Basing the evaluation of professionalism on observable behaviors: a cautionary tale.
OBJECTIVE
The evaluation of professionalism often relies on the observation and interpretation of students' behaviors; however, little research is available regarding faculty's interpretations of these behaviors.


METHODS
Interviews were conducted with 30 faculty, who were asked to respond to five videotaped scenarios in which students are placed in professionally challenging situations. Behaviors were catalogued by person and by scenario.


RESULTS
There was little agreement between faculty about what students should and should not do in each scenario. Abstracted principles (e.g., honesty, altruism) were defined and applied inconsistently, both between and within individual faculty. There was no apparent "shared standard" that faculty held for professional behavior in students, and similar behaviors (e.g., lying) could be interpreted as either professional or unprofessional.


CONCLUSIONS
Future efforts at evaluation need to look beyond the behaviors, and should incorporate the reasoning and motivations behind students' actions in challenging professional situations.
Ginsburg
Shiphra
S
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. shiphra.ginsburg@utoronto.ca
Regehr
Glenn
G
Lingard
Lorelei
L
D000533:Altruism; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D008192:Deception; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D004992:Ethics, Medical / Q000193:education*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009042:Motivation; D015588:Observer Variation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D013337:Students, Medical; D013850:Thinking; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014743:Videotape Recording