Self-reported attitudes and behaviors of general surgery residents about ethical academic practices in test taking. Surgery 2010 Aug;148(2):178-80
Date
06/15/2010Pubmed ID
20542528DOI
10.1016/j.surg.2010.04.016Scopus ID
2-s2.0-77955298875 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 5 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: A correlation exists between people who engage in academic dishonesty as students and unethical behaviors later as professionals. Academic dishonesty has been assessed among medical students, but not among general surgery residents. We sought to describe the attitudes of general surgery residents with regard to ethical practices in test taking.
METHODS: A survey with 4 scenarios describing activities related to examination taking that may or may not be considered unethical was administered. Participants were asked about participation in the activities-either personally or any knowledge of others-and whether the activities were unethical.
RESULTS: Fifty-seven of 62 residents (92%) participated. For each scenario, >70% indicated that neither they nor anyone else they knew had participated in the activities. Behaviors deemed unethical included memorizing or using memorized questions to prepare for future tests (52%), selling questions for financial gain (90%), and purchasing previously used questions (57%). No difference in attitudes was seen among incoming interns, junior-level (postgraduate year [PGY]1-3), or senior-level (PGY4-6) residents.
CONCLUSION: Overall, general surgery residents indicated that they had not participated in activities they felt to be unethical. Defining what is unethical was less clear. This represents an area for further education.
Author List
Grignol VP, Gans A, Booth BA, Markert R, Termuhlen PMMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Attitude of Health PersonnelBehavior
Certification
Educational Measurement
Ethics, Medical
General Surgery
Humans
Internship and Residency
Specialty Boards
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States
