International Medical Graduates (IMG) toolkit: Practicing medicine in the U.S.

When starting to practice medicine in the U.S., international medical graduates face the same issues and challenges as their peers but also have to consider changes in culture, starting over and other issues.

Professionalism in the practice of medicine

Medical graduates need to consider a number of key ethical concepts when approaching their practice:

• The Hippocratic Oath – An oath of ethics taken by physicians. The Hippocratic Oath has been eclipsed as a document of professional ethics by more extensive, regularly updated ethical codes issued by national medical associations, such as the AMA Code of Medical Ethics (first adopted in 1847).
• Honor and integrity – The highest standard of behavior and refusal to violate one’s own personal and professional code. Striving to be fair, truthful and meet commitments. Recognition of conflicts of interest and avoiding relationships that allow personal gain to supersede the best interest of patients.
• Respect – Respect for patients, families, nurses, medical students and colleagues is the essence of humanism.

Additionally, professionalism in practice means a physician should: