The National Medical Commission (NMC) on Monday issued guidelines on professional responsibilities of medical students asking them not to indiscriminately post patients and patient related information on social media.
It also underlined the need for them to learn the local language in order to effectively communicate with patients and participate in community events.
It states that medical students are expected to dress decently and appropriately in all their professional endeavours.
According to the guidelines, during their clinical training, medical students should politely present themselves as students to patients, while understanding that patients are not a means to an end.
The guidelines advise medical students to take care of themselves and lead a healthy lifestyle and especially avoid alcohol, tobacco and other substances of abuse. In case of substance abuse, students are expected to seek treatment and counseling.
Under “responsibilities related to personal development”, the guidelines state that students should be sensitive to patient needs and maintain confidentiality of medical information as well as inform the treating team to ensure proper management. should be responsible for. As per the guidelines issued by Dr Yogendra Malik, Member, Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of NMC, “They should be aware of their limitations and not be tempted to give advice regarding treatment or counseling without proper instruction from their teachers. should avoid.”
The guidelines urge students to engage in research under the guidance of their teachers during their MBBS course. They should be familiar with the guidelines of ICMR governing the research.
The guidelines urge medical students not to post indiscriminately on social media regarding patients and patient related information.
It underlined that students should be aware of the usefulness of social media as well as the potential occupational hazards associated with its indiscriminate use.
Students are expected to be honest and practice integrity during all examinations. Cheating in any form is a form of corruption which not only defeats the purpose of examinations but is also contrary to what is expected of a medical student.
The guidelines highlight that whenever possible, students should participate in health camps/health awareness campaigns as learning at the community level is also an essential component of medical education.
During community interactions, students face diversity in education, living standards, social support systems, access to infrastructure, health access, and environmental conditions, etc. Such knowledge and experience is essential if students are to understand the social context of the patients who visit the hospital. and be able to participate in health promotion and disease prevention activities in the community.
Under “Responsibilities towards society and national goals”, the guidelines state that medicine is a social and ethical endeavor and therefore medical students are expected to dress decently and appropriately in all their professional endeavours.
It encouraged medical students to conduct regular environmental audits of the campus to identify problem areas related to the environment and initiate suitable programs such as tree plantation, reduction in the use of single-use plastics and judicious use of water.
Furthermore, in keeping with the role of a citizen-physician, students are encouraged to stay abreast of new health laws being discussed in Parliament or in a state.
As per the guidelines, students are expected to learn the local language so that they can communicate effectively with patients during their studies, participate in community events related to health education, health promotion and prevention, and prepare for natural disasters, calamities Can assist in health services in situations like this. health emergencies etc. through proper channels and under supervision. The spirit of social service and nationalism should be an integral part of medical education.
As far as the support framework to ensure optimum functioning and development of medical students is concerned, medical colleges should have a conducive environment for medical students to achieve optimum personal and professional growth.
Medical colleges should ensure that adequate and appropriately trained faculty are available for the education of students as per the prescribed NMC standards.
They need to ensure that the students have adequate clinical exposure and need to conduct all the examinations and certifications prescribed by NMC with integrity and honesty.
“Cheating should be dealt with strict action. Colleges should not inflate internal assessment marks and students should expect a fair and unbiased examination process. Medical colleges should ensure that ragging is banned and violations are punished. Strict action should be taken in the situation.”
To create awareness against tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse, institutions should undertake or support well-designed programs such as anti-drug campaigns on campus and encourage others through such campaigns at the community level. Students should be involved in educating.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)