A primary tenet of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (SOM) is to assure and to sustain a respectful training environment and to foster a culture of tolerance, understanding and diversity. The SOM is committed to a learning environment of mutual respect among and between students, trainees, teachers, and peers.
At the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, the faculty, staff, students, trainees and others are committed to respect all persons, including trainee and student colleagues, staff, faculty, and especially patients, all of whom play important roles in our educational efforts. The SOM supports the critical values of collegiality, compassion, honesty, respect and accountability, and expects that all who participate in the training of learners at all levels in all programs will adhere to these values and will understand that it is every individual's responsibility to ensure that a respectful training environment is maintained.
Each of us, in accepting membership in this community, has accepted the privilege and responsibility to treat all of those we encounter here with courtesy, respect, tolerance, and fairness.
From time to time, there may be occasions when a student believes that an individual's conduct may be or may have been inconsistent with our critical values or that the conduct might be or might have been a barrier to sustaining a respectful training environment. The SOM has established an Ombudsperson's office to provide trainees with a confidential forum for expressing such concerns and for exploring options that might be available for addressing those concerns. An Ombudsperson is a professional neutral, impartial, and independent support person who provides education, and dispute resolution skills to our school's community.
