Disciplinary Action by Medical Boards and Prior Behavior in Medical School

The importance of professionalism in medical school is receiving renewed attention.1?6 A fundamental assumption in medical education is that professional students become professional physicians. However, the data to support this assumption are limited.2 In a pilot study of physician graduates of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), we found that disciplinary action taken against physicians by the Medical Board of California was associated with prior unprofessional behavior when the physicians were students.7 We also identified three types of unprofessional behavior that were of particular concern: irresponsibility, diminished capacity for self-improvement, and poor initiative.8 We undertook this case?control study, . . .