BMJ  2006;333:809 (14 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7572.809-b

Letter

Belittlement and harassment of medical students

Remedial training—ethics and sensitivity

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

EDITOR—Roig recommends that medical students be instructed in ethical writing to avoid plagiarism.¹ He believes that when we internalise and apply its basic principles, this will reduce plagiarism and generalise to other areas of scientific research and personal conduct.

Frank et al speak of the teaching of ethics and call for more sensitivity (in the context of addressing bullying and harassment) and think that if the medical profession is serious about creating a satisfied workforce and about teaching students to behave ethically with colleagues and patients, teachers must behave in an ethically appropriate and sensitive way.²

I understand the sentiment but wonder at the efficacy of teaching ethics (to those probably established in their ethical practices) and requesting sensitivity (of those perceived to be insensitive). Would it also be useful to focus more intensely on ethics, confidence, and collegiality in medical school admissions?

11955 Millstone Court, Loveland, OH 45140, USA jorge1907@aol.com

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Competing interests: None declared.

1. Roig M. Ethical writing should be taught. BMJ 2006;333: 596-7. (16 September.)[Free Full Text]
2. Frank E, Carrera JS, Stratton T, Bickel J, Nora LM. Experiences of belittlement and harassment and their correlates among medical students in the United States: longitudinal survey. BMJ 2006;333: 682-4. (30 September.)[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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