Published 29 December 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2876
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2876

Analysis

Ethical Debate

Students whose behaviour causes concern: The GMC’s view

¹ General Medical Council, London NW1 3JN

What should you do when you see a fellow student behaving inappropriately? After a group of students wrote to the BMJ about their experience during an elective (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2874), we sought the opinions of an ethicist (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2882), a dean (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2884), a GMC representative, and a lecturer from an African university (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2875)

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

These authors have shown a good understanding of the ethical professional behaviour expected of both medical students and doctors. It takes great personal resolve to confront a colleague whose behaviour is cavalier and who deliberately puts patients at risk. These students, in difficult circumstances far from home, tackled the situation maturely and are right to seek mechanisms to communicate their concerns about the inappropriate behaviour of a fellow student.

Students and doctors have a professional duty to work within the limits of their professional competence, to know when the best interests of the patient require them to step back, and to ask for help. Many fitness to practise cases heard by the GMC result from doctors who fail to show such insight.

The students rightly identified it as their duty to raise concerns about a colleague when patients are at risk. The GMC expects students and doctors to inform the . . . [Full text of this article]

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