The program for professional values and ethics in medical education

Medical educators are very interested in the teaching and evaluation of professional attitudes and behaviors among medical students, residents, and faculty. At Tulane University School of Medicine, we created the Program for Professional Values and Ethics in Medical Education (PPVEME) to return the focus of our curriculum to the physician-patient-community relationship and to the nurturing of professionalism.

PPVEME brings together students, residents, and faculty into learning teams that create longitudinal curricula about five themes: integrity, communication, teamwork, leadership, and service. The emphasis is on learner-driven self- and group-reflection about shared experiences, thus modeling essential professional attributes.

The program is evaluated using surveys, student and faculty focus groups, and portfolios developed by student volunteers on each team. The first program event, a retreat for entering medical students, was highly successful.

PPVEME is an attempt to construct a medical school learning environment around professionalism. Evaluation over time will tell how successfully that has been accomplished.