Professionalism Accountability

Accountability: Demonstrate personal responsibility and self-awareness (e.g., accepting a commitment to service; accepting consequences of one’s behavior; admitting mistakes and learning from them)

Compassion: Display empathy; listen attentively and respond humanely to the needs of patients

Conscientiousness: Demonstrate a high degree of dependability by taking initiative, meeting commitments, approaching work carefully, completing tasks thoroughly, asking for help when needed, and accepting responsibility for mistakes

Duty: Complete assigned duties; set and achieve realistic goals; follow policies; respond promptly when called; accept inconvenience in meeting the needs of patients; advocate the best possible care regardless of ability to pay; volunteer one’s skills and expertise for the welfare of the community; seek active roles in teaching and professional organizations

Excellence: Aspire to exceed expectations by setting high standards, establishing goals for personal improvement, and striving to continuously learn and share products of that learning with others

Integrity: Demonstrate the highest standards of integrity, ethical behavior, and exemplary moral character (e.g., trustworthiness, academic honesty, discretion/confidentiality, personal conduct, appropriate dress, and organizational citizenship)

Life-long Learning: Commit to providing the highest quality of health care through lifelong learning, education, and reflection

Respect: Treat patients, their families, and other professional colleagues with dignity; show respect for patient privacy and autonomy; value diverse perspectives and talents; display sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse society

Social Responsibility: Demonstrate an unselfish regard for others (altruism); advocate for quality in the care of patients; recognize and address the social determinants of health as applies to patients and communities; advocate for reducing disparities in health care

Teamwork: Collaborate with others to achieve a common goal; show concern for and provide assistance and support to others; interact dutifully; respect authority

How do I make a commendation for a student, faculty, or resident exhibiting outstanding professional behavior?

A commendation is to be used to recognize outstanding examples of professionalism. The Office of Student Affairs will serve as the clearinghouse for commendations submitted through this form and shall refer to the appropriate administrator for recognition. Content may contribute to medical student dean’s letters.  

Commendation Form

How to report on instances of unprofessional behavior by students, faculty, residents, or fellows?

Students may choose to discuss concerns directly with any individual felt to have demonstrated unprofessional behavior at a time and setting conducive to a candid and respectful conversation. This approach is not always a comfortable or viable option. Alternatively, students may also bring concerns about unprofessional behavior to the Office of Student Affairs for guidance and possible resolution. Such informal consultation will be confidential, unless precluded by safety of the student or institutional policy. LSUHSC-S has an obligation to maintain an environment free of Title IX offenses (including sex discrimination, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and retaliations); thus, faculty and staff have mandatory reporting and response obligations and may not be able to honor a complainant’s request for confidentiality in those situations.

If a concern related to unprofessional behavior has not been resolved, individuals may file a formal written complaint.

File a Complaint

The Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall serve as the clearinghouse for reports on instances of unprofessional behavior and shall refer formal allegations of unprofessional behavior to the appropriate committee or administrator for investigation and resolution.

• Student behavior - Professionalism Committee 
• Resident/Fellow behavior– Graduate Medical Education Office 
• Faculty behavior- Ad hoc committee appointed by the Dean of the School of Medicine 
• Hospital Staff behavior– Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs and appropriate hospital administrator 

Professionalism Committee Hearing Procedures

A quorum of seven (7) members is required for meeting and decision making of the Professionalism Committee

• Professionalism Committee meetings shall be conducted in private. Admission of any person to the meeting shall be at the discretion of the Professionalism Committee Chairperson. All procedural questions are subject to the final decision of the Professionalism Committee Chair.
• If more than one student is the subject of the complaint, then the Chair, in his or her discretion, may call for separate meetings to be conducted for each student.
• A student who is the subject of a complaint brought before the Professionalism Committee may ask the Director for Student Affairs or another member of the medical school community to accompany and advise him or her throughout the process. The advisor's function is not to serve as an advocate but, instead, as a liaison with the School to help the student understand how the Committee functions and how best to address the complaint before the Committee.
• Students are responsible for presenting all information related to the complaint to the Professionalism Committee. Advisors are not permitted to participate directly in any meeting before the Professionalism Committee.
• The subject student may submit a written statement prior to the Professional Committee meeting to assure that the Committee has adequate information. If the student believes that other community members have relevant information, he or she should indicate such in the written statement. The Chair has the discretion to decide which, if any, community members should be contacted and or appear at the Professional Committee meeting.
• The Professional Committee, at the discretion of the Chair, may invite faculty, students, administrators, or other members of the community who may have information that is relevant to the matter under review to share such information with the Committee. Ordinarily, the names of such community members, and, if applicable, written statements from them, will be provided to the student in advance of the Professional Committee meeting.
• After hearing all student and complainant presentations, the Professionalism Committee shall determine whether the student has violated the Student Code of Conduct. The Committee's de- termination shall be made based on whether it is more likely than not that the student violated the Student Code of Conduct.
• The Professionalism Committee shall decide on the appropriate sanction or remediation plan, if any, that is needed.
• The Professionalism Committee Chair or the Vice-Chair shall convey in writing the Commit- tee's final decision within seven (7) days of completion of the Committee's meeting to the student and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

• Material related to the Professionalism Committee process is maintained confidentially in the student's academic file. The Association for American Medical Colleges (AAMC) requires that professionalism issues that rise to the level of review and sanction by a professionalism committee must be reported in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE).

  If the student demonstrates a pattern of recidivism or fails to complete the required remediation plan as outlined, the matter will be returned to the Professionalism Committee. The Professionalism Committee will then submit its recommendation for additional action that may include dismissal. The Dean of the School of Medicine to make the final determination.

  Appeal

  As a matter of right, a student may appeal the decision of the Professionalism Committee. An appeal must be made to the Dean of the School of Medicine within ten (10) working days of the Professional- ism Committee's decision. In general, requests for an appeal should be based on information not previously considered. The Dean of the School of Medicine, or his/her designee, shall decide within ten (10) working days after receipt of appeal whether further action should be taken. Once a decision is made, the Dean, or his/her designee, will notify all parties of the decision. The decision of the Dean, or his/her designee, shall conclude the matter.

Professionalism Concern Form