Dr. Barb Meanswell has been on staff at Main Street General Hospital since 2001.

Dr. Barb Meanswell has been on staff at Main Street General Hospital since 2001. In the last several years, problems have surfaced with respect to her behaviour. Specifically, she shouts at nurses who call her while she is on call in the middle of the night. She has had a number of angry encounters with management at the hospital. She has received several warnings about her behaviour and following these warnings there have been short-term improvements. In the past week, however, there was an incident in the OR where Dr. Meanswell threw a sponge at the nurse. The hospital’s chief of staff wants to take action. 

Questions

a. What are the options for the chief of staff?

b. Weigh risks against next steps:

 i. Would the answer depend on whether the hospital has a respectful workplace policy?

 ii. Are there any steps the hospital can take to address performance management issues like this? 

iii. Is there a reporting obligation to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario? 

Resources which might help:

https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/10e14