Code of Professional Conduct

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Policy:  

Xavier University School of Medicine is committed to promoting and ensuring a safe and respectful teaching - learning environment for its faculty, staff and students, that is free of harassment, and that maintains academic freedom.

Scope:

This policy is applicable to all faculty, staff and administrators employed by (hereby referred as employees), and all other teachers holding appointments with the XUSOM, Aruba.

Purpose:

The purpose of this code is to provide clarity of the School’s expectations for the professional conduct of its employees. This is being done to create an environment that is characterized by civility and respect for all the members of the community, that supports the mission of the school, and that is free of behaviors that undermine the school’s mission.

Xavier University School of Medicine has set in place, standards of conduct that govern the relationships among the members of the community. This policy outlines standards of conduct for all employees, and are revised from time to time. Faculty are further governed by the expectations in the Medical Student Teaching: Policies and Procedures. This Code is intended to provide clear guidelines for the employees that are consistent with existing policies.

All employees of the University are expected to adhere to a Code of Conduct. The code is designed to assist employees in carrying out daily activities within appropriate ethical and legal standards. All employees are required to disclose any offense of sexual misconduct, professional misconduct, felony or crime prior to commencement of their tenure or during their employment at the University. The code is considered to be part of each employee’s job description. A violation of the Code of Conduct is grounds for disciplinary action.

 

Code of Professional Conduct:

1. Employees shall show respect for persons. 

Employees: 

  1. shall treat colleagues, health professionals, staff, and students with the same degree of respect the employee desires to be shown. 
  2. must not harass others physically, verbally, psychologically, or sexually. 
  3. must not discriminate on the basis of sex, religion, race, disability, age, or sexual orientation. 
  4. must avoid unnecessary conflict or confrontation with employees or students, particularly when such may relate to or impact upon aspects of cultural diversity or competence. 

2. Employees shall be honest and show integrity. 

Employees: 

  1. must be truthful in both verbal and in written communications. 
  2. must acknowledge his/her errors of omission and commission to colleagues. 
  3. must not knowingly mislead others. 
  4. must not cheat, plagiarize, or otherwise act dishonestly. 
  5. must not abuse privileges (e.g., charge personal expenses to the medical school). 

3. Employee should be aware of his/her limitations. 

Employees: 

  1. should be aware of his/her personal limitations and deficiencies in knowledge and abilities. 
  2. should know when and whom to ask for supervision, assistance, or consultation. 
  3. should know when and for whom to provide appropriate supervision. 
  4. must not engage in unsupervised involvement in areas or situations in which he/she is not adequately trained. 

4. Employees should present themselves with professionalism. 

Employees: 

  1. should dress in a neat, clean, and professional manner. 
  2. should maintain professional composure despite the stresses of fatigue, professional pressures, or personal problems. 
  3. must not criticize the decisions of colleagues in the presence of students or in other inappropriate places. 

5. Employees shall be responsible for peer behavior.

Employees: 

  1. should take the initiative to identify and help rehabilitate impaired students, staff, and/or faculty with the assistance of all of the appropriate resources made available by the Xavier University School of Medicine. 
  2. should report serious breaches of the Code of Conduct to the appropriate person. 

6. Employees shall be conscientious. 

Employees: 

  1. should fulfill his/her responsibilities thoroughly. 
  2. should notify the responsible supervisor if something interferes with his/her ability to perform assigned tasks effectively. 
  3. should dedicate himself/herself to lifelong learning and self-improvement by implementing a personal program of continuing education and continuous quality improvement. 

7. Employees should show collegiality. 

Employees: 

  1. should cooperate with other members of the staff in all activities and, when applicable, with other members of the research team in research activities. 
  2. should ensure adherence to established office hours to assist students. 
  3. should shoulder a fair portion of the institutional administrative burden when called upon to do so. 
  4. should use communal resources (equipment and supplies) responsibly and equitably. 

8. If engaging in research, employees should show integrity in their research activities. 

Employees should: 

  1. adhere to the institutional regulations that govern research using human subjects and animals. 
  2. not engage in research that knowingly and unnecessarily jeopardizes the health, safety, or longevity of human subjects. 
  3. report research results honestly in scientific and scholarly presentations and publications. 
  4. give proper credit and responsibility to colleagues and others who participated in the research when publishing and presenting reports. 
  5. not assign co-authorship to individuals who do not meaningfully participate in the project. 
  6. report research findings to the public and press honestly and without exaggeration. 
  7. avoid potential conflicts of interest in research. 
  8. disclose funding sources, company ownership, and other potential conflicts of interest in written and spoken research presentations. 

9. Employees must refrain from:

  1. Unprofessional interpersonal interactions, including requesting that professional colleagues, staff or students perform personal favors or do things that either violate policy or compliance standards.
  2. Unwanted physical contact with others or threats of such contact.
  3. Sexual harassment, as outlined in the Faculty Handbook, or harassment based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
  4. Mistreatment of faculty, staff, students, and residents, including, but not limited to, making remarks with the intent to cause offense, public embarrassment or humiliation, denying reasonable opportunities for training or advancement, or giving lower evaluations than earned.

10. Employees should monitor adherence to the code of conduct. 

  1. Each employee is responsible for ensuring that his/her own conduct and the conduct of everyone reporting to him/her fully complies with this code and with XUSOM policies.

 

Faculty who breach this code of professionalism may be subject to disciplinary action, as appropriate, and as specified by the Faculty Handbook, as revised from time to time.

Members of the Xavier Community who observe such lapses in professional conduct in a faculty member are asked to contact the Faculty Senate President or Grievances chair and/or to provide the information to the Dean and CAO.

This Code of Professional Conduct for Faculty will be periodically reviewed, and amended as needed by the Faculty Senate.

 

Related Policy: Positive Learning Environment Policy | Xavier University School of Medicine (xusom.com)

Policy contact: President, Faculty Senate

Updated: October 2021