Physicians regularly grapple with situations that can challenge their ability to maintain an ethical health care practice. Ethical dilemmas are not limited to financial matters, but can arise in communications with and supervision of employees, methods used in advertising and marketing or in decisions about patient care. While many times the choices are clear, some situations require knowledge and skills to avoid problems that could lead to sanctions on a medical license or even loss of practice.

The California Medical Association's Institute for Medical Quality offers a Professionalism Program that addresses both the legal and ethical dimensions of the practice of medicine in California, and introduces participants to a range of resources to address present or future problems. The course, approved by the Medical Board of California, consists of a pre-course assessment, a two-day ethics course and a series of longitudinal assessments to track participants’ progress.

The course enables physicians to apply to their practice of medicine a decision model based on ethical principles and California law. The content covers the foundations of the physician as a professional, the legal and ethical dimensions of actions that could result in probation, license suspension or revocation or restriction of privileges. Participants also are given a variety of resources to access when faced with an ethical dilemma.

The weekend course is offered four times a year and limited to a small number of attendees to ensure interactive learning. The next program is February 7-8 at the Hilton Garden Inn - LAX in El Segundo. The course will also be offered in May, August and November.

For more information, visit the IMQ website.

Contact: Leslie Anne Iacopi, (415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org.