Core Policy Regarding Grievance Process
I. Issues Subject to Review
If a Housestaff member (Resident or Fellow) is dissatisfied with an action of the Program Director which results in a) termination from the program prior to the expiration of a contract; b) suspension, imposition of supervision, or issuance of letters of reprimand or
admonition; or c) non-renewal of a contract during a residency program to which the resident had been admitted, the Housestaff member shall have the opportunity to have the action reviewed according to this grievance procedure.
II. Request for Reconsideration
Within 5 days of an action by the Program Director which is subject to review under the grievance procedure, the Housestaff member may deliver to the Program Director a written request for consideration, specifying the action to be reconsidered. A copy shall also be delivered to the Department Chair. Within 7 days after receiving such a request, the Program Director shall reconsider the matter (and may consult with his or her Section Chief and Department Chair) and issue a new decision on the matter modifying or affirming his or her previous decision.\
III. Review by Housestaff Grievance Committee
If the decision issued upon reconsideration continues to be subject to review under the grievance procedure, the Housestaff member may request a review by a Housestaff Grievance Committee. Such request for review must be made in writing addressed to the Chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee (with a copy provided to the Program Director and Department Chair) within 5 days after receiving the decision after reconsideration, and must state in detail the issues to be reviewed. The Chair of the
Graduate Medical Education Committee shall, within seven days of receiving such request for review, appoint a Housestaff Grievance Committee (“The Committee”) consisting of two members of the medical staff, two chief residents, and a senior
Hospitals’ Vice President. Within this same seven day period, the Program Director and the Housestaff member shall submit to the Chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee (with a copy provided to the Program Director or Housestaff member) any materials which they wish the Grievance Committee to consider. The Grievance Committee, within 14 days that the request for review was given to the Chair of the
Graduate Medical Education Committee, shall inform the Program Director and the Housestaff member of the date and time of the review. The review shall be held within 30 days following of the date that the request for review was given to the Chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee (unless an alternative date is agreed to by the
Grievance Committee, Program Director and the Housestaff member.) The Grievance Committee will hold a preliminary meeting at least two weeks prior to the date of the grievance to select a chair, and to set guidelines for the conduct of the review
meeting. This grievance review is intended to be an informal process for hearing all of the information pertinent to the grievance and is not intended to be a legal proceeding and the typical rules for court proceedings do not apply to this review. Any questions about the conduct of the review meeting by either the resident or the Program Director or
their representatives shall be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Grievance Committee. The decision of the Committee about how the review will be conducted is final. The Housestaff member and the Program Director shall each have the right to be present at the time of review and the Housestaff member may be accompanied by an advisor. Following the presentation of information concerning the grievance, the Committee will meet privately to consider its resolution. The Committee shall issue its decision in writing to the Housestaff member and the Program Director within five days following the date of the review. In no case shall the Committee modify the decision of the Program Director in a manner as to make it more adverse to the resident than the decision issued by the Program Director following reconsideration.
IV. Review by Representatives of the President and the Dean
If either the Program Director or the Housestaff member is dissatisfied with the decision of the Committee, he or she may request further review by the designees of the Hospitals President and the Dean of the Biological Sciences Division. Such a request must be made in writing delivered to the offices of the President and the Dean (with a copy to the Committee) within 5 days following the date the Committee issued its written decision.
The Committee shall promptly deliver to the Hospitals President and the Dean a copy of its decision and the written materials which has been presented to it. The representatives of Hospitals President and the Dean shall consider the written materials and within 14 days of receiving such materials, shall in writing affirm, reverse, or modify such decision
(but shall not modify such decision in a manner as to make it more adverse to the resident than the decision issued by the Program Director following reconsideration.) The decision of the representatives of the Hospitals President and the Dean shall be final.
*Note that core policies are those required by the ACGME. Many core policies will also be found embedded in the text of the University of Chicago, Internal Medicine Residency handbook