title: Professionalism: self-control matters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many of the behaviors that constitute professionalism require self-control.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the extent to which self-control is a component of resident professionalism, rated both by residents and their program directors.
  
  
  METHODS
  366 residents in 13 residency programs were invited to participate in a survey study of professionalism. Participating residents completed the Professionalism - Documentation of Competence (ProDOC) (a 15-item measure of professionalism developed for the study), a 10-item version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and the Brief Self-Control Scale. Independently, program directors of participating residents completed the ProDOC with reference to each of their participating residents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  215 residents agreed to participate in the study (58.7% response rate). Resident ProDOC scores were significantly related to social desirability and self-control. Self-control alone accounted for approximately 25% of the variance in resident ProDOC scores, and approximately 17% of the variance in ProDOC scores when shared variance with social desirability was controlled. There was no correlation between resident and program director ProDOC scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-control is an important facet of human behavior and interpersonal interaction, including the behaviors that constitute medical professionalism. The lack of correlation between residents' self-ratings of professionalism and their program directors' ratings underscores the difficulty in understanding and measuring this competency.
authors.affiliation: Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, USA. paul.hershberger@wright.edu
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hershberger
authors.forename: Teresa W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Zryd
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Rodes
authors.forename: Adrienne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stolfi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D011361:Professional Competence