See an update on UTMB's Professionalism Charter activities

The UTMB Professionalism Charter

Preamble

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a community of professionals dedicated to education, research and patient care. Intrinsic to this community are diverse cultures, more than a century of tradition, and ideals that reflect the institution’s mission of serving the health care needs of Texas. Members of the UTMB community share beliefs that enable them to remain true to this historic public trust despite unpredictable political, legal or market forces. Appreciating variation in style and practice, the UTMB community embraces the principles of professionalism outlined in this charter and celebrates the contributions of each of its members.

Professionalism is the standard of conduct for all faculty, students and staff at UTMB. Here, professionalism is founded on the confidence placed in the university and its people by those we serve—whether that service is delivering patient care, conducting research, mastering a discipline or maintaining the work environment.

Professionalism is also evident in how we, as members of this community, relate to one another. UTMB’s contract with society, spelled out in the following charter, includes the responsibility to set and maintain standards of competence and integrity that are clearly outlined to our practicing professionals, the community we serve, and society at large—for it is the competence and integrity of each member of the UTMB community that fosters the public trust that makes our contract with society possible.

In recent years, factors such as the explosion of medical knowledge and technology, changing market forces, and increasing health disparities have led to questions about the ethical conduct of health care professionals. As a result, members of the health care community at large are increasingly challenged to meet their responsibilities to society as a whole, to one another and to the individuals they serve. In these challenging times, reaffirming the fundamental standards and principles of professionalism at UTMB is vitally important and collectively valued.

From the laboratory where health care advances are first developed to the clinics where care is provided, each member of the UTMB community has an important role to play and a responsibility to society to act in all endeavors with integrity, compassion and respect. This is the essence of professionalism. It is in this spirit that the UTMB Professionalism Charter has been developed.

The UTMB Professionalism Charter

These fundamental principles and professional responsibilities apply to all members of the UTMB community.

Fundamental Principles

Primacy of human welfare. This principle promises to put the interests of others before self-interest. Altruism contributes to the trust that knowledge is used for the singular purpose of promoting the health and well-being of each individual without regard for competing market forces, societal pressures, and administrative exigencies.

Autonomy. The autonomy of all individuals shall be respected. Individuals shall be honest and empower others to make informed decisions in matters that affect them. Such decisions shall be paramount, as long as they are in keeping with ethical standards and practices.

Social justice. Social justice in health care systems, including the fair distribution of health care resources and the elimination of discrimination—whether based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, or any other social category—shall be the responsibility of everyone.
 

Professional Responsibilities

Commitment to professional competence. Every member of the UTMB community shall be committed to lifelong learning and be responsible for maintaining the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for high-quality performance. More broadly, each group that makes up the UTMB community as a whole shall strive to ensure that its members are competent and shall ensure that appropriate mechanisms are available to accomplish this goal.

Commitment to honesty. Every member of the UTMB community shall ensure that interactions with others are honest and based on full disclosure and informed consent. Across all settings on the UTMB campus, each individual is expected to be honest in his or her day-to-day activities. Honesty shall also prevail in situations where errors and injuries occur. Failures of honesty compromise trust in the social contract between professionals and society at large. Prompt reporting and analyzing of mistakes provide the basis for appropriate prevention and improvement strategies.

Commitment to confidentiality. Every member of the UTMB community shall earn trust and confidence by safeguarding personal or sensitive information. This safeguarding applies to all information accessed, collected, and stored by professionals in the conduct of their responsibilities. This commitment extends to discussions with persons acting on an individual’s behalf when that individual’s own consent is not feasible. Fulfilling the commitment to confidentiality is more pressing now than ever before, given the widespread use of electronic information systems.

Commitment to maintaining appropriate relations. Every member of the UTMB community shall protect all those with whom they come in contact from any undue advantage. Given the inherent vulnerability and dependency of individuals who enter into research and therapeutic relationships with professionals, exploitation of any kind shall be avoided.

Commitment to improving quality. Every member of the UTMB community shall be dedicated to continuous improvement in the quality of research, education, service, and health care. This commitment entails not only maintaining competence in knowledge and skills, but also working collaboratively with other professionals to improve service, reduce errors, increase safety, minimize overuse or waste of resources, and optimize outcomes. Professionals, both individually and through their group associations, shall actively work to develop and improve measures of quality, analyze data, and make changes that improve quality.

Commitment to improving access. Every member of the UTMB community shall be committed to working with other professionals, institutions, agencies, and the community at-large to reduce barriers to equitable access to health care services and education.

Commitment to a just distribution of finite resources. Every member of the UTMB community shall promote the wise and cost-effective management of limited resources. All groups on campus shall be responsible for working to achieve the appropriate allocation and use of resources while avoiding superfluous actions.

Commitment to scientific knowledge. Every member of the UTMB community has a duty to promote research, to create new knowledge, to ensure the honest dissemination of that knowledge, and to promote its appropriate use.

Commitment to maintaining trust by managing conflicts of interest. Every member of the UTMB community has an obligation to recognize, to disclose to the general public, and to deal swiftly with conflicts of interest that arise in the course of his or her everyday activities.

Commitment to professional responsibilities. Every member of the UTMB community shall be expected to work collaboratively, be respectful of others, and participate in the processes of self-regulation. Professional responsibilities also include the remediation and discipline of those members who fail to uphold standards of professionalism. Professionals shall also define and manage the education and standards-setting process for current and future members, and engage in internal assessment and external scrutiny of all aspects of their professional performance.

This document has been adapted from Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2002; 136 (3): 243-246, created by the ABIM Foundation, ACP-ASIM Foundation and European Federation of Internal Medicine under the auspices of the Medical Professionalism Project.