Australian medical schools need national Fitness-to-Practise policies to manage unprofessional student behaviour
Australian medical schools do not have consistent fitness-to-practise policies (FTPPs) for addressing unprofessional conduct by medical students, according to a study in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Assoc. Prof. Paul McGurgan at the University of Western Australia, and co-authors described current use and possible effects of Australian medical school FTPPs, and aimed to define and benchmark FTPP best practice.
The survey included 15 of the 19 medical schools in Australia. Of these, 12 schools reported using an FTPP. The most common reason for exclusion of medical students was persistent inappropriate attitude or behaviour, including poor attendance, and most exclusions occurred by the third year of study.
Prof McGurgan said that there was wide variation in the FTPP criteria used by individual schools, and FTPP use appeared to be independent of medical student registration by the state medical board and type of course entry. The majority of students were excluded on persistent poor performance grounds. However, this was the criterion least likely to be included in Australian medical schools’ FTPPs.
“Most Australian medical schools use FTPPs but these policies are variable and lack proven effectiveness,” Prof McGurgan said.
“However, although FTPP are unproven, this may be a consequnce of limited prospective data in the effects of their use"
“The variations in the numbers of students excluded by the different medical schools for unprofessional behaviour suggest discrepancies in medical schools’ abilities to detect and manage students with problems in this area."
“Previous calls to develop a nationally consistent approach to the management of poorly behaving students should be addressed,” Prof McGurgan said.
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.
CONTACT: Prof Paul McGurgan 0405 514 124 / 08 9382 214
Ms Janine MacDonald 08 6488 5563 / 0432 637 716
University Media Manager
(University of Western Australia)
