The AMA was founded in part to establish the first national code of medical ethics. Today the Code is widely recognized as authoritative ethics guidance for physicians through its Principles of Medical Ethics interpreted in Opinions of AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs that address the evolving challenges of contemporary practice.
Having contact with patients is essential for training medical students, and both patients and the public benefit from the integrated care that is provided by health care teams that include medical students. All physicians share an obligation to ensure that patients are aware that medical students may participate in their care and have the opportunity to decline care from students.
Medical students who volunteer to act as “patients” are not seeking to benefit medically from the procedures being performed on them; their goal is to benefit from educational instruction, yet their right to make decisions about their own bodies remains. In the context of practicing clinical skills on fellow students, instructors should ensure that medical students’ privacy, autonomy, and sense of propriety are protected.