Physicians must be compassionate and empathetic in caring for patients, and must be trustworthy and truthful in all of their professional dealings. They must bring to the study and practice of medicine those character traits, attitudes, and values that underpin ethical and beneficent medical care. They must understand the history of medicine, the nature of medicine's social compact, the ethical precepts of the medical profession, and their obligations under law. At all times they must act with integrity, honesty, respect for patients' privacy, and respect for the dignity of patients as persons. In all of their interactions with patients they must seek to understand the meaning of the patients' stories in the context of the patients' beliefs, and family and cultural values. They must avoid being judgmental when the patients' beliefs and values conflict with their own. They must continue to care for dying patients even when disease-specific therapy is no longer available or desired.

For its part the medical school must ensure that before graduation a student will have demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the faculty, the following:

• Knowledge of the theories and principles that govern ethical decision making, and of the major ethical dilemmas in medicine, particularly those that arise at the beginning and end of life and those that arise from the rapid expansion of knowledge of genetics
  
  
• Compassionate treatment of patients, and respect for their privacy and dignity
  
  
• Honesty and integrity in all interactions with patients' families, colleagues, and others with whom physicians must interact in their professional lives
  
  
• An understanding of, and respect for, the roles of other health care professionals, and of the need to collaborate with others in caring for individual patients and in promoting the health of defined populations
  
  
• A commitment to advocate at all times the interests of one's patients over one's own interests
  
  
• An understanding of the threats to medical professionalism posed by the conflicts of interest inherent in various financial and organizational arrangements for the practice of medicine.
  
  
• The capacity to recognize and accept limitations in one's knowledge and clinical skills, and a commitment to continuously improve one's knowledge and ability