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Max Rady College of Medicine | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Supporting professional, accountable and respectful learning environments
Message from the Office of Professionalism
Welcome to our first quarterly update from the Office of Professionalism (OP) for the Max Rady College of Medicine. Our goal is to foster learning and working environments rooted in respect, accountability and compassion.
In this issue, we highlight key activities, upcoming opportunities and resources available to support you as learners and emerging professionals.
We are here to help navigate concerns that may arise in your learning environment.
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What we've been working on
Policy and guideline updates
Consultations on the revised Prevention of Learner Mistreatment Guideline and the new Professional Unsuitability By-Law with student groups are complete. We hosted two lunch sessions with UGME, MPAS and Genetic Counselors. For residents, we hosted four sessions over Teams.
Thank you to those who participated. Your feedback was immensely helpful in shaping the revisions.
Learning environment assessments
The Office of Professionalism collaborates with PGME, PGME Student Affairs, Office of Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, and the Office of Equity, Access, and Participation to complete assessments of the learning environments in all post graduate medical education programs in the Max Rady College of Medicine.
The purpose of these assessments is:
* To identify programs where additional intervention, assistance or feedback is needed to improve the learning environment for PGME residents. * To connect directly with residents for education about the processes for reporting learner mistreatment. * To inform accreditation preparation.
In the last quarter (October-December 2025), our office conducted Learning Environment Assessments for seven programs.
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Trends and insights from the past quarter
Total reports
October 2025 to December 2025
52 incident reports
Category of reports*
* Discrimination - 2 * Disrespectful behaviour - 27 * General concern/feedback - 20 * Not enough information - 1 * Personal harassment - 1 * Racism - 6 * Sexual violence - 1 * Unprofessional behaviour - 2 * Violence - 2
* There may be multiple categories for one incident
Outcomes*
* No resolution - 1 * Documented, not pursued - 16 * Office of Professionalism to have expectation setting conversation - 3 * Referral to Person of Meaningful Authority for feedback conversation - 19 * Referral to other UM office - 6
* Reports may be open and ongoing
Reporting pathways - It's up to you
There are multiple ways learners can report mistreatment to the Office of Professionalism.
Speak Up - "Speak Up Button" An immediate, accessible way to report concerns related to professionalism and mistreatment. Submissions can be made confidentially or anonymously and are routed to the staff within the Office of Professionalism.
Mistreatment - End-of-rotation evaluation in Entrada A reporting option embedded within the routine evaluation process. Learners can document experiences of mistreatment, discrimination, harassment or unprofessional behavior when submitting their end-of-rotation evaluations in Entrada.
Ad hoc - Direct contact with the Office of Professionalism Learners, staff, or faculty may reach out directly to any member of the Office of Professionalism to discuss concerns, seek advice or initiate a report. This is suitable for both informal consultation and formal reporting.
Referral - Third-party referral to the Office of Professionalism A colleague, supervisor, faculty member or other individual may refer a concern to the Office of Professionalism on someone else's behalf. This pathway is often used when the reporter prefers not to engage directly or when a bystander observes an issue.
Case file examples
Preamble The following case file examples are drawn from real reports received by the Office of Professionalism. All information has been fully de-identified to protect the privacy of learners, faculty and staff.
Details have been summarized and anonymized, and examples are shared solely for educational and illustrative purposes, to demonstrate the range of concerns received and the types of responses undertaken by the Office of Professionalism.
Mistreatment report Following an end-of-rotation evaluation in which a learner disclosed an experience of sexual violence, the office contacted the reporter to ask whether they would be willing to meet to discuss the situation further. During this meeting, details were clarified and the reporter's goals were identified.
The reporter was also offered support and information about additional resources. Based on the information shared, the office collaborated with the Sexual Violence Resource Centre and the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management to develop and deliver a sexual violence education session for Program Administrators.
The session aimed to increase awareness of available supports and reporting pathways related to sexual violence and learner mistreatment.
Ad hoc report A program leader sought guidance from the office on addressing a longstanding conflict between two sections. Community-building circles were organized to foster shared understanding and support collaborative problem-solving among all members.
Anonymous Speak Up report The Office of Professionalism received a Speak Up report detailing an incident in which, during a clinical case, an attending physician repeatedly raised their voice at a resident and pressured the trainee to complete a procedure quickly to move cases off the schedule.
Because the report was submitted anonymously, no additional details were available. However, the information provided was sufficient to prepare a summarized, de-identified account that was shared with the section head.
The section head was asked to report back to the Office of Professionalism within 30 working days to confirm that a feedback conversation with the faculty member had occurred. The Office of Professionalism followed up with the section head to confirm the feedback was shared with the faculty member.
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Reporting pathways and support options
If you experience or witness mistreatment, there are multiple avenues for support:
Confidential consultation You can reach out to the Office of Professionalism for a confidential conversation to explore your options, ask questions or debrief an experience.
Speak Up reporting Anonymous or confidential reporting options are all available for concerns involving learners, faculty, staff or the learning environment.
Emergency or safety concerns For issues involving discrimination, racism, harassment or sexual violence, we will guide you to immediate supports.
Our approach is trauma-informed, multipartisan and focused on supporting both safety and learning.
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Spotlight: Professionalism in practice
Each quarter we highlight practical tools to support everyday professionalism.
This quarter's theme: navigating difficult conversations
* Prepare with curiosity, not certainty. * Use "I" statements to express impact without assigning blame. * Ask clarifying questions to reduce assumptions. * If emotions are high, pause and return when ready. * Seek support early. Small moments can become larger conflicts if left unaddressed. * If you'd like a workshop or coaching for your cohort or team, contact our office.
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How to connect with us
The Office of Professionalism is here to support learners at every stage.
Email: professionalism@umanitoba.camailto:professionalism@umanitoba.ca Office hours available upon request
* Confidential consultations * Restorative conversations * Navigation of mistreatment, boundary concerns, conflict and team dynamics * Education sessions tailored to your cohort
Watch your inbox for an invitation to our upcoming Office of Professionalism Open Forum (lunch will be served).
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Our mailing address is:
Rady Communications and Marketing Office Rady Faculty of Health Sciences 4th floor, Chown Building University of Manitoba, Bannatyne campus Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6 Canada
radyfhscomm@umanitoba.camailto:radyfhscomm@umanitoba.ca Phone: 204-272-3183 Fax: 204-977-5690
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Office of Professionalism
Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
S212 Medical Services Building - 750 Bannatyne Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P5
E-mail: professionalism@umanitoba.camailto:professionalism@umanitoba.ca
Office: 204-789-3207
The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
