with guidance, referral to other resources, and/or referral to your Program Director or Department Head. [Those individuals will likely reach out to explore this further with you].
Your support person may recommend resolution through communication or mediation. That may involve them meeting with the other learner or faculty member to hear all aspects of the issue, which may lead to an apology or specific undertakings. A direct meeting between you and the other party may also be recommended in an attempt at mediation and resolution. If resolution through communication or mediation is unsuccessful, then your support person will recommend discussing your situation with the Associate Dean, PGME or the Director, Resident Wellness, who will then determine next steps.
Your support person may also recommend discussing your situation directly with the Associate Dean, PGME, or Director, Resident Wellness, without first attepmting resolution through communication or mediation. That person will then determine your next steps.

Meeting with the Associate Dean, PGME

Situations involving allegations of harassment, discrimination, or reprisals

You may submit a complaint to the Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) regarding allegations of harassment, discrimination, or reprisals, using this form. An Intake Assessment Team will then review your complaint and determine whether or not to refer it to the Associate Dean, PGME. If your complaint is referred, there may be a recommendation to attempt resolution of the matter. This will involve a meeting with you (the Complainant) and the Respondent(s) for the purpose of fact-finding and proposing terms of resolution. If successful, a summary of the terms of resolution will be provided to both parties. If the attempt at resolution is unsuccessful, or is not proposed by the Intake Assessment Team, then a formal investigation will be conducted.

Situations not involving allegations of harassment, discrimination, or reprisals

If you are referred directly to the Associate Dean, PGME by your support person, or if attempts at mediation by your program are unsuccessful, then the Associate Dean will request to meet with you. In advance of this meeting, you should prepare your written complaint (see #6 - Writing a Complaint) and email it to the Associate Dean.

The Associate Dean will discuss your concern with you, hearing your version of events. Subsequently, the Associate Dean will request a meeting with the other person or people to hear their version. Remember that respondents – the person or people you are making allegations against - have the right to review the allegations being made in order to be able to properly respond. This is a key element of procedural fairness.

After hearing from both parties, the Associate Dean may decide to launch a formal investigation. If the allegations involve another trainee, the Associate Dean will discuss the matter with the Respondent's Program Director and may or may not decide to suspend that individual pending the outcome of the investigation.

Formal Investigations

A formal investigation may be conducted at the request of the Associate Dean, PGME, for any of a variety of reasons.

Situations involving allegations of harassment, discrimination, or reprisals

If a complaint received by the Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) is referred to the Associate Dean, PGME, and no resolution is recommended or achieved, then an investigation will be conducted. The process that will be followed is outlined in the Resident Harassment and Discrimination Investigation Procedure. Please review this procedure carefully for further information.

Situations not involving allegations of harassment, discrimination, or reprisals

The Associate Dean, PGME, may request that a formal investigation be launched after reviewing a complaint brought by a trainee.

Should an egregious concern about a resident be received, it may be necessary to suspend that resident. Such concerns include:

Patient care and/or safety may be jeopardized
The resident is thought to present a risk to the safety or well-being of others in the work or educational environment
Substance abuse
Inappropriate patient/physician interactions
Unethical behaviour
Charged with a criminal offence or other offence relevant to the practice of medicine
Other unprofessional conduct

Situations involving the suspension of a trainee

The Associate Dean, PGME, may suspend a resident on an iterim basis, with immediate effect, should concern(s) be brought to their attention. Whenever a trainee is suspended by the Associate Dean, PGME, an investigation must be conducted. The procedure followed is outlined in section 13.0 of the PGME Assessment, Promotion, and Appeals Policy and the Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure for Academic Review Boards, including investigations, is found in Schedule G of that policy. Please review those documents carefully for further information.

Further information about the investigations process is available here.

Outcomes of Investigations

When an investigation is completed, a written report is provided to the Associate Dean, PGME.

In situations involving harassment, discrimination, or reprisals, the Associate Dean will ensure that all Complainants and Respondents are informed, in writing, of the outcome of the investigation and any corrective action taken. It should be noted, however, that the report of the Investigator is confidential and will not be shared with either party.

In situations involving a trainee suspension, the Academic Review Board (ARB) will review the investigation report, invite input from the trainee, and decide whether to reinstate the trainee (immediately or after a period of time, with or without conditions), or require the trainee to withdraw. The ARB’s decision, including its reasons, shall be provided in writing to the Parties (the Program Director and the trainee), with a copy to the Associate Dean, PGME. It is important to note that if your complaint ultimately led to the suspension of a trainee, you will not be provided with a copy of the ARB decision as that information is confidential and only shared with the Program Director, trainee, and Associate Dean. A de-identified report will also be provided to the Director, Learning Experience.

It should also be noted that any form of retaliation, from any party, against someone who has raised a concern or participated in an investigation will not be tolerated. If you suspect that you have been the subject of such retaliation, then you should notify one of the following people:

Your Program Director
Your Assistant Program Director/Site Director
The PGME Wellness Office
Regional Learner Advocate (in Belleville/Quinte, Peterborough, Oshawa/Lakeridge, and Markham)
The medical affairs professional at the hospital or medical clinic where the concern arose
The Associate Dean, PGME

Writing a Complaint

After considering your options, you may decide that you wish to seek resolution to the conflict that you have experienced. In order to do so, you should write a complaint so that there is a written record of your version of what has occurred. Guidance on how to do this is provided in the 'How to Write a Complaint' section of the Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) website.