The One Dozen Most Important Things You May Not Have Known, Understood, or Realized About American Medicine
About the One Dozen Things | The Doctor-Patient Relationship | The Role of the Patient's Family | Confidentiality | The Health Care Team | America is a Litigious Society | Document, Document, Document! | Who Pays the Bills? | Gender Issues and Discrimination | Safety and Errors | Informed Consent | U.S. Graduate Medical Education | Above All, Professionalism
Above All, Professionalism
Overview
In the United States, physicians are among the most respected of all professionals. The practice of medicine must be more than a job or occupation, and the physician must always be guided by the highest professional ethical and personal standards. Professionalism calls for dedication to the patient; every aspect of his or her welfare (physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, financial, etc.) must be taken into account and served to the best of the physician’s ability. Physicians are expected to commit themselves to the process of lifelong professional development. Professionalism in medicine requires the recognition that medicine involves both science and art and is fundamentally devoted to the service of humanity.