Bullying, harassment, gender bias tolerated at NL medical school: report

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A new report has found that a culture of bullying, harassment and sexism has been tolerated at Memorial University’s faculty of medicine in St. John’s, N.L., with some female students saying they were subject to remarks about their size, asked to get coffee for others and told they should stick to family practice.

Investigator Sandra LeFort, a professor emerita of the university’s school of nursing, took testimonials from 66 students, faculty and staff to assess the culture at the school and make recommendations.

Her report, dated May 1 but released Monday, included comments from students who said they witnessed or experienced sexist remarks, intimidation, harassment and gender bias from peers and physicians in the faculty.

“My overall impression of the culture of Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine is that it is generally a respectful environment and a good place to learn and work,” Lefort wrote.

“However, there is a culture of tolerance of disrespectful and harassing behaviour by some individuals in some areas. As well, there is concern about some gender-related issues.”

Postgraduate students said they were humiliated or shouted out at in work sessions, sworn at over the phone and subjected to “personal comments about race or body size.”

One raised the concern of “having to handle clinical situations beyond their skill set because the attending physician would not answer their phone or pager.”

A clinical clerk reported that she was told that a surgical career would be “too stressful for her,” because she “looked more like a family doctor” and “might be a ‘distraction’ in the operating room.”

There was also a reported undervaluing of family medicine from male faculty, with the suggestion that it was a practice suited for “part-timers especially women.”

Others reported that female clinical clerks were interrupted and talked over by faculty, and were sent to get coffee for others in the session.

LeFort noted that both men and women reported perceptions of gender bias in the faculty, with men witnessing sexist incidents and women experiencing them.

The report also found that students were hesitant to report instances of bullying, and those who did go through official university channels did not believe any action had been taken.

Postgraduate students said they felt they had limited ability to report their concerns over fears of retaliation from faculty and peers, with Lefort writing that “the small medical community in Newfoundland and Labrador heightens these concerns for those who want to live and work in the province.”

Students reported that the instances made them feel like “no one has your back” in the faculty, while also negatively affecting their well-being.

Margaret Steele, dean of the faculty of medicine, requested the review last November after expressing concern over allegations of bullying and sexual harassment within the faculty.

Steele said in a statement that the school is already taking action to implement some of LeFort’s recommendations.

“We asked for the review and we are taking the recommendations very seriously,” Steele wrote.