Differences in Faculty and Student Perceptions of Medical Students' Unprofessional Behaviors

This cross-sectional comparative study examined faculty–student differences in perceived importance of medical students’ unprofessional behaviors and explored latent profiles of these perceptions. A total of 115 faculty members and 144 medical students from a single medical school rated the importance of 32 unprofessional behavior descriptors. Item-level differences were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests and Hedges’ g. Subfactor differences and latent profiles were analyzed using 17 validated items comprising three subfactor scores. Faculty rated dishonest behavior (t=3.557, p<0.001) and disrespectful behavior (t=2.041, p=0.042) as significantly more important than students did. No significant difference was observed for lack of responsibility and insight (t=−1.567, p=0.118). Latent profile analysis identified three types: the low perceived importance type (all students: n=5; 1.9%), moderate perceived importance type (n=32; 12.4%), and high perceived importance type (n=222; 85.7%). Most faculty members (94.8%) were classified as the high perceived importance type, whereas students were more widely distributed across profiles (Fisher exact test, p<0.001), including a small subgroup classified as the low perceived importance type. Because the low perceived importance profile was very small, this subgroup should be interpreted cautiously as an exploratory finding rather than as evidence of actual professionalism risk. These findings suggest that faculty and students may broadly recognize professionalism standards but differ in the importance they assign to specific domains. Professionalism education should move beyond transmitting behavioral rules and should promote shared interpretation of professional standards, reflective learning, and educational interventions tailored to learners’ perception levels.