Professionalism

As representatives of the medical profession and Rush University Medical Center (RUMC), Rush Medical College (RMC) students are expected to act in an appropriate, professional manner at all times and in all areas of their lives. Professionalism is the most important component of medicine’s contract with society. “The physician professional is defined not only by what he or she must know and do, but most importantly by a profound sense of what the physician must be” (Jordan Cohen, MD, former President of the Association of American Medical Colleges).

These sets of behaviors define professionalism (See Swick reference below). As physicians in training, RMC students are expected to:

• Subordinate their own interests to the interests of others
• Adhere to high ethical and moral standards
• Respond to societal needs, reflecting a social contract with the communities served
• Evince core humanistic values, including honesty and integrity, caring and compassion, altruism and empathy, respect for self and others
• Exercise accountability for themselves and for their colleagues
• Recognize when there is a conflict of interest to themselves, their patients, or their practice
• Demonstrate a continuing commitment to excellence
• Exhibit a commitment to scholarship
• Deal effectively with high levels of complexity and uncertainty
• Reflect critically upon their actions and decisions and strive for improvement
• Receive and respond to critiques
• Demonstrate sensitivity to multiple cultures
• Be committed to life-long learning

References:

• Association of American Medical Colleges: Assessment of Professionalism Project https://www.aamc.org/download/77168/data/professionalism.pdf
• Cohen JJ. “The work ahead”: AAMC’s president address, November 6, 2005. http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporter/july06/word.htm.
• Swick, HM, Toward a Normative Definition of Medical Professionalism. Academic Medicine 2000; 75: 612-616.
• Epstein RM, Hundert EM. Defining and assessing professional competence. JAMA.2002;287(2):226-235.
• Kirk, Lynne, Professionalism in medicine: definitions and considerations for teaching, Proc (Baylor Univ Med Cent). 2007 Jan; 20(1): 13-16.
• Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter ; 2002, the ABIM Foundation, the ACP Foundation and the European Federation of Internal Medicine. http://www.abimfoundation.org/Professionalism/Medical-Professionalism.aspx

The following policy statement was passed by the RMC Committee on Curriculum and Evaluation (CCE)
and the Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion (COSEP):

Confidentiality

Students are bound by the code of physician-patient confidentiality. Do not discuss patient issues outside of the clinical setting. Do not discuss patient issues in public areas. Patient lists or other paperwork containing patient information must be concealed in public places and must be disposed of properly (e.g., secure shredder). Use of EPIC is for patient care only.

As a student you may be provided access to patient records. Electronic records are managed through Epic, Rush University Medical Center’s electronic health record application. Although all patient records are available through Epic, you should only access records for patients to whom you are assigned or to whom you have been granted permission through your supervising faculty. The Privacy Office regularly audits access to patient records and any instance of inappropriate access will be immediately referred to the University for disciplinary action.

Academic Honesty

Students are required to adhere to the following statements regarding academic honesty:

1. Rush University (RU) Honor Code, found on RUConnected
2. RU statement on Academic Honesty and Student Misconduct
3. RMC Teacher-Learner Relationship. Refer to Appendix F - Teacher Learner Relationship  

Social Media

RMC students are subject to the Rush University Medical Center social media policy (http://inside.rush.edu/policies/Lists/Master%20Policy/DispForm.aspx?ID=2278)

Attire and Appearance

For any interaction with a patient, real or simulated, students must dress in accordance with the most conservative expectations of patients. When seeing patients, students may not wear denim, open-toe shoes, gym shoes, sheer clothing, shorts, jeans, or other inappropriate clothing. Students should wear their short white coat and adhere to the following guidelines for dress:

• Business attire is required.
• Be clean and well groomed; strong fragrances should be avoided.
• When on call, students wearing scrubs must do so according to the RUMC Scrub Policy.
• Always wear your identification badge. If lost or stolen, please see the Registrar’s Office for a replacement.

Attendance Policy - Matriculation 2016 and Previous

Travel arrangements should not be made that conflict with the academic calendar.

If a student has a valid reason (typically an unexpected event outside of the student’s control such as a medical or family emergency or a sudden change in life circumstance), the student may submit an e-mail to the Course Director, copying the appropriate Assistant/Associate dean in the Office of Medical Student Programs (OMSP). The email should be sent as far in advance of the scheduled education event as is reasonably possible. Approval to be excused from the event will be at the discretion of both the Course Director and the appropriate Assistant/Associate Dean. If a student is excused from a required attendance event, the student is still responsible for completion of any work done at the event and for any course content presented during that session. Arrangements to complete any missed work must be made with the Course Director before approval will be granted.

In case of an emergency in which a student cannot get prior approval to miss a required event, the student should notify the Course Director and the appropriate Assistant/Associate Dean as soon as circumstances allow. With an appropriate reason and documentation, the absence may be considered excused.

Failure to request and confirm an absence from any required event is treated as an unexcused absence and can be considered as grounds for failure of the course in which that event occurred and a referral to the COSEP.

During the M2 year, all scheduled classes or events in the Physicianship Program require attendance. In addition, case discussion sessions in all of the basic science blocks during the M2 year require attendance. There may be additional required attendance events which are clearly marked as such on the student calendar in OASIS.

For expectations for clinical rotations, please see the Common Core Syllabus and Elective Common Syllabus located on RUConnected.

Attendance Policy - Matriculation 2017

1. All Clinical Skills and CBCL sessions are required attendance, prompt arrival is expected.
2. Request for absence from or to reschedule any required class, assigned clinical experience or assessment must be submitted a minimum of two weeks prior to the scheduled event (see #8 below for additional information regarding simulation events). Earlier would be recommended to assure completion of the process in a timely manner.
3. Requests will be reviewed by the Assistant Dean of Basic Science Education, the Assistant Dean of Clinical Curriculum and the Associate Dean of Student Affairs. They will respond to the students’ request within one week of receipt of the request.
4. Once an absence from or rescheduling an event has been approved it is the responsibility of the student to communicate with the appropriate course director of any event that will be missed to discuss, if it is possible, how to make up for any missed work or other experience.
5. If the student request is denied, the student may appeal to the Senior Associate Dean. The appeal request must occur within one week of the original notification to the student of denial of a request for absence. The outcome of this appeal will be final.
6. Unexcused absences and habitual tardiness are considered examples of unprofessional student behavior, and will be reported to the COSEP Early Intervention Subcommittee as unprofessional behavior. More than one unexcused absence in a single academic year will be reported to the COSEP as a professionalism deficiency requiring potential professionalism remediation.
7. Emergencies and events outside the control of the student must be documented but will be considered excused absences. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the appropriate course director and curriculum coordinator as soon as it is reasonable to do so to inform the college of their absence. Documentation should be submitted to the appropriate curriculum coordinator.
8. For all simulation events, appointment times are distributed 4-6 weeks prior to the event. Learners who wish to change their appointment time for any reason are encouraged to find a classmate willing to swap appointments, and request confirmation of the swap by jointly emailing the Simulation Coordinator. These requests to swap appointment times with another student must be made at least less 7 days prior to the event. To respect the appointment times of subsequent groups, learners who are not present at the beginning of orientation may be rescheduled to an alternate date.

Consequences of Unprofessional Behavior

Any episode of unprofessional or disrespectful behavior may result in a failing grade and/or presentation to the COSEP (Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion) or the Special Committee on the RMC Environment (SCORE). The result may include disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

RMC Vendor Policy for Students

Some vendors of products or services for medical school students (e.g., board preparation programs) employ aggressive marketing tactics. These tactics are designed to bypass standard business practices of the University as they relate to commercial interests. For example, a vendor may offer individual or group incentives to arrange for the vendor to host an information session on campus for other medical students. Although students are encouraged to seek additional resources to supplement their learning in the RMC curriculum, this policy is designed to avoid conflicts of interest that may unduly influence access to or acquisition of such resources.

Definitions

• A “vendor” is an employee or independent contractor who represents an entity that provides information regarding a particular good or service, or seeks to influence decisions about the selection of goods or services to RU or its students.
• A “benefit” is a gift, good, gratuity, courtesy, compensation, loan, service, scholarship, reimbursement of travel expenses or other favor given to oneself and/or one’s family. Examples of benefits include but are not limited to: cash, checks, gift certificates, product credits, meals, property, favors, prizes, and admission to entertainment, sporting, or any other hospitality events.
• A “University resource” includes any facility, technology, property, or expertise that is controlled, supported, employed, or owned by RU. Examples of University resources include but are not limited to: classrooms, laboratories, meeting facilities, study spaces, dining facilities, computers, Rush email addresses, faculty/staff time or expertise, intellectual property such as teaching materials, and a variety of software (e.g., Blackboard, Examsoft, WebEx).

Prohibited Conduct

The following conduct on the part of RMC students is considered to be a conflict of interest:

1. Accepting benefits from vendors.
2. Disseminating information or giving a presentation, lecture or talk that is controlled by a vendor or otherwise lacks proper professional independence (e.g., the vendor creates the slides or presentation materials, has final approval of the presentation content, or if the student is expected to disseminate information on behalf of the vendor).
3. Arranging, on behalf of a vendor, informational or promotional events that utilize University resources without written permission* from the OMSP (e.g., WebEx conference, RMC email address lists).
4. Using University resources to disseminate, on behalf of a vendor, information about vendor products and services without written permission* from the OMSP.
5. Sharing University resources with a vendor (e.g., RMC email address lists) without written permission* from the OMSP.
6. Accepting promotional items from a vendor for the express use or display on the RU campus that incorporate or display a vendor’s product name and/or logo. This includes wearing any article of clothing, badge, pin, sign or other item that displays the name or logo of a vendor.

Responsibility and Violations

All RMC students are responsible for the enforcement of this policy and for the reporting of violations* to the OMSP. Violations of this policy will be referred to the Honor Code Council, SCORE, and/or COSEP, as appropriate.

* Requests for vendor activity as well as violations of the vendor policy should be submitted on the following page: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2262654/Educational-Vendor-Forms