Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research

Trainee Rights and Responsibilities

trainee listening to classmates

Psychoanalytic Center trainees are students of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S). All VP&S students have the right to learn in an environment that promotes respect, professionalism, and academic integrity. Students also have the responsibility to allow others to learn by contributing to a community grounded in those same principles.

CUIMC CARES ( Columbia University Irving Medical Center  Civility Acceptance, Respect, Ethics and Support) – the medical center’s code of values–and the VP&S Educational Program Values outline expectations for professional conduct, mechanisms for reporting concerns, and institutional processes that support a safe and respectful learning environment. These expectations align with many accreditation standards.  There are mechanisms for students to share concerns by submitting a Clinical Learning Environment Concern report. Within the MD program, this includes the VP&S Standards of Professionalism and VP&S Honor Code and Policies.

Rights

VP&S students have the right to:

  • Learn free from undue interference, demonstration - protest, discrimination, harassment, or mistreatment in classrooms and/or clinical spaces.
  • Study and relax in a safe, clean, and respectful environment.
  • Seek redress when their rights are violated through the Columbia University Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) or the VP&S Learning Environment and Mistreatment Policy
  • Be treated with dignity and professionalism by peers, faculty, and staff.

Responsibilities

VP&S students are expected to:

  • Uphold the CUIMC CARES Code of Values and the VP&S Educational Program Values in order to support an environment that allows all community members to exercise their rights.
  • Conduct themselves in accordance with the ethical and professional standards of the professions – (e.g., medicine, genetic counseling, psychology, occupational and physical therapy, etc.).
  • Foster a culture of mutual respect, honesty, and accountability in all academic and clinical settings.
  • Take responsibility for their actions and engage in remediation when appropriate.
  • Monitor official Columbia University communications, including email, to remain informed of institutional policies and expectations.