DrexelMed Professionalism

Key Principles in Medical Professionalism

Part of becoming and being a physician is understanding both the power and the responsibility that comes with joining the Medical Profession.

The basis of Medical Professionalism is the social contract between Medicine and Society. This means that Society has granted physicians the privileges of practicing medicine as a Profession, including holding authority in matters of healthcare, having the autonomy to set and uphold standards of care, and enjoying certain socioeconomic privileges. In return, physicians agree to affirm those principles, duties, and virtues that undergird the highest quality of care for the well-being of patients and Society. Professional values and duties have been articulated by various professional organizations and include those excerpted from the following documents:

	Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter Project of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, American Colleges of Physicians – Society of Internal Medicine Foundation and European Federation of Internal Medicine
	PRINCIPLES	SET OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
	Primacy: patient welfare Patient autonomy Social justice	Commitment to professional competence Commitment to honesty with patients Commitment to confidentiality Commitment to maintaining appropriate pt relations Commitment to improving quality of care Commitment to improving access to care Commitment to just distribution of finite resources Commitment to scientific knowledge Commitment to maintaining trust / managing COIs Commitment to professional responsibilities

	The American Association of Medical College's Medical School Objectives Project (also adopted by Liaison Committee on Medical Education)
	PHYSICIAN ATTRIBUTES
	Altruism Compassion Empathy Understand historical social contract Integrity Honesty Respect for patient privacy Respect for patient dignity	Seek to understand patient's meaning and values Non-judgmentalism Care for the dying Knowledge of clinical ethics Manage conflicts of interest Team collaboration Patient advocacy Recognize / transcend personal limitations in clinical knowledge and skills

	Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Outcome Project on Advancing Professionalism in Medical Education
	Respect Compassion Integrity Responsiveness to needs patients & society; supersedes self-interest Commitment to professional excellence and development Commitment to principles of clinical ethics Sensitivity and responsiveness to pts' culture, age, gender, disabilities Ability to meet relationship-centered expectations required for competence, including: patient-physician relationship, community-physician relationship, healthcare system-physician relationship, physician-physician relationship, self-physician relationship.

Contact Information
Steven Rosenzweig, M.D.
Director of Professionalism Curriculum
steven.rosenzweig@drexelmed.edu
215-991-8530