McGill Anesthesia Residency Program
Resident Health & Safety Policy
PREAMBLE
The McGill Anesthesia Residency Program recognizes that residents have the right to a safe environment during their residency training and works to promote a culture and environment of safety for residents. The concept of resident safety includes physical, emotional, and professional security.
The McGill Anesthesia Residency Program Resident Health and Safety Policy is a specialty-specific addendum to the Postgraduate Medical Education & McGill Health Care Facility Resident Health & Safety Policy mcgill_pgme_safetypolicy.pdf
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
For Residents
- To familiarize themselves with the McGill Anesthesia Residency Program Resident Health and Safety Policy and the Postgraduate Medical Education & McGill Health Care Facility Resident Health & Safety Policy
- To provide information and communicate safety concerns to the Program and to comply with the above policies.
For Residency Training Program
- To delineate specialty-specific safety risks and establish appropriate policy
- To instruct Residents on the above policies
- To act promptly to address identified safety concerns and incidents and to be proactive in providing a safe learning environment
- To review the safety policy on a regular basis (every 3 years)
- The program will ensure that residents are trained and properly protected from the risks of blood borne infections. This would include, but not be limited to, the use of “Universal” precautions, eye protection and protection during activities outside of the OR (ie. E.R. trauma, cardiac arrests, ICU, etc.).
- The Program will ensure that residents are trained and properly supported to protect them from contagious respiratory conditions during airway and anesthesia management.
- Residents should be guaranteed safety coming to and returning home from the Montreal Neurological Institute and the Montreal Children’s Hospital after hours during home call. Cost should not be a deterrent to the use of taxis.
- Resident safety should be guaranteed returning home after completion of the on-call shift. If they are too tired to drive safely, cost should not be a deterrent to the use of taxis.
- Residents need to be aware of the principles of prevention of OR fires and OR fire safety procedures for both patients and their own protection.
- Residents will receive education related to surgical laser safety early in their residency training.
- Residents must be guaranteed safety and professionalism related to interviewing and examining patients in the Preop Clinic.
- Residents should always feel safe and have staff support immediately available when working alone in the OR. There must be a process to confidentially report incidents where they feel support was inadequate or not available.
- Residents should always feel safe and have staff support available when working outside the OR such in ER, ICU, CCU and on the trauma team. The latter is a shared responsibility between staff, residents and the trauma team leader.
- This program will support a culture and process where residents can report concerns related to staff physician performance, impairment or competency (ie. substance abuse, illness, psychiatric issues, etc.) that may affect patient safety.