General
The Diagnostic Radiology Program at McGill is committed to the safety of its residents and faculty. It strives for a culture of safety whereby any resident may report an adverse event(s), critical incident(s), or patient safety concern(s) without fear of retribution. The program encourages residents to bring forth any safety concerns to the Program Director or any member of the Residency Program Committee at any time. Site-specific concerns should ideally be brought first to the attention of the Site Coordinator. All concerns will be handled in a confidential fashion.
It must be recognized that the responsibility for resident safety is jointly shared between the resident, residency program, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University and its affiliated Hospital Sites. Residents must observe universal precautions and isolation procedures when indicated.
This policy complies with the Royal College accreditation standards A2.5 and B3.1.9 and does not supersede any University wide or Health Services Policy that is also established. Residents should also refer to the McGill PGME and McGill Health Care Facility Resident Health and Safety Policy (also on website).
There are multiple components to resident safety, addressed as follows:
Educational Activities
McGill residents involved in educational activities (interviewing patients, obtaining informed consent, performing procedures, etc.) should perform such activities either with other members of the health-care team (faculty, nurses, technologists) in the room or in close proximity, to ensure their safety with regards to unsuspected violent or inappropriate behavior by a patient towards the resident. Residents required to participate in these educational activities as part of their on-call responsibilities in an isolated department (e.g. on-call ultrasound examination at night) must have another member of the health care team ( or patient care attendant or hospital security as appropriate) with them or in very close proximity. Residents should not assess violent or psychotic patients without the backup of security and a supervisor and also an awareness of accessible exits.
Radiation Exposure
All McGill residents can expect to be protected in the same fashion as patients and other members of the public, faculty and staff with regards to radiation exposure within the department from its computed tomography and radiography facilities as per the relevant Quebec Ministry of Health & CSST policies and procedures. Residents involved with any educational activities involving radiation exposure (image-guided fluoroscopic procedures) will be expected to wear appropriate apparel (lead apron or lead vest/skirt combination with thyroid shield and protective eyewear) or will not be allowed to participate in these activities. The site radiology department will be responsible to have this apparel available for residents.
MR Safety
All residents are expected to participate in an MR safety orientation session provided by the program with the assistance of the chief MR technologist from a major teaching site. All residents are expected to comply with MR safety protocols and procedures as outlined by the site Radiology Department and Quebec Ministry of Health & CSST.
Pregnancy
Pregnant residents may have specific risks to themselves and the fetus. Therefore their training environment and their duties may be modified to minimize these risks. Residents who are pregnant may approach the Program Director to restructure rotation schedules to limit radiation exposure or remove themselves from such environments on specific rotations (e.g. fluoroscopy or Nuclear Medicine). On-call duties during pregnancy shall be in compliance with the FMRQ agreement.
Travel
Residents are encouraged to utilize resources provided by hospital and site security (e.g. security escorts) when travelling or working in isolated locations on-call or during daytime working hours, including parking facilities. Home visits or air transports are not required of any resident in the program at any time. Residents traveling for clinical or other academic duties by private vehicle should maintain their vehicle adequately and travel with appropriate supplies and contact information. If the resident has determined that it is unsafe to travel (e.g. due to extreme weather concerns) they may elect not to attend their rotation or academic half day but are expected to inform the program administrator and their supervising radiologist immediately. Residents doing home call and arriving after hours should be aware of their environment before leaving their car and have an operational cell phone available to contact security if it is deemed an escort is required. If a resident has identified a potential threat to their safety in a site parking lot or similar, then they should not leave their vehicle but rather notify hospital security or police services for assistance. Residents should be aware that driving home when tired post-call may put them at risk of having an accident. Residents are advised to either find an alternate means of transportation home, or sleep in the on-call room prior to driving home if they feel that they cannot safely drive home. In the extreme situation where the tired resident cannot find an alternate means of transportation, the department shall reimburse the resident for a taxi fare, upon receiving a receipt.
On-call
Resident shifts on-call will be in accordance with the FMRQ collective agreement and PGME policy. On site call rooms should offer the resident a safe, clean and protected environment.
Environmental Health
All incidents should be reported to the relevant hospital’s Office of Occupational Health, and will be addressed as per their policies and procedures.
Occupational Health and Safety
This is under the auspices of the Faculty of Medicine and Quebec Ministry of Health & CSST. Please refer to the aforementioned PGME Occupational Health and Safety Policy (In Press) for details.
Personal Health and Safety
All hospital sites are responsible for the safety and security of residents in their facilities and on their premises as per their own safety and security policies and in accordance with FMRQ requirements.
Psychological Safety
Any incidents dealing with intimidation or harassment should be handled as per the program policy on conflict resolution. Issues relating to substance abuse or psychological illness should be brought to the attention of an RPC representative or the Program Director and will be handled on case-by-case basis utilizing the PGME resident wellness program and/or resources provided by FMRQ and/or resources provided by the CMQ.
Professional Safety
Issues with regards to ethical/religious beliefs will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Residents will be provided support with regards to adverse events or critical incidents by all parties (program, PGME, Quebec Ministry of Health & CSST as per existing policies and procedures). Any breach in confidentiality of personal information should be brought to the attention of an RPC representative.
Medico-legal Issues
Residents do have Medical Malpractice Liability Insurance as long as they have a valid training card. They are covered under their base institution in house and worldwide except for USA when they take an approved elective outside the Province. This is renewed annually on April 1 by the Association Quebecoise d’établissements de santé et de services sociaux (AQESS). Coverage applies while carrying out their clinical duties in accordance with the program listed on their CMQ Training Card. Residents who wish to do an elective in a non-accredited site, must obtain approval from the PD as well as the CMQ. Liability Insurance for resident's elective may be provided through the base hospital's Insurance Program but solely for certain countries. Should the host hospital or host university require proof of Medical Malpractice coverage from the resident, a request must be sent to their base hospital or the McGill University Postgraduate Office.
Resident Responsibilities
Residents must participate in safety sessions required and provided by the Postgraduate Medical Education Office and/or Quebec Ministry of Health & CSST, and follow the safety codes of the site where they are training. Residents must report any situation where personal safety is threatened and should be aware of the contact for security at participating training sites. They are expected to maintain immunizations and TB testing up to date. Overseas travel immunizations and advice should be organized well in advance when traveling abroad for electives or meetings.
Last Modified May 2, 2017
I have read and understood the safety policy: