Relationships with Colleagues

Scope

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Policy Statement

IUSM’s educational mission is promoted by professional interactions among residents, supervisory faculty, staff, and learners in medical education at IUSM. [Next Sentence Removed] Actions of individuals that threaten the mutual trust, confidence, and ethics, that guide professionalism undermine and hinder fulfillment of the school’s educational mission. 

Trust and respect are diminished when those in positions of authority abuse or appear to abuse power.  Examples of interactions with power differential include, but are not limited to faculty/student, faculty/resident, faculty/fellow, fellow/resident, supervising resident/subordinate resident, and resident/student. Those who abuse their power violate their duty to the academic community.

IUSM will strictly adhere to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Reference below) when reviewing such relationships for abuse or exploitation.  Governing IU policies relevant to this policy are referenced below.

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Reason for Policy

The purpose of this policy is to state guidelines regarding resident relationships with professional colleagues.

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Procedures

When a consensual relationship exists or develops, a position of authority with respect to the subordinate must be avoided or terminated. Avoidance or termination may involve (but is not limited to) transferring the subordinate to a different rotation or supervisor, or removing any supervisory responsibilities (including teaching, evaluating, advising, coaching, and counseling) between the person in the position of authority and the subordinate.

Residents must notify IUSM Graduate Medical Education and the program director of any personal relationship in which they are involved with supervisory faculty, residents, medical students, or other coworkers.  Residents have a duty to cooperate in making acceptable alternative arrangements with the guidance of the program director.  Any
alternative arrangements should avoid negative consequences for the trainee.

Alleged Violation of Policy:

Individuals concerned that this policy has been violated may initiate a complaint about alleged violation of this policy.  This can be accomplished using the Mistreatment Reporting Process in Mednet (Reference below). 

Disciplinary Measures:

Persons found to be in violation of this policy shall be subject to sanctions ranging from verbal warnings to dismissal or termination.  Persons who knowingly make false allegations that a consensual relationship overlaps with a position of authority shall be subject to the same sanctions.  Sanctions appropriate to the offense will be applied by the Associate Dean of GME or designee.

Rights:

Persons disciplined or terminated on grounds of violation of this policy shall have such rights as are provided by the IUSM GME Remediation, Probation, Non-Reappointment, Summary Suspension, and Termination of Appointment Policy.

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Definitions

ACGME is the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. 

A resident is an IUSM resident or fellow, or a non-IUSM resident or fellow electively rotating through IUSM and provides clinical care as part of a GME program. 

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Implementation

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Oversight

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History

1. Policy gme-adm-0024 approved by GMEC and published on 08 October 2008. 
2. Policy reviewed, updated, and approved by GMEC on 09 October 2017. 
3. Policy updated for formatting 02 March 2018. 
4. Policy updated for formatting 27 June 2018.
5. URLs updated 16 December 2025.

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