Boston Medical Center Residencies
The Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a leading training hospital committed to shaping the next generation of doctors. If you're a resident here, you've already shown how talented, diligent, and hard-working you are. Now, as you embark upon this next stage in your medical career, you should congratulate yourself for making it this far.
BMC partners with Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine to deliver high-quality, consistent medical training to every resident that walks through its doors. By working here, you can expect a well-rounded and challenging residency that will prepare you for a career in medicine. However, in return for providing you with a residency, BMC expects a high level of professionalism and clinical competence from you. BMC will track your performance closely, and even a minor policy violation or oversight could prove costly.
Although BMC has procedures in place to help you resolve medical residency issues before they become serious, there's no guarantee these procedures will be applied as they should be. That's where the Lento Law Firm comes in. Joseph Lento and the Medical Residency Team will do everything they can to support you if you're facing disciplinary action – call us at 888.535.3686 for more information.
BMC Policies for Medical Residents
If you're undertaking a BMC residency, you're obligated to follow various bylaws, procedures, and institutional policies. You can access the applicable policies through the BMC intranet, but copies should be supplied to you before you begin your residency training.
When you join BMC, you sign a House Officer Agreement. The Agreement will be renewed after 12 months if you demonstrate acceptable levels of:
- clinical knowledge
- ethical standards
- patient care
- policy compliance
- professional behavior
The House Officer Agreement also sets out what should happen if the hospital closes, a residency program is discontinued, or there's a reduction in the number of residents on a program. Residents are entitled to fair notice and, where possible, the chance to complete their training. If the resident cannot complete their training at BMC, the center should help them find another position at the same level, within the same discipline, elsewhere.
Aside from the House Officer Agreement, you're expected to follow departmental bylaws and the Boston Medical Center Code of Conduct which applies to all medical staff. The Code of Conduct covers matters such as HIPAA compliance, conflicts of interest, and professional behavior. It also includes details on how you should report incidents that could affect patient safety and explain how you might handle certain ethical situations.
Consequences of a BMC Policy Violation
The consequences for violating BMC policies vary, depending on what happened. However, if BMC deems that you haven't made satisfactory progress or that your conduct is unprofessional in some way, you may face sanctions, including:
- non-promotion to the next training year
- non-renewal of your contract
- probation
- suspension
- termination
Such penalties can damage your reputation, dent your confidence, and hinder your chances of completing your residency. You may fall out of step with your peers, and after working so hard to reach this point in your career, any missteps are highly unwelcome.
Every policy violation – however minor – can affect your residency at BMC. In the worst-case scenario, it could even derail your career goals entirely. Although handling disciplinary sanctions can seem overwhelming, it's important you deal with them quickly. Attorney-advisor Joseph Lento can help you contest disciplinary sanctions and, where possible, mitigate the long-term consequences.
Grievance Procedure for BMC Medical Residents
As BMC reserves the right to discipline medical residents, they have agreed to a grievance procedure that enables affected residents to challenge action taken against them. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between BMC and the Committee of Interns and Residents sets out when residents can appeal disciplinary sanctions and how the appeals process works.
According to Article XVI, residents have the following rights.
- The right to written notice of any disciplinary action, including a description of the reasons why BMC will take this action.
- If there are concerns over a resident's clinical competence or performance, they have the right to a hearing before the Chief Medical Officer.
- The resident can present evidence in their defense at this hearing, which might include calling witnesses.
- A resident has the right to appeal a decision made by the Chief Medical Officer – the appeal should be made in writing within five days of the Chief Medical Officer's decision.
Residents facing probation should not use this procedure but instead, follow the guidelines in Section XV. This section gives residents the right to dispute performance evaluation issues and probationary status. Appeal requests should be made to the Program Director within seven days of receiving notice of probationary status, and further appeals can be made to the Chief Medical Officer.
BMC grievance procedures are somewhat complex. To ensure that BMC respects your rights and follows the correct process, you should seek support from the Lento Law Firm.
Medical Resident Attorney-Advisor Joseph Lento
You got accepted as a BMC medical resident for a reason. There's no doubt that you have a bright future ahead of you, and alleged performance issues should not jeopardize this. You should have a fair chance to explain why you deserve to complete your medical training, and the Lento Law Firm wants to ensure you have this opportunity.
As an experienced medical resident attorney-advisor, Joseph Lento will work tirelessly to help you defend against alleged policy violations. He will ensure that BMC follows its own procedures and always treats you fairly. He will also explain how you might defend the allegations, and, where possible, he'll help you gather the evidence you need to support your position.
You're not alone. Attorney Joseph Lento and his Medical Resident Defense Team will stand by your side through this difficult time. Reach him online or call on 888.535.3686 for support.
