Professionalism

Medical students have responsibilities above and beyond those of other University students. The award of a medical degree automatically entitles the graduate to be provisionally registered by the General Medical Council and to practise under supervision as a doctor.

Confidentiality and Disclosure

Towards students: Information revealed by a student in the course of a consultation with members of staff will not be passed to a third party without the consent of the student. Members of staff collecting information about a student must comply with the University’s Data Protection Policy and with any Data Protection Guidance Notes issued by the University.

Criminal Convictions

If a medical student is convicted of a criminal offence then the University will take a most serious view of this and will investigate its background after due process of the law is complete. Crimes involving violence or threat of violence, abuse of others, dishonesty, indecency, harassment, theft, drug dealing or crimes of a sexual nature are incompatible with becoming a doctor.

Health and Conduct Procedures

The School of Medicine expects students to adhere to the standards of behaviour and conduct compatible with their responsibilities as students and their future profession. The School has a responsibility for recognizing students whose behaviour or conduct is sufficiently inappropriate to be incompatible with the registration standards required by the GMC.

Professionalism Statement

Safeguarding your health

The primary duty of a doctor is to ‘make the care of your patient your first concern’. Good Medical Practice requires doctors to take responsibility for their own health in the interests of public safety. Medical students should also follow this guidance.

Unprofessional behaviour

Medical students are not registered with the GMC until qualification, but as a medical student you must be aware that you have responsibilities above those of other students because you are training to be a doctor and you will frequently come into contact with patients.

UoL disciplinary regulations

Medical Students are bound, as are all registered students of the University by the Regulations of the University. However, Medical students have additional responsibilities and these may be taken into account in the determination of any penalties imposed.

Whistleblowing

The GMC expects doctors to inform others if there is a concern about the “fitness to practise” of doctor colleagues. The aim of this is to protect patients from the actions of incompetent, sick or unprofessional doctors. The GMC has recently investigated and punished doctors who did nothing whilst knowing of another doctor’s inappropriate actions.