Commitment to Professionalism

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has defined professionalism as a ‘set of values, behaviours, and relationships that underpins the trust the public has in doctors’. Dame Janet Smith has described professionalism as ‘a basket of qualities that enables us to trust our advisors’. The RCP has imagined some of the qualities that might be included within Dame Janet’s basket as ‘integrity, compassion, altruism, continuous improvement, excellence, and working in partnership’. The General Medical Council (GMC) has taken this further in the ‘Professionalism in action’ section of Good Medical Practice (2013). According to the GMC, good doctors ‘make the care of their patients their first concern: they are competent, keep their knowledge and skills up to date, establish and maintain good relationships with patients and colleagues, are honest and trustworthy, and act with integrity and within the law. They also work in partnership with patients and respect their rights to privacy and dignity. They treat each patient as an individual. They do their best to make sure all patients receive good care and treatment that will support them to live as well as possible, whatever their illness or disability’. The Medical Protection Society (MPS) has, however, been clear that ‘professionalism’ is not the same as ‘perfectionism’. Although professionalism encompasses the ambition to provide high- quality care, mistakes are an inevitable part of working as a doctor. For the MPS, ‘true professionalism comes into play when mistakes are made . . . knowing what to do when things go wrong and how to react appropriately can make all the difference in ensuring high standards of patient care are maintained and a speedy resolution is reached’. Situational judgement questions within this section will test your probity by exploring responses to scenarios that might require you to challenge unacceptable behaviour, maintain confidentiality, and, as always, prioritize patient safety. You need to demonstrate a commitment to achieving your various clinical responsibilities, as well as a desire for continued learning and a commitment to helping the development of others. These scenarios test your honesty towards patients and colleagues, and a willingness to admit mistakes.