About this guidance
The General Medical Council (GMC) and the Medical Schools Council (MSC) have published this guidance for medical students to outline the standards expected of them - both inside and outside of medical school.
Achieving good medical practice: guidance for medical students shows how the principles and values of Good medical practice apply to you as a medical student. Understanding how the core guidance for doctors applies now and in your future career will help you be a good student and, in the future, a good doctor.
The guidance has been updated to reflect the content of Good medical practice 2024, and includes enhanced advice on assessment and managing uncertainty.
What does this guidance cover?
Maintaining a high standard of professional behaviour
Your studies will bring you into contact with patients and members of the public, who can be physically and emotionally vulnerable. Because of this, and the fact that you'll be joining a trusted profession, we expect you to understand that there is a difference in the standard of behaviour expected of students on courses that bring them into contact with patients and the public.
Specifically, your behaviour at all times, both in the clinical environment and outside of your studies, must justify the confidence that patients and the public place in you as a future doctor. We and your medical school will support you in your journey from student to doctor, which includes teaching and assessment on professionalism.
As a medical graduate, you'll need to register with the GMC and get a licence to practise before you can begin work as a doctor if you wish to work in the UK. The GMC won't register medical graduates who are not fit to practise medicine.
In addition to this guidance, we've also produced guidance for medical schools and medical students on managing professionalism and fitness to practise concerns. It outlines the processes that medical schools should follow if they're worried about a student's professionalism or fitness to practise medicine.
Examples of the kinds of behaviour that are a cause for concern and may lead to formal processes being used are outlined in the Professionalism - key areas of concern section of this guidance.
About Good medical practice
Good medical practice sets out the principles, values, and standards of care and professional behaviour expected of all doctors registered with the GMC, and physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) once regulation starts. It is an ethical framework, which supports them to deliver safe care to a good standard, in the interests of patients. We work closely with doctors, PAs and AAs, patients and others to develop Good medical practice, so it is a shared agreement of what the professional standards should be.
Doctors who are registered with the GMC are expected to be familiar with Good medical practice, and to use the guidance when making decisions with patients about their care. Doctors must use their professional judgement to apply the standards in Good medical practice to their day-to-day practice. This means working out which of the professional standards are relevant to the specific circumstances they are facing, and using their knowledge, skill and experience to follow them in that context. Doctors must act in good faith and in the interests of patients, and be prepared to explain and justify their decisions and actions.
Using this guidance
Patients need good doctors - training to be a good doctor starts as a medical student. During your studies, you'll learn the importance of professionalism and the principles and values set out in the GMC's core guidance for doctors, PAs and AAs - Good medical practice - and the more detailed guidance that supports it.
In this guidance, the GMC and the MSC (referred to as 'we' throughout the guidance) show how the principles and values in Good medical practice apply to you as a medical student, to help prepare you for your future role as a doctor. Much of this guidance is relevant specifically to your work on clinical placements. But professionalism is broader than this and includes all elements of your academic study, as well as the need to be trustworthy and honest.
In this guidance, we use the terms 'you must' and 'you should' in the following ways.
- 'You must' is used to highlight important areas that are strongly linked to Good medical practice, for a legal or ethical duty you're expected to meet (or be able to justify why you didn’t).
- 'You should' is used to show duties or principles in Good medical practice that either:
- may not apply to you or to the situation you're currently in, or
- you may not be able to comply with because of factors outside your control.
Throughout this guidance, we also offer more detail and practical tips on how you can meet the requirements we set out. The box below is an example of this.
Going above and beyond - taking on the challenge of professional excellence
This guidance explains the standards of professional behaviour expected of you during your studies. Good doctors uphold high personal and professional standards of conduct. They are honest and trustworthy, act with integrity, maintain professional boundaries and do not let their personal interests affect their professional judgements or actions. To achieve this you'll need to learn to:
- develop healthy ways to cope with stress and challenges (resilience)
- recognise and escalate where doubt and uncertainty exist
- apply ethical and moral reasoning to your work
- work effectively in a team, including being able to give constructive and honest feedback
- manage your own learning and development
- be responsive to feedback
- prioritise your time well and ensure a good work-life balance
- prioritise patient safety and act promptly if you think that patient safety or dignity is, or may be, compromised
- work collaboratively with colleagues
- treat patients with kindness, compassion and respect
- be aware of the risk of bias, and consider how your own life experience, culture and beliefs influence your interactions with others, and may impact on your decisions and actions.
You may find many of these difficult or challenging to do well but, as with all elements of professionalism, your medical school will help you to develop these skills. Being professional means you'll need to make time to reflect on your experiences, learn continually and apply your learning in practice.
You will need to seek out feedback, remain up to date with professional and ethical guidance and be able to adapt to changing circumstances. Your teachers and trainers want you to develop and become an excellent doctor, so you should look to them for guidance and support.
