EVALUATION OF THE NONCOGNITIVE PROFESSIONAL TRAITS OF MEDICAL-STUDENTS

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.