III.G. Professionalism

(Effective July 1, 2011)

In keeping with the Common Program Requirements, Programs ensure that:

1. Patients receive safe, quality care in the teaching setting
2. Graduating House Officers provide safe, high quality patient care in the unsupervised practice of medicine
3. House Officers learn professionalism and altruism along with clinical medicine in a humanistic and quality learning environment

The Sponsoring Institution recognizes that patient safety, quality care, and an excellent learning environment are about much more than clinical and educational work hours and wish to underscore those policies address all aspects of the learning environment. These include:

1. Professionalism, including responsibility for patient safety
2. Alertness management
3. Proper supervision
4. Transitions of care
5. Clinical responsibilities
6. Communication/teamwork

House Officers must take personal responsibility for and faculty must model behaviors that promote:

1. Assurance for fitness of duty
2. Assurance of the safety and welfare of patients entrusted in their care
3. Management of time before, during, and after clinical assignments
4. Recognition of impairment (e.g., illness or fatigue) in self and peers
5. Honest and accurate reporting of duty hours, patient outcomes, and clinical experience data

The institution further supports an environment of safety and professionalism by:

1. Providing and monitoring a standard Transitions Policy
2. Providing and monitoring a standard Clinical and Educational Work Hours Policy
3. Providing and monitoring a standard Supervision Policy
4. Providing and monitoring a standard master schedule and process in New Innovations
5. Adopting an institution-wide policy that all House Officers and faculty must inform patients of their roles in that patient's care
6. Providing and monitoring an Alertness Management and Fatigue Mitigation Policy that includes:
7. Online modules for faculty and House Officers regarding signs of fatigue
8. Fatigue mitigation and alertness management including pocket cards, back up call schedules, and promotion of strategic napping
9. Assurance of available and adequate sleeping quarters when needed
10. Requiring that programs define what situations or conditions require communication with the attending physician