Professional Behavior Expectations for UCSF Medical Students

Purpose

to outline professional expectations for medical students 

Principles

• Students must demonstrate professional behavior expected of a medical student and physician in training.
• Students deserve timely and specific feedback about areas for improvement in the professionalism competency. 
• Faculty discussing professionalism feedback need to understand the professional expectations for students.
•  Students must achieve the UCSF professionalism milestones.

UCSF School of Medicine Professional Expectations

Students are expected to demonstrate the professional and personal attributes for meeting the standards of professionalism inherent in being a physician, as outlined in the UCSF MD competency milestones and detailed below.

1. Meet professional responsibilities
   • The student can be relied upon to communicate effectively.
   • The student fulfills responsibilities that are essential to being a medical student at UCSF without repeated reminders (ie: responding to emails, completing immunization or USMLE exams by the required dates.)
   • The student completes essential responsibilities and assigned tasks by the prescribed deadline.
   •  The student represents actions and information accurately and truthfully.
      
2. Effort toward self-improvement and adaptability
   •  The student accepts criticism.
   • The student demonstrates awareness of their own inadequacies.
   • The student considers and makes needed changes.
   •  The student accepts blame for failure and responsibility for errors.
   • The student is professional and respectful during times of stress.
   • The student demonstrates humility.
      
3. Relationships with administrators, faculty, staff, colleagues, patients, or families.
   • The student behaves in an appropriate manner with administrators, faculty, staff, colleagues, patients, and families.
   • The student respects professional boundaries in interactions with administrators, faculty, staff, colleagues, patients, and families.
   • The student functions effectively within a healthcare team.
   • The student is sensitive to the needs, feelings, and wishes of the healthcare team members.
   •  The student demonstrates sensitivity to the needs and wishes of patients and families.
   • The student adequately establishes rapport with patients or families.
   • The student avoids using their professional position to engage in inappropriate romantic or sexual relationships with patients and members of their families.
   • The student demonstrates empathy.
      
4.  The student upholds the Medical Student Statement of Principles:

Honesty

• I will maintain the highest standards of academic honesty.
• I will neither give nor receive aid in examinations or assignments unless such cooperation is expressly permitted by the instructor.
• I will be truthful with patients and will report accurately all historical and physical findings, test results, and other information pertinent to the care of the patient.
• I will conduct research in an unbiased manner, report results truthfully, and credit ideas developed and work done by others.

Respect for Others

• I will uphold a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning.
• I will treat patients and their families with respect and dignity both in their presence and in discussions with other members of the health care team.
• I will interact with patients in a way that ensures their privacy and respects their modesty.
• I will interact with all members of the health care team in a considerate and cooperative manner.
• I will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or socioeconomic status.
• I will judge my colleagues fairly and attempt to resolve conflicts in a manner that respects the dignity of every person involved.

Confidentiality

• I will regard confidentiality as a central obligation of patient care.
• I will limit discussions of patients to members of the health care team in settings removed from the public ear (e.g. not in elevators, hallways, cafeterias).
• I will uphold all privacy policies and laws including but not limited to those in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Responsibility

• I will set patient care as the highest priority in the clinical setting.
• I will recognize my own limitations and will seek help when my level of experience is inadequate to handle a situation on my own.
•  I will conduct myself professionally--in my demeanor, use of language and appearance--in the presence of patients, in the classroom, and in health care settings.
•  I will not use alcohol or drugs in any way that could interfere with my clinical responsibilities.
• I will not use my professional position to engage in romantic or sexual relationships with patients or members of their families.

Expectations of Faculty, Residents, and Fellows 

• I have the right to expect clear guidelines regarding assignments and examinations, as well as to have testing environments that are conducive to academic honesty.
• I cannot be compelled to perform procedures or examinations which I feel are unethical or beyond the level of my training.
• I have the right to not be harassed and to not be subjected to romantic or sexual overtures from those who are supervising my work.
• I have the right to be challenged to learn, but not abused or humiliated.
• I have the right to expect prompt, frequent and constructive feedback from housestaff and attending physicians that will enhance my training in medicine.

Student Statement of Principles

UCSF Professionalism Milestones