The student code: ethical and professional expectations of medical students at the University of Otago

Medical students at the University of Otago are now required to sign a 'student code' on beginning medical school. This new requirement has been put in place in response to changes to the medical curriculum that have resulted in earlier and increased contact with patients, healthcare staff and the general public, and in order to recognise and formalise the students' own learning needs. While a student code can most obviously be useful for disciplinary and assessment purposes, the authors make a claim for the code to be used as educational tool to assist students to internalise their obligations to others. The student code, while having common values espoused in other extant codes, is framed with the student experience in mind. The authors discuss the process of development, implementation and proposed review.