Skip to main content
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
McGaw McGaw

Policies & Procedures

Find policies and procedures for McGaw Medical Center trainees as well as for directors and coordinators below.

Trainee Policies

 Accommodation for Disabilities

McGaw is committed to an inclusive training environment. Programs will not discriminate against any trainee or applicant because of a physical or mental disability. A trainee or applicant is qualified if they can perform the essential functions of the relevant program, with or without a reasonable accommodation, as determined by the program. FULL POLICY

 ACGME Notice of Data Sharing Policy

The ACGME may share trainee data. FULL POLICY

 At-Home Call

Time spent on patient care activities by trainees on at-home call must count toward the 80-hour maximum weekly limit and logged accordingly in New Innovations. FULL AT-HOME CALL POLICY

 Board Eligibility

  1. It is the responsibility of both the program and trainee to be aware of published specialty board examination requirements for relevant ABMS boards. FULL BOARD ELIGIBILITY POLICY

 Clinical Experience & Education Compliance Monitoring

Every McGaw program must comply with the current clinical experience and education requirements specified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). FULL CLINICAL EDUCATION COMPLIANCE POLICY

 Conduct, Professionalism & Performance

Trainees should strive for excellence in all aspects. This includes professional demeanor and conduct at all times. FULL CONDUCT POLICY

 Evaluation (Trainee, Faculty & Program Evaluation)

Evaluation and feedback are critical to trainees’ development and continuous improvement in the educational process. FULL EVALUATION POLICY

 Examination Requirements

Passing USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 (Clinical Knowledge) exams – or Canadian/osteopathic equivalent – are prerequisites for McGaw residency programs. Fellows must pass USMLE Step 3 (or equivalent) before starting their training. FULL EXAM POLICY

 Extension of Training Due to Leaves of Absence

Any of the permissible leaves listed in the Leaves of Absence policy, if excessive, may lead to the necessity to extend training beyond the final year in order to make up training time. FULL TRAINING EXTENSION POLICY

 H1-B Visas & Exceptional Candidates

Any candidate requesting an H-1B visa must be reviewed by our DIO and the GMEC for approval prior to ranking or offering placement. FULL VISA POLICY

 Health and Vaccines

All trainees are required to adhere to base hospital and training sites’ vaccine and occupational health requirements in a timely manner. McGaw retains the right to have additional requirements related to vaccinations. FULL HEALTH AND VACCINES POLICY

 Hospital Policies

Each McGaw member hospital maintains its own individual policies. These policies include such topics as HIPAA, infection control, professionalism, discrimination and harassment, and impairment. Housestaff members are responsible for complying with any applicable hospital policies and procedures and should review them from time to time, as they may be subject to change. Failure to comply with hospital policies, including those in place at the hospital at which a housestaff member is based and at any hospital at which the housestaff member rotates, may result in disciplinary action from McGaw. Links to some hospital-specific policies and procedures are provided below.

 Impairment

Trainees must remain fit for duty at all times, which means that they must be able to perform their duties in a safe, appropriate and effective manner. FULL IMPAIRMENT POLICY

 Intellectual Property

Trainees may be involved in intellectual property (IP) development while appointed through McGaw. Any IP created as a result must be reviewed by the McGaw IP Committee. FULL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY POLICY

  Interactions Between Vendor Representatives/Corporations (Industry) &Trainees

Trainees must adhere to policies regarding interactions between vendor/industry representatives/corporations and trainees. FULL INDUSTRY POLICY

 Lactation & Milk Expression

McGaw supports all trainees who provide breast milk for their children. Find lactation rooms available at each base hospital are located. FULL LACTATION POLICY

 Licensure

Each trainee must have a valid Illinois medical license. FULL LICENSURE POLICY

 McGaw Social Media

Trainees must be cautious using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. FULL SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

 Moonlighting/Extra Call for Pay

The term "moonlighting" refers to clinical work outside of the activities of the training program. Some training programs may offer pay for taking additional call (extra call for pay). Neither can interfere with a resident's or fellow’s training. FULL MOONLIGHTING POLICY

 Non-Harassment & Non-Discrimination

McGaw strictly prohibits discrimination or harassment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge from military service or any other Protected Categories. FULL NON-HARASSMENT POLICY

 Non-Retaliation or Intimidation

McGaw is committed to providing a supportive educational environment. An important part of that commitment is to maintain a culture that fosters learning. FULL NON-RETALIATION POLICY

 Probation, Suspension, Non-Renewal, Non-Promotion & Dismissal (Separation)

The purpose of this policy is to establish uniform expectations and procedures regarding trainee probation, suspension, non-renewal, non-promotion and dismissal. FULL PROBATION, ETC. POLICY

 Reporting & Addressing Trainee Concerns & Grievances

McGaw is committed to providing a safe and healthy learning environment. Trainees who have any concerns regarding their environment may raise them without fear of intimidation or retaliation. FULL REPORTING POLICY

 Research Involving McGaw Trainee Participants

For any research involving McGaw trainees as test subjects or participants, the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) must review the Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposal. The GMEC will be very stringent when considering the impact on trainees, who are considered a vulnerable population. FULL POLICY

 Responding to Training Verification & Other Requests From Third Parties

Programs are encouraged to consult with McGaw with questions regarding third-party requests for verification and/or adjudication of training, especially regarding an individual subject to corrective or disciplinary action. FULL THIRD-PARTY REQUEST POLICY

 Safe & Healthy Learning

The McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University is committed to the principle that educational relationships should be one of mutual respect between teacher and learner. FULL SAFE & HEALTHY LEARNING POLICY

 Safety Awareness

Trainees should be aware of several safety precautions one should employ while living and commuting in Chicago. FULL OVERVIEW

 Sleep, Fatigue & Fitness

Adequate sleep and rest is needed in order for trainees to appropriately care for patients. FULL SLEEP, FATIGUE & FITNESS POLICY

 Stipends

All trainees will be paid the published stipend rate appropriate to postgraduate year level for the clinical training program to which they are appointed. FULL STIPEND POLICY

 Supervision

The progressively graduated conditional independence of a trainee should be determined by each program and individualized to be commensurate with the clinical circumstances and ability of the trainee. FULL SUPERVISION POLICY

 Timely Completion of Assigned Tasks

McGaw residents and fellows are responsible for completing all training and other hospital compliance tasks in a timely manner as required. FULL TIMELY COMPLETION POLICY

 Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy

This policy applies to Title IX Sexual Harassment that occurs within McGaw’s Education Programs or Activities, and that is committed by a McGaw trainee, a McGaw employee or staff member, or any other individual associated with McGaw GME Programs. FULL TITLE IX SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY

 Training Certification

Eligibility to receive a training certificate requires 12 months of satisfactory performance as determined by the Program Director. FULL CERTIFICATE POLICY

 Transitions of Care

A responsibility of the Institution is to ensure and monitor effective, structured hand-over processes to facilitate both continuity of care and patient safety. FULL TRANSITIONS OF CARE POLICY

Director & Coordinator Policies

 Internal Review Process

McGaw, through the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), ensures the quality of educational experiences across all our programs. One key method of maintaining this standard is the Internal Review (IR), which provides programmatic oversight. The primary goal of the IR is to enhance clinical learning environments, ultimately leading to increased trainee satisfaction. FULL INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS

 Internationally Funded Training

Training funded by external entities including foreign governments may represent an opportunity to train future regional and/or international thought leaders. FULL INTERNATIONAL FUNDING POLICY

 Leaves of Absence

Any of the permissible leaves of absence are outlined on the Time Away from Training page under Benefits & Resources.

 Non-Competition

The McGaw Letter of Agreement does not include any non-competition limitations or requirements. FULL NON-COMPETE POLICY

 Off-Cycle & Part-Time Training

Training at McGaw is to be on-cycle (July-June) and full time with only extraordinary extenuating circumstances being considered for exception. FULL OFF-CYCLE & PART-TIME POLICY

 Program Closure or Reduction in Complement

If a program is considering a reduction in complement or closure of a training program, the Program Director will inform the Designated Institutional Officials (DIOs), and the Graduate Medical Education Committee will review and approve the decision. FULL CLOSURE & REDUCTION POLICY

 Program Director Responsibilities

Each Graduate Medical Education (GME) program must designate a faculty member as the Program Director (PD). The PD holds the authority and accountability for the entire program, ensuring adherence to all relevant program requirements, McGaw and base hospital policies, ACGME standards, and NRMP or other matching body regulations. FULL PROGRAM DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

 Promotion & Renewal

The purpose of this policy is to establish uniform expectations and procedures regarding trainee promotion and appointment renewal. FULL PROMOTION & RENEWAL POLICY

 Recruitment, Selection, Eligibility & Appointment of Trainees

Programs must engage in practices that focus on mission-driven, ongoing, systematic recruitment and retention of a diverse and inclusive workforce of trainees. FULL RECRUITMENT POLICY

 Substantial Disruptions in Patient Care or Education

A disaster is considered an event or set of events including natural or other, causing significant and prolonged alterations to the training experience for one or more McGaw training programs. FULL DISRUPTION POLICY

 Telemedicine

Telemedicine can represent an excellent learning opportunity for trainees. The possibility for a service-over-educational imbalance does exist. FULL TELEMEDICINE POLICY

 Trainee File Requirements and Retention

The McGaw Graduate Medical Education office strongly requests all programs to have their trainee files organized. Along with the ACGME, we recommend holding the full file for at least seven years from the trainees completion of training or separation. FULL FILE REQUIREMENTS AND RETENTION POLICY

Follow McGaw on