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News: On their best behaviour?

25 March 2009

New guidance has been published on the professional behaviour expected of medical students.

New guidance has been published by the GMC on the professional behaviour expected of medical students to ensure they can satisfy the GMC that they are fit to practise medicine when they apply for registration.

As trainee doctors medical students need to be aware that their behaviour outside the clinical environment – which includes their personal lives – may have an impact on their fitness to practise.

The revised guidance, Medical Students: professional values and fitness to practise, which was launched earlier this month, also outlines the professional values expected of UK medical students as well as advising medical schools on how to develop consistent procedures for dealing with students when their fitness to practise is called into question.

Medical students may have extensive contact with patients, sometimes acting in the position of a qualified doctor. GMC Director of Education and Revalidation, Paul Buckley, said: ‘Student fitness to Practise is not about chastising trainee doctors for relaxing or having fun on their day off, it’s about creating a safe environment for patients and promoting professional values.’

For the first time, the GMC offers guidelines about what action should be taken when students’ health could affect their fitness to practise. For example, it says that: students should be registered with a GP and medical schools must provide students with the opportunity to seek support before poor health becomes a fitness to practise concern.

Professor Jim McKillop, Chair of the GMC Undergraduate Board, said: ‘Concerns may be raised about a student’s fitness to practise because of conduct or ill health, though these are very separate issues. We hope that this guidance will help medical schools, students and prospective students understand what is expected of them.’

The revised guidance is available on the GMC website.