Third-Year Medical Students’ Participation in and Perceptions of Unprofessional Behaviors

BACKGROUND: Students' perceptions of and participation in unprofessional behaviors may change during clinical clerkships. METHOD: Third-year students anonymously reported observation, participation, and perceptions of 27 unprofessional behaviors before and five months after clerkships. RESULTS: Student observation (21 of 27) and participation (17 of 27) in unprofessional behaviors increased (P < .05). Students perceived unprofessional behaviors as increasingly appropriate (P < .05 for six behaviors). Participation in unprofessional behaviors was associated with diminished likelihood of perceiving a behavior as unprofessional (P < .05 for nine behaviors). CONCLUSIONS: Student observation and participation in unprofessional behaviors increased during clerkships. Participation in unprofessional behaviors is associated with perceiving these behaviors as acceptable.