/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/som/policies-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/som/policies.json

EAA078 Optimal Learning Environment Policy

Policy Number: EAA078
Policy Title: Optimal Learning Environment Policy

A. Purpose

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is committed to the principle that educational relationships should be one of mutual respect between teacher and learner. Because the school trains individuals who are entrusted with the lives and well-being of others, we have unique responsibilities to assure that students learn as members of a community of scholars in an environment that is conducive to learning.

B. Implementation Date

This policy is effective with the UTRGV SOM inaugural class, the Class of 2020, and will remain in effect for future classes unless otherwise amended.

C. Policy

The UTRGV School of Medicine is committed to promoting academic and professional success in learners and teachers at all levels. The achievement of such success is dependent on an environment free of behaviors that can undermine the important missions of our institution. An atmosphere of mutual respect, collegiality, fairness, and trust is essential. Although both teachers and learners bear significant responsibility in creating and maintaining this atmosphere, teachers bear particular responsibility with respect to their evaluative roles relative to student work and with respect to modeling appropriate professional behaviors. Teachers must be ever mindful of this responsibility in their interactions with their colleagues, their patients, and those whose education has been entrusted to them. UTRGV SOM has adopted the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Teacher-Learner Expectations to ensure that a professional learning environment exists. These will be in place, within the SOM, orientation activities for both faculty and students in order to communicate behavioral expectations both in the classroom and in the clinic.

Guiding Principles

• Duty: Medical educators have a duty to convey the knowledge and skills required for delivering the profession's standard of care and also to instill the values and attitudes required for preserving the medical profession's social contract with its patients.

• Integrity: Learning environments that are conducive to conveying professional values must be based on integrity. Students and residents learn professionalism by observing and emulating role models who epitomize authentic professional values and attitudes.
• Respect: Respect for every individual is fundamental to the ethic of medicine. Mutual respect is essential for nurturing that ethic. Teachers have a special obligation to ensure that students and residents are always treated respectfully.
• Highest Quality of Patient care and Patient Safety: Preparing learners to be the leaders of healthcare delivery of the future requires that they learn in environments that follow the highest standards of practice. Tenets of quality improvement, patient safety and population health must be taught in interprofessional team based care models. By allowing learners to participate in the care of patients, teachers accept the obligation to ensure high quality, evidence based and compassionate care is delivered in all learning environments

Relationships Between Teachers and Students

Students and teachers should recognize the special nature of the teacher-learner relationship which is in part defined by professional role modeling, mentorship, and supervision. Because of the special nature of this relationship, students and teachers should strive to develop their relationship to one characterized by mutual trust, acceptance and confidence. They should both recognize the potential for conflict of interest and respect appropriate boundaries.

A consensual relationship between faculty/administrator/resident with student can rise to the level of prohibited sexual harassment as defined by the UT Policy. Consensual relationships may adversely affect all learner's experience due to perceived or actual bias and or creation of a hostile work environment. It is strongly recommended that there are no faculty/administrator/resident student consensual relationships. Faculty and/or staff supervisor/resident will not enter into a consensual relationship with a trainee under that individual's authority. All consensual relationships between faculty/administrator/resident and students must be reported to the Associate Dean for Education and Academic Affairs.

Responsibilities of Teachers and Learners

Responsibility of Teachers and Learners

Teachers Should:	Students Should:
Treat students fairly and respectfully	Be courteous of teachers and fellow students
Maintain high professional standards in all interactions	Be prepared and on time
Be prepared and on time	Be active, enthusiastic, curious learners
Provide relevant and timely information	Demonstrate professional behavior in all settings
Provide explicit learning and behavioral expectations early in a course or clerkship	Recognize that not all learning stems from formal and structured activities
Provide timely, focused, accurate and constructive feedback on a regular basis and thoughtful and timely evaluations at the end of a course or clerkship	Recognize their responsibility to establish learning objectives and to participate as an active learner
Display honesty, integrity and compassion	Demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning, a practice that is essential to the profession of medicine
Practice insightful (Socratic) questioning, which stimulates learning and self-discovery, and avoid overly aggressive questioning which may be perceived as hurtful, humiliating, degrading or punitive	Recognize personal limitations and seek help as needed
Solicit feedback from students regarding their perception of their educational experiences	Display honesty, integrity and compassion
Encourage students who experience mistreatment or who witness unprofessional behavior to report the facts immediately	Recognize the privileges and responsibilities coming from the opportunity to work with patients in clinical settings
Model attributes of personal care and well-being	Recognize the duty to place patient welfare above their own
Be aware and sensitive to cultural, religious, orientation differences.	Recognize and respect patients' rights to privacy
	Solicit feedback on their performance and recognize that criticism is not synonymous with "abuse"
	Model attributes of personal care and well-being
	Be aware and sensitive to cultural, religious, orientation difference

Student Mistreatment

UTRGV SOM prides itself on treating its students with respect and dignity. Mistreatment of students is not tolerated at the school and is detrimental to the learning environment. Mistreatment, intentional or unintentional, occurs when behavior shows disrespect for the dignity of others and interferes with the learning process. Student mistreatment may take many forms, all of which impact student performance. Sexual harassment and assault, which are defined by policy through the University of Texas System Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents Rule 30105, "Sexual Harassment and Misconduct and Inappropriate Consensual Relationships" at https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/default/files/offices/board-of-regents/rules-regulations/30105.pdf, are included in this section as forms of student mistreatment.

Standards of Behavior and Definition of Mistreatment

See policy EAA066 (Student Mistreatment).