Professionalism starts in med school

Students who don't get it are likely to become physicians who spend time before state medical boards.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. March 15, 2004.

Medical students who behave unprofessionally are likely to display similar behavior as physicians, a new study has found.

Researchers said the findings in the March Academic Medicine show that medical students display warning signs of future disciplinary action by state medical boards. They urged better evaluation tools and other efforts to keep students out of trouble.

"Far and away, physicians do an outstanding job when one looks at the percentages. But there are occasionally problems that are identified in medical school that need higher levels of action and attention," said lead study author Maxine Papadakis, MD, professor of clinical medicine at University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and associate dean of student affairs.

The study examined UCSF graduates who were disciplined by the Medical Board of California from 1990 to 2000. Alumni in the study graduated between 1943 and 1989. The 68 disciplined doctors reviewed by researchers were found through a search of the medical board's database.

Researchers analyzed data including grade point average, comments on unprofessional behavior from course evaluation forms, deans' letters of recommendation for residencies and other correspondence. The UCSF medical school has a professionalism evaluation system that monitors students' behavior during their years in school. Researchers said the American Board of Internal Medicine defines professionalism as requiring "the physician to serve the interests of the patient above his or her self-interest."