Learner Assistance
The Student/Learner Assistance section is intended as a quick reference for all students and learners at NYGH who are experiencing an urgent or crisis situation.
In the event of an emergency, call 911 and/or seek medical assistance at your nearest care centre/provider.
NYGH Resources
Employee and Family Assistance Program (available to learners at NYGH)
Please know you are not alone when faced with a personal crisis. There are many individuals and resources that can help. If your health or safety, or that of someone else, is in immediate risk, please call 911 or seek medical attention immediately.
- EFAP Provider, Homewood Health offers confidential support, expert information and valuable resources for every aspect of your life, available to you and your family.
For confidential one-on-one support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
Call: 1.800.663.1142
TTY: 1.888.384.1152
International: 604.689.1717
Online: Homeweb | Home
Hospital Education Leads by Department/Service area:
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Health Professions
- Administrative/Operational
Centre for Education Leadership Team
If you are experiencing issues with; your placement, the hospital, faculty/staff or another student; or have experienced any form of discrimination, harassment, and violence (learner mistreatment), please reach out to us so we can help.
City of Toronto Resources
- Crisis Services Canada: Available 24/7 at crisisservicescanada.ca, by phone at 1-833-456-4566 or by text message at 45645. In an emergency, always call 911.
- Distress Centre of Greater Toronto: Available 24/7 by phone at 416-408-4357 or text 45645 between 4 p.m. and midnight. Translation is available in many languages for crisis calls only.
- Self-referral to psychotherapy and psychiatry services:
- CAMH: CAMH is welcoming self-referrals from health-care workers in Toronto-based acute care hospitals who are impacted by COVID-19 and require support for their mental health. Click here for the self-referral or visit www.camh.ca/covid19gethelp.
- Pause 4 Providers: Join 30-minute online mindfulness sessions guided by Canadian health-care providers. Sessions are open to health-care providers, trainees, hospital workers, leaders and researcher at no cost.
- MeditationWorks: Free one to 10-minute guided audio meditations that can be done anywhere
- Down Dog: Variety of yoga, meditation, Barre and high intensity interval training (free for Healthcare Workers to Jan 2022 then approx. $7.99 USD/month)
- March of Dimes: Seated and rehab exercises for different mobility abilities
If you experience an injury while on placement, please follow the steps below:
- Alert your supervisor/preceptor and seek medical assistance as required. You should visit the Occupational Health, Safety & Wellness Department during their business hours or go to the Emergency Department after hours and identify yourself as a learner.
- Complete an Employee/Affiliate incident report (SLIP) on Connex (NYGH’s intranet) with the help of your preceptor/supervisor. A link to the form is available on all NYGH computers. If you cannot access the form with your login, you can submit it anonymously.
- You may also need to fill out your academic institution’s incident report form.
- Collaborate with your supervisor/preceptor to negotiate your return to placement as required.
We are committed to providing you with an exceptional learner environment where you feel safe and respected while you are at NYGH. If you have a concern during your placement, please consider the following actions below so we can address your concern.
*Call 911 or seek immediate assistance from onsite security or other authorities if you are concerned about impending harm to yourself or others.
Options 1: DISCUSS
Discussing is when you meet with a designated program leader to talk about, debrief, or unpack an incident or experience. If you are comfortable, this could include:
- your preceptor or supervisor
- your area or professional lead (such as education lead, chief, manager, practice leader or clinical coordinator)
- a designated hospital leader (see below)
Option 2: DISCLOSE
Disclosing is when you convey information about the conduct of an individual to the hospital (a designated hospital leader) to seek information about your options, including for safety, support, or accommodations.
Option 3: REPORT
Reporting is when information about an individual’s conduct is conveyed with the intent that the hospital formally reviews and potentially acts upon the information.
CONNECT WITH A DESIGNATED HOSPITAL LEADER
- Rick Penciner, Director, Academic Education (rick.penciner@nygh.on.ca)
- Katherine Vandenbussche, Manager, Centre for Education (katherine.vandenbussche@nygh.on.ca)
DISCLOSE OR REPORT MISTREATMENT
Email a designated Hospital Leader
*Email communications should be clearly labelled
“Confidential report for the attention of …” to ensure priority review.
*For medical students and residents, you also have the option to alternatively Disclose/Report mistreatment directly through the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
Related Policies & Procedures
- NYGH Harassment Policy
- Ontario Human Rights Code
- Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act
- University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine “Student Mistreatment”
What is mistreatment?
Mistreatment is generally defined within the education context as intentional or unintentional behaviour that shows disrespect for the dignity of others. Mistreatment can involve a single incident or a pattern of behaviour and can range from subtle gestures and/or comments to egregious actions. Any behaviour involving the mistreatment of another person compromises the learning environment.
Mistreatment includes ‘micro-aggressions’, which are often unintentional, but experienced as a pattern of, snubs, slights, put-downs, and gestures that demean or humiliate individuals based on their belonging to a group, particularly those identified by gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, immigration status, and/or socioeconomic class.
North York General Hospital is committed to providing a safe environment in which all employees, physicians, learners, volunteers and contractors are treated with dignity and respect. Any form of harassment and discrimination in the workplace will not be tolerated and we recognize that everyone:
- Has the right to a workplace free from harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence in compliance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- Has the right to claim and enforce their rights, in good faith, without reprisal or threat of reprisal for having done so.
- Has the right to freedom from intentionally false (bad faith) claims of discrimination and harassment.
- Our team is here to listen, support, and guide those who have experienced or witnessed such incidents.
Categories of mistreatment
Mistreatment can be categorized in numerous ways. Behaviours that fall under the discrimination and discriminatory harassment and sexual violence and sexual harassment categories are considered unprofessional. However, they are considered discrete mistreatment categories since they are defined and addressed through specific NYGH policies as well as the Ontario Human Rights Code.
The examples provided below are not exhaustive and are not intended to represent the spectrum of behaviours that may be considered mistreatment. If you are unsure, we encourage you to get in touch through the disclosure form.
Unprofessional behaviour (selected examples):
- required to perform personal services
- publicly humiliated, implicitly (e.g., eye-rolling) or explicitly
- subjected to recurring outbursts of anger (e.g., shouting, throwing objects)
- subjected to disparaging remarks about the character or patient care of another physician/health professional/learner
- inhibited by a person in authority from providing appropriate feedback/evaluation, including disclosures or reports of mistreatment
- subjected to retaliation in response to a disclosure, report and/or investigation of mistreatment
- threatened with physical harm
- physically harmed
- faced issues related to academic integrity or research integrity
Discrimination and discriminatory harassment (selected examples):
- subjected to offensive remarks/names related to or based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion or any of the other protected grounds identified in the Ontario Human Rights Code
- denied opportunities for training or rewards based on any of the protected grounds identified in the Ontario Human Rights Code
- received lower evaluations/grades based on any of the protected grounds identified in the Ontario Human Rights Code
- denied and/or subjected to critical, dismissive or demeaning remarks about approved academic accommodations (e.g., time to perform a smudging ceremony, pray, commemorate religious observance)
- not provided with reasonable academic accommodations based on disability
Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (selected examples):
- subjected to offensive sexist remarks/names
- subjected to sex-related comments about my/someone’s physical appearance or actions
- subjected to unwanted sexual advances
- asked to exchange sexual favours for grades or other rewards
- inhibited by a person in authority from reporting unwelcome sexual comments or unwanted sexual advances
The distinction between discussing, disclosing and reporting
Discussing
Discussing is when you meet with a designated program leader to talk about, debrief, or unpack an incident or experience. If you are comfortable, this could include: your preceptor or supervisor; your area or professional lead (such as education lead, chief, manager, practice leader or clinical coordinator); or a designated hospital leader
Disclosing
Disclosing is when you convey information about the conduct of an individual to the hospital (a designated hospital leader) to seek information about your options, including for safety, support, or accommodations.
Reporting
Reporting is when information about an individual’s conduct is conveyed with the intent that the hospital formally reviews and potentially acts upon the information.
The decision to disclose and the decision to report are separate decisions made by the student, except in cases where NYGH is required to take steps, including out of health or safety concerns, as required by law or Hospital policy.
Anonymous Disclosures: If the decision is to proceed with an anonymous disclosure or report, you will not be able to participate in the review process or receive information about its outcome.
Confidentiality and anonymous disclosures
Confidentiality During Reporting
The designated Centre for Education leaders, as well as all other parties involved in responding to a mistreatment disclosure or report, must maintain confidentiality to the extent possible. Only those who need to be involved to review the matter, to respond, or are requested to provide personal support will be informed. If you identify yourself but does not wish to be named to the individual who is the subject of the disclosure or report, you should be aware:
- that there are circumstances where NYGH may need to disclose your identity in extenuating circumstances (i.e., regulatory or legal obligations). This includes if there is an imminent risk to yourself or others, violence against someone aged less than 16 years, or sexual violence by a regulated healthcare professional.
- that it may be possible for the individual to identify you based on their description of the underlying incident(s).
- that the individual may have a limited ability to respond to an unidentified or anonymous disclosure or report.
- that NYGH may be limited in the scope of its review, if the individual has not had a meaningful chance to respond to the disclosure or report.
- that NYGH may be limited in the sanctions that it can impose against the individual.
Anonymous Disclosures
Using the Disclosure Form, you have the option to disclose/report mistreatment anonymously (i.e. without the requirement that you provide your identity), with the understanding that the ability to respond to such disclosures/reports is limited. When deciding whether to proceed with a review of an anonymous disclosure or report, NYGH may consider whether the issues underlying the disclosure or report are egregious and if there is sufficient information to enable the review. If the decision is to proceed with an anonymous disclosure or report, you will not be able to participate in the review process or receive information about its outcome.
You can always come forward in person to discuss or debrief what has happened, but request to remain anonymous when moving forward.
We may include anonymous discussions, disclosures, and reports, in our Annual Report, to be able to promote transparency and accountability, however we continue to safeguard your anonymity by continuing to keep you de-identified and sharing data in the aggregate.
For non-urgent inquires or requests, please feel free to reach out to us and someone on the team will get back to you within 1-2 business days.
Hospital Education Leads by Department/Service area
Workplace Absence
If you are unable to attend your scheduled day/shift please notify the following:
- Preceptor/teacher or education lead
- Centre for Education CFE@nygh.on.ca