Compact Between Teachers, Learners and Educational Staff

Learners pursuing a professional career at Baylor College of Medicine assume responsibility to develop in-depth knowledge, acquire and apply special skills, and demonstrate professionalism. Teachers guide and educate learners, and model appropriate attitudes, interpersonal skills and professional behaviors. Core educational staff support both learners and teachers. This Compact serves both as a pledge and a reminder to teachers, learners, and educational staff that moral, ethical and professional behavior by all Baylor personnel is essential to the basic principles of this institution.

Duty: All participants in the education mission have a duty to sustain a learning environment conducive to maintaining the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for providing contemporary standards of professional behavior.

Integrity: All education participants/parties will behave in a manner that reflects individual and institutional commitment to intellectual and moral excellence.

Respect: Fundamental to the ethic of professions is respect for every individual. Mutual respect between learners, as newer members of the profession, and their teachers, as experienced professionals, is essential for nurturing that ethic. In addition to individual respect, all educational parties must respect and follow established professional policies.

As a teacher, I pledge to:

• Maintain currency in my professional knowledge and skills
• Ensure excellence of the educational curriculum
• Be a Model of professionalism in all of my interactions with faculty, learners, patients, colleagues, and staff
• Respect all faculty, learners, patients, colleagues, and staff as individuals, without regard to gender, age, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation; and oppose observed disrespect or bias
• Nurture learner commitment to achieve personal, family, and professional balance.
• Recognize and acknowledge expressions of professional attitudes and behaviors as well as the achievement of quantifiable academic excellence
• Respond vigorously to unprofessional behavior and indications of abuse or exploitation of faculty, learners, patients, colleagues, or staff
• Create a safe environment in which individuals can communicate any concern about breaches of this compact
• Accept responsibility for instilling these attributes in learners and faculty for whom I have responsibility

As a learner, I pledge to

• Acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to fulfill all established educational objectives
• Embody the professional virtues of integrity, empathy, altruism, compassion, respect, honesty, courage, and trustworthiness
• Respect as individuals, without regard to gender, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation, all patients, peers, faculty and staff
• Uphold the highest professional standards and conduct myself accordingly in all interactions with patients, peers, faculty and staff
• Assist my fellow learners in meeting their professional obligations, while fulfilling my own obligations as a professional
• Help create a safe environment in which individuals can communicate any concern about breaches of this compact

As educational staff, I pledge to:

• Maintain currency in my professional knowledge and skills
• Help ensure excellence of the educational curriculum
• Embody professionalism in all of my interactions with faculty, learners, patients, colleagues, and staff
• Respect all faculty, learners, patients, colleagues, and staff as individuals, without regard to gender, age, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation; and oppose observed disrespect or bias
• Help create a safe environment in which faculty, learners, and staff can work and can communicate any concern about breaches of this compact