Professionalism

Welcome to the Penn Perelman School of Medicine Professionalism website. Penn Medicine is dedicated to maintaining a high standard of professionalism in all of our missions. The existence of professions depends on a social contract, in which society confers privileges in exchange for obligations. Medicine has the privileges of autonomy, of setting standards and of awarding licensure, of monopoly over the provision of care and over training of the next generation of physicians. It has the obligations to improve quality; to remediate and discipline members who fail to meet professional standards; and to work for access to care and just distribution of resources. Maintaining high quality in all the missions of contemporary medicine requires teamwork. In turn, teamwork demands mutual respect between physicians, patients, co-workers and trainees. The interdependence of teamwork and respect is expressed in the Penn Medicine Statement on Professionalism.

Our professionalism effort is comprehensive and includes:

• Institutional policies
• Events, speakers and symposia
• Individual transformation through small groups, reflection and narrative
• Role modeling
• Recognition of outstanding professionalism
• Assessment and feedback
• Research and scholarship

This website provides resources, information, and contacts to those who are involved, and those who would like to be involved, in this effort.

Statement on Professionalism

The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and Health System are committed to meeting the highest standards of clinical care, education, and research. In serving our patients, educating our students, and conducting biomedical investigation, collaboration an teamwork are essential. Effective teamwork requires that all faculty members, students, trainees, and staff treat one another and the patients they see with unfailing respect, civility, and dignity. Members of our community, including patients, must never be subjected to disrespect of any kind or to discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

The needs of patients take precedence over the financial and academic interests and professional prerogatives of faculty, students, trainees, and staff. Conflict of interest must be managed, minimized, and disclosed in accordance with our policies; it must never threaten the relationship of trust between patients or research subjects and our institution in the delivery of clinical care and the performance of research. We respect and assure the right of patients and research subjects to full explanation of the risks and benefits of medical and research interventions; the right to confidentiality in the use and disclosure of medical information; and the expectation that patients injured by medical error will be informed and dealt with in a fair and open manner.

We pledge to work continuously to advance the frontiers of biomedical knowledge; to improve our quality of care, maximize patient safety, and minimize medical error; and to improve the health care delivery system at community, state, national, and global levels. We are committed to full access to medical care for all members of society and to just distribution of health care resources.

Endorsed by the HUP Medical Board 4/23/08

Calendar of Events

December 15, 2010 - William Carlos Williams Conference - Dr. Arthur Caplan - "Saving Face: The Ethics of Face and Limb Transplantation"

Programs

• Narrative Medicine
  

  Scheduled:	OB	Urology
  	Radiology	CCU
  	Family Medicine	Silverstein
  To be Scheduled:
  	ED (Presbyterian)	Ophthalmology
  	MFM Fellows	ORL
  	Radiation Oncology	Orthopaedics

  
  

Past Presentations

William Carlos Williams Conference - "The Language of Pain" - by Dr. David Biro - October 19, 2010

William Carlos Williams Conference - "The Good Doctor: Checkhov or Monday Night Football" - by Dr. Danielle Ofri - April 20, 2010

William Carlos Williams Conference (Video) - "Professional Behavior and Patient Satisfaction" -by Dr. David Stern - November 12, 2008

Williams Carlos Williams Conference (Video) - " Sustaining Professionalism in the Era of Physician Shortages" - by Dr. Buz Cooper - December 17, 2008

Policies

• University of Pennsylvania Principles of Responsible Conduct
  (http://www.upenn.edu/audit/oacp_principles.htm)
• UPHS Policy Manuals
  (http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/home/policies.shtml)
• UPMC Policy on Disruptive Healthcare Providers
  (Forthcoming)
• University of Pennsylvania Sexual Harassment Handbook
  (http://www.upenn.edu/affirm-action/shhandbook.html)
• UPMC Policy on Substance Abuse by Healthcare Providers
  (http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/hupadmpl/1_11_08.pdf)
• University of Pennsylvania Policy - Financial disclosure and presumptively prohibited conflicts for faculty participation in clinical trials (http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v54/n01/or-clinical.html)
• UPMC Policy - Pharmaceutical Industry Representative Activity
  (http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/hupadmpl/1_12_41.pdf)

Resources

At Penn

• EAP (Employee Assistance Program) provides information and support for personal and professional life issues. The EAP gives eligible faculty and staff and their immediate family members access to free, confidential counseling and referral services. One-on-One sessions are offered at dozens of locations, and online information, coaching and support services are also available. EAP services are available 24 hour a day, 7 days a week by phone at 1-888-321-4433 or online at www.pennbehavioralhealth.org.
  
• PORTS (Patient Online Reporting and Tracking System) is an electronic site where UPHS personnel may report adverse occurrences, including episodes of disruptive or unprofessional behavior (http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/ceqi/ports/)
  
• Professionalism Committee of the HUP Medical Board provides counseling and remediation for healthcare providers whose behavior is disruptive or unprofessional. Contact: kathleen.sullivan@uphs.upenn.edu
• Narrative Medicine - Small groups from clinical departments or division meet with narrative facilitators and faculty members to write about and share their experiences, positive and negative. These groups are conducted in departments and some hospital units at intervals ranging between once a month and once a year. The program is supervised by Jack Truten. Other narrative facilitators include Tony Rostain, Nicole Saint-Louis, Ramsay Thorpe, and Alan Wasserstein. For information about the program contact Jack Truten (jack.truten@uphs.upenn.edu)
• William Carlos Williams Conference in Humanism and Professionalism - This lecture series features speakers in the medical humanities, ethics, health economics, professionalism and other topics. Recent speakers have included Danielle Ofri, David Biro, and Art Caplan. The meeting venue is Hirst Auditorium, usually at 12 noon on a Wednesday. For information about the series, or to suggest a speaker, please contact Alan Wasserstein (alan.wasserstein@uphs.upenn.edu).
• Case Conferences in Professionalism - Case conference within departments typically revolve around vignettes derived from the department. Facilitators include Alan Wasserstein, Tony Rostain, and others. Interactive sessions on caregiver-patient communication, conflict of interest, and other professionalism issues are also available.
• Penncil - This is a medical student group that promotes creative writing on the experiences of healthcare providers. It is supervised by Jack Truten (jack.truten@uphs.upenn.edu).

Research Projects

• Analysis of house staff narratives:
  • Frank Barg, MD
  • Jack Truten, MD
  • Alan Wasserstein, MD

Contact Us

Jack Truten (jack.truten@uphs.upenn.edu)
Alan Wasserstein, MD (alan.wasserstein@uphs.upenn.edu)