Conduct and Professionalism Case Management

An essential task in the professional development of a medical student is to gain an understanding of the fundamental and universal principles and values of the medical profession and commit to the integration of these values and principles into their professional identity and roles.

Professional principles and attributes have been defined and articulated by many. The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation (ABIM), in collaboration with the American College of Physicians Foundation (ACP) and the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM), has developed a physician charter identifying fundamental principles and responsibilities of medical professionalism. The identified fundamental principles of professionalism include the primacy of patient welfare, patient autonomy, and the principle of social justice. The identified set of professional responsibilities include commitments to: professional competence, honesty with patients, patient confidentiality, maintaining appropriate relations with patients, improving quality of care, improving access to care, a just distribution of finite resources, scientific knowledge, maintaining trust by managing conflicts of interest, and professional responsibilities.

When a student accepts admission to Virginia Tech as an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student, they also accept membership in the university community and responsibility for upholding its shared values and expectations. The Student Code of Conduct outlines policies established by the university that set standards for students’ behavior, along with procedures for adjudicating and sanctioning violations of these standards. Students are expected to adhere to the VT Code of Conduct and comply with policy 1025.

VTCSOM has an Honor Code that mirrors the VT Graduate Honor Code. Because of the unique nature of the medical student, VTCSOM has its own Honor Board and process for considering allegations of academic misconduct.