The professionalism disconnect: do entering residents identify yet participate in unprofessional behaviors?
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Professionalism has been an important tenet of medical education, yet
defining it is a challenge. Perceptions of professional behavior may vary by individual,
medical specialty, demographic group and institution. Understanding these differences
should help institutions better clarify professionalism expectations and provide standards
with which to evaluate resident behavior. METHODS: Duke University Hospital and Vidant
Medical Center/East Carolina University surveyed entering PGY1 residents. Residents
were queried on two issues: their perception of the professionalism of 46 specific
behaviors related to training and patient care; and their own participation in those
specified behaviors. The study reports data analyses for gender and institution based
upon survey results in 2009 and 2010. The study received approval by the Institutional
Review Boards of both institutions. RESULTS: 76% (375) of 495 PGY1 residents surveyed
in 2009 and 2010 responded. A majority of responders rated all 46 specified behaviors
as unprofessional, and a majority had either observed or participated in each behavior.
For all 46 behaviors, a greater percentage of women rated the behaviors as unprofessional.
Men were more likely than women to have participated in behaviors. There were several
significant differences in both the perceptions of specified behaviors and in self-reported
observation of and/or involvement in those behaviors between institutions.Respondents
indicated the most important professionalism issues relevant to medical practice include:
respect for colleagues/patients, relationships with pharmaceutical companies, balancing
home/work life, and admitting mistakes. They reported that professionalism can best
be assessed by peers, patients, observation of non-medical work and timeliness/detail
of paperwork. CONCLUSION: Defining professionalism in measurable terms is a challenge
yet critical in order for it to be taught and assessed. Recognition of the differences
by gender and institution should allow for tailored teaching and assessment of professionalism
so that it is most meaningful. A shared understanding of what constitutes professional
behavior is an important first step.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Conflict of InterestData Collection
Ethics, Medical
Female
Humans
Internship and Residency
Male
North Carolina
Physician's Role
Professional Competence
Sex Factors
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9264Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1186/1472-6920-14-60Publication Info
Nagler, Alisa; Andolsek, Kathryn; Rudd, Mariah; Sloane, Richard; Musick, David; &
Basnight, Lorraine (2014). The professionalism disconnect: do entering residents identify yet participate in
unprofessional behaviors?. BMC Med Educ, 14. pp. 60. 10.1186/1472-6920-14-60. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9264.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Kathryn Marijoan Andolsek
Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health
My career focuses on interprofessional medical education, and collaboration in community
and population health. These are critically important areas with tremendous potential
for creativity, innovation, and learning from one another. These are also strategic
tools to advance health equity.
Alisa Nagler
AdJunct Associate Professor of the Practice of Medical Education
This author no longer has a Scholars@Duke profile, so the information shown here reflects
their Duke status at the time this item was deposited.
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