Medical Professionalism

(1 hour)

Dr Shane O'Hanlon

University of Limerick, Ireland

This session is designed for medical students at the University of Limerick, and is shown here for demonstration purposes only. Please contact shane.ohanlon@ul.ie with any comments.

Any portion of this session may be used (please email me to let me know where the use will occur), as long as the source is correctly attributed.

All doctors are expected to behave professionally, and the Medical Council provides guidelines for good behaviour. But are you, as medical students, subject to the same requirements?

You have probably come across the idea that medical professionalism is relevant for medical students, in your three years up to now. It's easy to see why it becomes even more important now you have reached the clinical part of your training. Patients expect you to be professional. Your professionalism also has an impact on your future ability to be a doctor. One study has shown that unprofessional behaviour in medical school is associated with future disciplinary action as a doctor. (In fact, unprofessional behaviour was a stronger predictor of this than having low grades).
-Papadakis MA, Teherani A, Banach MA, et al. Disciplinary action by medical boards and prior behaviour in medical school. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(25): 2673-2682.

Part of professionalism is knowing how to maintain professional boundaries in day to day clinical practice. For example, becoming too close to patients can obviously have a detrimental effect on the doctor-patient relationship, and can even get you struck off.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1308690/Harley-Street-psychiatrist-Theodore-Soutzos-struck-off.html