Which values do attending physicians try to pass on to house officers?

CONTEXT: Professional development in medicine includes the acquisition of values and attitudes which are fundamental to the role of the physician. Little is known about which values and attitudes attending physicians emphasize in their teaching of medical trainees to help them develop professionally. OBJECTIVE: To determine the values and attitudes which attending physicians try to pass on to residents in order to encourage their professional development. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using a mailed survey. SETTING: Four university-affiliated teaching hospitals. SUBJECTS: Attending physicians with residency-level teaching responsibilities. MEASUREMENTS: The self-reported single value or attitude that attending physicians try to pass on to house officers. RESULTS: Of the 341 attending physicians who returned a completed questionnaire, 265 (78%) shared the single value or attitude they try to pass on to residents. The four main categories into which more than 95% of responses could be categorized were: (i) caring, (ii) respect, (iii) communication and (iv) integrity. There were no statistically significant differences between the responses given by attending physicians who had been named as excellent role models and their colleagues who had not been so named. CONCLUSIONS: Attending physicians attempt to pass on values and attitudes they consider important for the professional development of medical trainees. Future research might focus on optimal ways to teach these qualities to medical learners.