Medical College of Georgia
School of Medicine	A-Z Index \| MCG Home \| Site Search

School of Medicine Honor System
I.	Foundation
II.	Honor Code
III.	Honor Court
IV.	Examinations
V	Reporting Violations of the Honor Code
VI.	Pretrial Procedures
VII.	Trial Procedures
VIII.	Penalties
IX.	Announcement of Findings
X.	Appeals
XI.	Orientation

Professionalism Code

Professionalism Code Counseling Form

Physicians are subject to ethical standards, which are in place to ultimately benefit the patient. As future physicians, we as medical students must respect and remain responsive to the interests of patients primarily. In addition, we must revere our responsibilities to society, to other physicians, faculty members, staff, healthcare professionals, and to ourselves. All members of the School of Medicine are not only expected to remain honorable, but also to uphold the highest levels of professionalism. The American Medical Association’s Principles of Medical Ethics are guidelines of professional conduct. The intent of the Professionalism Code is to provide a means by which members of the School of Medicine may identify fellow classmates who need assistance and provide those individuals with counseling without faculty involvement and/or future detrimental effects to their permanent record.

A breech of professional behavior is any behavior deemed unacceptable, which does not fall under the provisions of an honor code violation as defined in Section II of the Honor Code. Examples of unprofessional behavior include, but are not limited to, disrespecting or acting improperly to patients and/or their families, supervisors, peers, faculty, staff and self; disruptive behavior; illegal behavior; failure to fulfill clinical duties, etc.

Any member of the School of Medicine who suspects another member of the School of Medicine of acting unprofessionally may report the student to an Honor Council member of his/her class. The incident may be reported either orally or in writing. The reporter of the incident may choose to remain anonymous. At that point, the Honor Council member, with aid from fellow Honor Council members, shall decide if the student needs to be counseled.

Once a student is identified by the Honor Council members of the student’s class, those Honor Council members will notify the Honor Council President, who will then notify a designated member of the Honor Council to counsel the student in question. This member of the Honor Council will be in a more senior class than the accused’s class (or senior class if accused is a senior member of the School of Medicine). This designated member of the Honor Council will meet with and counsel the accused, in writing. The counseling report will include the student’s name, alleged unprofessional behavior, and corrective action plan to improve unprofessional behavior. Both the counselor and the student will contribute to the corrective action plan and sign it. The counseling report will be maintained with the Honor Council, who will retain a copy of the counseling report on confidential file. A copy of the counseling report will also be provided to the student in question. After the second written counseling for any act of unprofessional behavior and upon the third act of unprofessional behavior, all counseling reports will be forwarded to the Curriculum office by the Class President for action to be determined by the Curriculum office. The Curriculum office will only be notified of unprofessional behavior on the third incidence.

The duty of maintaining confidential written counseling statements belongs to the Honor Council.

Under no circumstance will a copy of the written counseling be placed in the student’s permanent file or forwarded to any faculty member unless/until two written counselings involving any unprofessional behavior are on file and a third incidence has occurred.

Upon gaining knowledge from any external source, the Curriculum office reserves the right to address any incidences of suspected unprofessional behavior, not involving a suspected Honor Code violation, as deemed necessary, with or without counseling reports pertaining to the unprofessional behavior. Furthermore, the Honor Council reserves the right to inform the Curriculum office, prior to the third unprofessionalism counseling, of all unprofessional behaviors that are of such extreme or serious nature in which immediate actions must be taken to safeguard life, limb, health, property, and/or public welfare, etc.

Revisions shall require a simple majority of the voting members of the Honor Court, approval of the Dean of the School of Medicine, and ratification by a simple majority of the voting student body of the School of Medicine.


Copyright 2005 Medical College of Georgia All rights reserved.	Medical College of Georgia Please email comments, suggestions or questions to: Michael P. Wheeler II, MA, mwheeler@mcg.edu.