Module 2: Professional Attributes

Module 2 aims to encourage trainees to reflect on and develop the attributes of a medical professional and specialist anaesthetist. This describes the trainee aims, learning objectives and assessment, as well as ANZCA professional documents relevant to Module 2.

Trainee's aims
Learning objectives
Assessment
Appendix
References

Trainee's aims

The aim of Module 2 is for trainees to reflect on and develop the attributes of a medical professional and a specialist anaesthetist.

Medical expert

Achieves excellence in clinical practice.
Analyses, integrates and adheres to ethical care in clinical practice.
Maintains vigilance.
Recognises that patient safety is paramount.

Communicator

Establishes effective relationships with patients, families, colleagues and other healthcare workers.
Resolves issues using sound ethical reasoning.

Collaborator

Demonstrates exemplary practice as a member of a multidisciplinary team, by exercising flexible leadership, consultation and appropriate delegation.
Shows respect for the expertise and concerns of other team members.

Manager

Manages patient care, departmental and personal issues effectively with patience, calm, good humour and insight.
Allocates and uses health-care resources wisely.
Respects the views of others.

Health advocate

Maintains personal health and well-being.
Promotes health maintenance and occupational safety of patients, self and colleagues.

Scholar and teacher

Values advances in scientific knowledge; identifies and appraises them critically for incorporation into contemporary anaesthesia practice.
Enriches knowledge with wisdom.
Maintains life-long learning.
Acknowledges and learns from errors; values appraisal of performance.
Contributes to the education and training of students, postgraduate trainees and other health professionals.

Professional

Recognises that patient confidentiality is essential.
Complies with the relevant policies, recommendations, and guidelines in professional practice as contained in ANZCA professional documents (see appendix).
Exhibits appropriate personal and interpersonal professional behaviours.
Values human diversity.
Delivers high quality patient care in a way that is consistent with ethical and medicolegal obligations of a medical specialist.
Conducts practice with integrity, honesty and compassion.
Accepts peer determinations of clinical competence and professional capabilities.
Recognises and deals with personal and professional limitations.
Demonstrates exemplary practice as a member of a multidisciplinary team, by exercising flexible leadership, consultation and appropriate delegation.
Shows respect for the expertise and concerns of other team members.

Learning objectives

These objectives are what the trainee needs to learn. They include:

Knowledge.
Clinical management (“knows how”) that applies knowledge and clinical skills to manage the patient.
Skills (clinical and technical).
Attitudes and behaviours.

Knowledge - professional attributes

Trainees are expected to understand the following.

Attributes of a specialist.
Principles of medical ethics:

Autonomy.
Beneficence.
Nonmaleficence.
Fidelity.
Justice.
Utility.
The Geneva Declaration.

Declarations of professional conduct, both old and new.
The role of the Medical Board or Medical Council in protecting the public, and promoting good medical practice through the registration of medical practitioners.
Community notions of health, disease and medical care.
Principles of communication with patients including:

Rights and responsibilities of the patient, other staff and the doctor.
Informed consent.
Patient confidentiality.
Privacy legislation.

Principles of communication with colleagues

Methods (verbal, written, consultation or referral).
Manner (courtesy, integrity, respect).
Adequate record keeping (including medicolegal implications of inadequate documentation).

Personal issues including:

Choosing a general practitioner.
Balancing family and work and the importance of non-professional activities.
Depression; recognition and care plans.
Substance abuse; protocols for recognition and access to appropriate referral.
Mentoring; types and their application, including limitations.
Leadership responsibilities and styles.
Team behaviours.
Stress and crisis management.
Conflict resolution.
Use and influences of role models.

Knowledge - education and self-development

Trainees are expected to understand:

Principles of adult learning and continuing professional development.
Principles of reasoning and making informed decisions.
Application of ethics relating to education and feedback.
Roles of supervisor of training, module supervisors, regional education officer, clinical tutor and trainee in relation to teaching and learning.

Clinical management

Trainees are expected to understand major professional issues in clinical practice below. Professional issues are considered in full in Module 12.

Relevant ANZCA professional documents (see Appendix).
Medicolegal obligations:

Registration, recertification, credentialing.
Patient complaints.
Medical indemnity.
Law courts and coroners’ courts.
Impaired colleagues.

Quality assurance:

Principles.
Critical incident monitoring.
Resource allocation.

Skills - clinical skills

Trainees are expected to integrate and demonstrate the application of the above knowledge to their clinical practice by:

Application of medical ethics to clinical problem solving.
Appropriate care for patients irrespective of their race, culture, gender, social class, age or other attributes.
Communication with patients and their relatives; for example, breaking bad news, diagnosing and explaining brain death, requesting organ donation.
Communication via an interpreter.
Effective communication with colleagues, for example, in handing over care, patient referral, consultation requests or assistance.
Maintenance of good anaesthesia and other records.
Implementation of quality assurance, for example, participating in critical incident monitoring.
Risk management.
Crisis management.
Conflict resolution.
Provision of leadership.
Supervision of junior staff in a supportive and professional manner.
Effective time management.

Skills - educational skills

Trainees are expected to learn educational skills in Modules 1 to 3 that will enable them to develop the following:

A review of their personal learning plan as specified in their learning portfolio.
Identification of the factors that lead to deviation from the original learning plan.
A learning plan in the learning portfolio in which basic science teaching is linked to clinical practice.
The trainee should acquire the core skills outlined below.

During basic training

Maintaining a learning portfolio.
Developing a study plan for the rest of the training period.
Reviewing study plans and correcting for deviations (for example, catching up on deficient knowledge or experience).
Reflecting on previous learning experiences with the aid of the learning portfolio.
Linking basic science teaching with clinical practice.
Studying effectively.
Participating in small-group learning and educational activities.
Being aware of decision-making processes.
Managing time effectively for study, work, home and leisure.
Giving and receiving feedback.
Developing insight into personal limitations.
Using the internet including email.
Conducting and appraising literature searches.
Appraising journal articles including the application of statistics.
Carrying out oral presentations and professional communication. Specific skills in communication are outlined in Modules 2, 11 and 12

During advanced training

Reviewing study plans and correcting for deviations (for example, catching up on deficient knowledge or experience).
Reflecting on previous learning experiences with the aid of the learning portfolio.
Comprehending how decisions are made.
Determining what information should be accepted or rejected in decision-making.
Determining the value of information from various sources and the importance of cross validation.
Assessing professional performance.
Conducting and appraising literature searches.
Appraising journal articles including the application of statistics.
Applying the principles of evidence-based medicine to clinical practice.
Carrying out oral presentations and professional communication. Specific skills in communication are outlined in Modules 2, 11 and 12.
Presenting quality assurance exercises or projects.
Developing facilitation skills, such as tutoring in small-group learning and conducting small-group meetings.

Attitudes and behaviours

Trainees are expected to develop attitudes and behaviours that are obligatory in specialist medical practice.

Core attitudes that trainees must cultivate during the anaesthesia training program are outlined below.

Specialist practice

To attain the attributes of a specialist as a:

Medical expert.
Communicator.
Collaborator.
Manager.
Health advocate.
Scholar and teacher.
Professional.

To practise good communication with colleagues, patients and others.
To work as a member of a team but to assume responsibilities and to delegate duties as a team leader when necessary.
To commit to, and believe in, a culture of safe and ethical, high quality care.
To accept that medical knowledge and skills are not the only requirements of specialist practice.
To be aware of medicolegal obligations relating to medical practice.
To have insight into one’s own limitations, abilities and areas of expertise.
To commit to lifelong continuing professional development.

Professionalism and ethics

To commit to, and believe in the ethical and professional principles of:

Altruism: the best care for the patient must be the principal driving force of practice.
Patient autonomy: patients’ ability to determine their treatment.
Beneficence: the principle of “doing good” to patients.
Non-maleficence: the principle of not doing harm to patients.
Fidelity: faithfulness to one’s duties and obligations. This principle underlies excellence in patient care, confidentiality, telling the truth, a commitment to continuing professional development and lifelong learning, and not neglecting patient care.
Social justice: the right of all patients to be fairly treated.
Utility: the principle of doing the most good for the greatest number of people.
Duty to oneself in terms of personal health care and maintenance of competence to practise.
Accountability: the anaesthetist is responsible for his or her actions.
Honour and integrity in all conduct, including the generation and use of resources.
Respect for others, including a responsibility to work as a team and to practise conflict resolution.
Appropriate response to clinical error.

Patient considerations

To commit to, and believe in, the rights of patients with respect to:

Autonomy.
Confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship.
Informed consent.
Comprehension of the risks of anaesthesia techniques.
Appropriate care irrespective of race, culture, gender and socio-economic status.
Research considerations.
To value rigorous educational and scientific processes.
To distinguish between practice with a sound scientific basis and that which requires further objective assessment.
To commit to the ethical principles of research.

Assessment

Completion of Module 2 must be validated by a module supervisor or your supervisor of training. Completion of this module can be undertaken in either basic or advanced training, but you must have completed at least 26 weeks of training prior to obtaining sign-off. You must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of education skills, attributes of a specialist anaesthetist, medical ethics, communication, attitudes, and professional practice issues. Evidence of completion must be included in the learning portfolio.

The supervisor of training and other consultants will evaluate the trainee’s performance in the in-training assessment (ITA) process, reviewing aspects of clinical performance, education skills and attitudes. The ITA will remain a formative assessment conducted every six months, independent of module assessment.

Aspects of knowledge and clinical management in Module 2 that are relevant to professional practice may be examined in the final examination.

The learning portfolio is an integral tool for self-assessment (as well as for recording clinical experience and developing study plans). The trainee is expected to self-evaluate his or her education skills and learning experience using the learning portfolio. For example, the learning portfolio should show the trainee’s progress through the module, as records of technical skills learned, topics reviewed and oral presentations delivered.

The learning portfolio is mailed to each trainee upon their registration with ANZCA. A PDF copy can be downloaded from the ANZCA website.

Appendix

Relevant ANZCA professional documents for Module 2. These are periodically updated on the Professional Documents page on the ANZCA website and in the ANZCA Bulletin. See also Appendix in Module 1.

Training and educational

Professional standards

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