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Fostering professionalism in medical education

A call for improved assessment and meaningful incentives

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Abstract

Increasing attention has been focused on developing professionalism in medical school graduates. Unfortunately, the culture of academic medical centers and the behaviors that faculty model are often incongruent with our image of professionalism. The need for improved role modeling, better assessment of student behavior, and focused faculty development is reviewed. We propose that the incentive structure be adjusted to reward professional behavior in both students and faculty. The third-year medicine clerkship provides an ideal opportunity for clinician-educators to play a leading role in evaluating, rewarding, and ultimately fostering professionalism in medical school graduates.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles, Calif

    William H. Shrank MD

  2. The Center for Educational Outcomes at Dartmouth, USA

    Virginia A. Reed PhD & Christian Jernstedt PhD

  3. Dartmouth College, USA

    Virginia A. Reed PhD & Christian Jernstedt PhD

  4. Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH

    Virginia A. Reed PhD & Christian Jernstedt PhD

  5. The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Division of General Internal Medicine, 111G, 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, 90073, Los Angeles, CA

    William H. Shrank MD

Authors
  1. William H. Shrank MD
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  2. Virginia A. Reed PhD
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  3. Christian Jernstedt PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to William H. Shrank MD.

Additional information

Funding for this project was provided in part by the C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth, where Dr. Shrank was previously a fellow.

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Shrank, W.H., Reed, V.A. & Jernstedt, C. Fostering professionalism in medical education. J GEN INTERN MED 19, 887–892 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2004.30635.x

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