Dalhousie University halts Saint John cardiac training after students allege harassment

Dalhousie University has pulled all medical students and post-graduate trainees from any cardiac training at the Saint John Regional Hospital and New Brunswick Heart Centre after some complained about alleged harassment and the learning environment, CBC News has learned.

Students and trainees were notified nearly seven months ago of the "pause" to "address issues."

"As of Nov. 10th at 5 pm, placement of learners on [the cardiac care unit] and other cardiology related clinical teaching experiences in Saint John will be stopped," an internal memo, obtained by CBC News, said.

"Learner feedback has highlighted concerns … about behaviours in the environment consistent with intimidation/harassment/racism/sexism," as well as the level of supervision of learners, especially on call, it said.

No information about the number of complainants, or the accused has been released.

"We were notified that essentially Dalhousie was removing all of its learners — so that would be undergraduate medical students," completing the third and fourth years of their medical degree, confirmed Ben Peterson, president of the Dalhousie Medical Students' Society, a group which represents about 550 undergraduates between the Saint John and Halifax sites. Also included were graduates completing their specialized training, known as residents. 

"And we were made aware at that time that it was due to an investigation into some essentially … alleged harassment towards learners," he said.

"I don't know the details but I think for me, when something comes across your email and it says, you know, 'Effective immediately, students are not to be in the space,' I think that the gravity and the seriousness comes across."

Medical resident Mario Jones, who will be starting his first year of training in internal medicine in Saint John, with his first planned cardiology rotation in about four to six months, agrees the medical students and residents weren't given "a whole lot of information" about the allegations.

Jones, 31, of Blacks Harbour, previously trained as a nurse and spent two or three months at the New Brunswick Heart Centre.

While his experience was a positive one, "To say that the environment can be difficult at times, maybe even harsh, I don't think that's going too far," he said.

"But I think that the staff and, you know, the physicians are very much interested in making that a more welcoming environment and having the learners back as soon as possible."

Dalhousie officials declined an interview. Instead, Jason Bremner, spokesperson for the university's faculty of medicine, emailed a statement.

"Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick takes all allegations of harassment seriously," he said, but "can't comment on specific allegations due to privacy considerations."