Background. Professional attributes such as honesty, integrity, and re
liability are critical to success in medical school and post-graduate
practice, yet such noncognitive attributes have traditionally been poo
rly evaluated. Method. A program of evaluating students' noncognitive
professional attributes at the University of New Mexico School of Medi
cine was reviewed over a four-year period, from 1987-88 through 1990-9
1, involving the approximately 525 students enrolled at the school at
that time. The evaluation program enabled faculty and staff to quantif
y their impressions of problem students in a uniform manner, by using
an evaluation form that listed and described seven basic professional
traits. Results. Over the study years the program identified ten stude
nts with difficulties in the basic science and clinical years regardin
g their character and professionalism. For these ten students, interve
ntions ranged from nothing being done, in one case, to such significan
t remediations as recommendations of extensive counseling and a leave
of absence. One student was dismissed, on the basis of poor academic p
erformance, and the other nine have graduated. In some cases, students
noticeably improved their professional behaviors, but whether their b
ehaviors changed as a result of the interventions can't be determined.
Conclusion. By identifying and tracking students with difficulties, t
he program offers the opportunity for intervention and, ideally, remed
iation. This program can complement systems that evaluate academic per
formance. Such a program can help an institution assure not only the c
ognitive competence of its graduates, but the competence of their prof
essional behaviors as well.