Supporting Learning Environments

The Faculty of Medicine is a community of learners, faculty and staff who share responsibility for creating and maintaining positive, inclusive learning environments where all participants are valued and treated with respect.

The Learning environment refers to the social interactions, organizational culture and structures, and physical and virtual spaces that surround and shape the learners’ experiences, perceptions, and learning. Respectful learning environments create a sense of belonging and a safe place to engage in dialogue, to learn, and to grow. They support our learners to realize their potential.

We begin by committing to Faculty values and being responsible and accountable for our actions.  Our aspirational respectful learning environments reflect the Faculty’s values, incorporate principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, are anti-racist and free from all forms of discrimination. They are environments that support and empower individuals to share their opinions, thoughts, and beliefs without fear of reprisals, ridicule or censure.

These optimal learning environments include appropriate supervision for skill acquisition, role models who demonstrate professional practice, close supervision based on specific objectives and timely and actionable feedback, a proper balance between service and training, and a respectful and inclusive environment.  This optimal environment is one in which learners feel psychologically safe, inclusivity and vulnerability are valued, mistakes are allowed, and learners feel free to be their authentic selves.

In contrast, a non-respectful learning environment is one in which unprofessional and inappropriate behavior is directed at a learner or a group of learners and has a negative effect on the learner or the environment.  This conduct is contrary to the principles that support a respectful environment and disrupts the learning environment and impedes learning.

Learners must be supported by their peers, faculty, and Faculty of Medicine leadership, to challenge and change unacceptable behaviours that disrupt the learning experience. We must adopt the best and most responsible ways to advocate for the needs and interests of learners.

The office of REDI supports the Faculty of Medicine’s learning environments.  This involves proactively working with learners, staff and faculty to promote and provide education and awareness training related to respectful learning environments and the roles and responsibilities of those within these environments.  In addition, support is available for learners, third party witnesses, education program leads and department heads to help navigate the reporting process and address learning environment concerns.  Please refer to the Learner Mistreatment Website for more information on learner mistreatment and reporting concerns.

Learner Mistreatment Reporting