Fostering Professionalism in Medical Education A Call for Improved Assessment and Meaningful Incentives

Increasing attention has been focused on developing profes-sionalism in medical school graduates. Unfortunately, the culture of academic medical centers and the behaviors that faculty model are often incongruent with our image of profes-sionalism. The need for improved role modeling, better assess-ment of student behavior, and focused faculty development is reviewed. We propose that the incentive structure be adjusted to reward professional behavior in both students and faculty. The third-year medicine clerkship provides an ideal opportu-nity for clinician-educators to play a leading role in evaluating, rewarding, and ultimately fostering professionalism in medical school graduates. KEY WORDS: professionalism; incentives; medical education; evaluation