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3.01 Responsibilities of Teachers and Learners
3. Student Conduct and Responsibility
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Health-related professions are founded on the highest standards of conduct. In admitting a student, Harvard Medical School believes the student already to have demonstrated that the student’s behavior in person—both on campus and off—and in the student’s electronic presence reflects the maturity and civility that are the necessary underpinnings of the student’s chosen profession. After a student is admitted, enrollment remains contingent on a continuation of this high standard of conduct
3.01 Responsibilities of Teachers and Learners
The teacher-learner relationship confers rights and responsibilities on both parties. Behaving in a way that embodies the ideal teacher-learner relationship creates a culture of mutual respect, minimizes the likelihood of student mistreatment, and optimizes the educational experience.
Responsibilities of Teachers
• Treat learners fairly, respectfully, and without bias related to their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or national origin. • Distinguish between the Socratic method, in which insightful questions are a stimulus to learning and discovery, and overly aggressive questioning, in which detailed questions are repeatedly presented with the end point of belittlement or humiliation of the learner. • Give learners timely, constructive, and accurate feedback and opportunities for remediation, and submit grades and evaluations within four weeks of the end of a course. • Be prepared and on time for all activities. • Provide learners with current material and information and appropriate educational activities.
Responsibilities of Learners
Once a student is formally admitted to Harvard Medical School (HMS), the School’s responsibility is to ensure that its graduates meet certain standards of professional conduct and responsibility. These standards include reliability, honesty and integrity, responsibility in professional relationships, responsibility in relationships with others, including members of the Harvard community, and responsibility related to personal health issues and substance abuse.
Achieving these standards is expected during the student’s tenure at HMS. The School is committed to providing structured opportunities for students to reflect upon—and learn from—lapses in compliance with these standards.
Students will be evaluated repeatedly on the basis of these standards, examples of which include the following:
Reliability
• Can be depended upon to do the student's duty as defined by course and program objectives; • Completes tasks the student was assigned or agreed to perform; • Attends, is prepared, and participates in a timely fashion in all scheduled activities, including classes/lectures, tutorials, labs, etc. • Complies with administrative/regulatory requirements of HMS and affiliated institutions, as well as with all external sites where mentored research and capstone projects may be conducted
Honesty and Integrity
• Is honest and ethical with regard to assignments, examinations, and research activities; • Acknowledges mistakes, reflects upon them, learns from them, and takes active and effective steps to correct them; • Adheres to ethical and legal standards of conduct.
Responsibility in Professional Relationships
• Knows and acts in accordance with the student's own cognitive, physical, and emotional limitations; • Takes steps to act on constructive criticism; • Handles stress appropriately; • Is considerate and respectful of colleagues, sustaining collegiality faithfully; • Listens to and maintains effective communication with colleagues; • In written, voice, e-mail and other electronic communications, including blogs and social media sites, as well as in published writing, reflects thoughtfully and treats fellow students and faculty with mutual respect and understanding; • Uses professional judgment and respectful language when providing feedback in student surveys about courses and teachers; • Uses appropriate language and tact in all professional situations; including email communications; • Does not make inappropriate demands on colleagues;
• Does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, ethnic background, political beliefs, veteran status, disability status, or any other improper basis; • Shows appropriate judgment in responding to unethical, unprofessional, or dangerous behavior on the part of others; • Acts professionally at all times.
Although Master’s students are not involved in patient care as part of their Master’s programs, some Master’s degree students will, while enrolled at HMS, also be licensed clinical care providers with medical or other clinical staff appointments in HMS’s affiliated hospitals or other clinical settings. Master’s students are required to abide by these standards of conduct to the extent they are serving as clinical care providers.
• Knows and acts in accordance with the student's own cognitive, physical and emotional limitations; • Is considerate, conscientious, and respectful toward a patient’s and family’s physical needs and emotional concerns; • Listens to and maintains effective communication with patients and families; • Uses appropriate language and tact in all professional situations; • Keeps accurate medical records; • Maintains patient confidentiality where and when required and in written, voice, email and other electronic communications, including blogs and social media sites, as well as in published writing; • Does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, ethnic background, political beliefs, veteran status, disability status, or any other improper basis; • Is appropriately groomed in all professional situations; • Maintains appropriate boundaries in the doctor/patient relationship; • Acts professionally at all times.
• Abides by all expectations for conduct set forth in the HMS Master’s Programs
Student Handbook.
• Shows appropriate judgment in seeking evaluation and assistance if, as a result of injury, illness, emotional difficulties, or substance abuse, a student’s ability to meet academic responsibilities becomes impaired or potentially impaired; • Is aware that substance abuse is not compatible with professional conduct; • Is aware that the use of any substance while engaged in academic activities is not compatible with professional conduct. Although Master’s degree students at HMS do not have any clinical responsibilities or obligations and may not provide clinical care under the auspices of the Medical School, HMS recognizes that some Master’s degree students will, while enrolled at HMS, also be licensed clinical care providers with medical or other clinical staff appointments in HMS’s affiliated hospitals or other clinical settings.
HMS may consider, as appropriate, allegations that a Master’s student’s ability to meet the student’s clinical responsibilities has been impaired or potentially impaired as a result of injury, illness, emotional difficulties or substance abuse.
Expectations of Students in Courses
In an effort to encourage a positive learning atmosphere of respect and good will among students and course instructors, the following expectations have been developed:
• Attend all required activities (see Section 2.02 for attendance policies) • Students must attend all class meetings. If a student is unable to attend a class meeting due to emergency, students must notify the course director by email as soon as possible • Be on time to sessions; be in the classroom and ready to go by the time the class starts • Show courtesy to speakers and others; quiet down when the session starts without needing to be asked • Actively engage in class discussions as directed by course instructors, but also allow time for fellow classmates to engage; don't dominate the discussion • If a student is late, enter the classroom from the back; do not walk in front of the speaker
• Come to class prepared by completing all assigned readings and other work prior to the session when they will be discussed. • Accept feedback, whether written, oral, or graded, with professionalism and refrain from arguing with faculty over grades beyond requesting rationale for the grades.
All grade petitions should follow the process outlined in handbook Section 2.03 Grading and Examinations.
• Participate actively in sessions and give classmates an opportunity to participate • Actively engage in class discussions as directed by course instructors, but also allow time for fellow classmates to engage; don't dominate the discussion • Allow for other points of view and engage in disagreement respectfully • Use electronic devices appropriately
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Laptops/tablets are acceptable for accessing course materials during sessions • Students should not send e-mail, access social media or surf the web for non-course related purposes during class. • Students must abide by the guidelines below on Slack or any related message and collaboration platforms hosted by Harvard. • Choose appropriate resources for course study and exam preparation; resources that are approved by course directors may be posted on Canvas • It is not acceptable to use old exams, study guides or tutorial materials handed down by students in previous year’s classes without permission of course director • Complete all mid and end of course evaluations to provide feedback on the course teaching and curriculum. • Complete all end of program evaluations. • The course and program evaluation feedback should be respectful. Derogatory comments or criticisms based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc. will be removed from the evaluation reports. Note: evaluations including such comments and or criticisms may subject the student(s) to disciplinary action under Section 3.08.
Expectations for students in Harvard Slack communities:
• Treat the student Slack community as an extension of the Harvard student experience. All Harvard Slack interactions are subject to the policies and regulations of the University.
