In relation to a doctor’s fitness to practise, therefore also medical students, the GMC states:

To practise safely, doctors must be competent in what they do. They must establish and maintain effective relationships with patients, respect patients’ autonomy and act responsibly and appropriately if they or a colleague fall ill and their performance suffers. 

 

But these attributes, while essential, are not enough. Doctors have a respected position in society and their work gives them privileged access to patients, some of whom may be very vulnerable. A doctor whose conduct has shown that they cannot justify the trust placed in them should not continue in unrestricted practice while that remains the case.

A medical student’s fitness to practise may be impaired by reason of:

• misconduct
• deficient professional performance
• a conviction or caution in the British Isles (or a conviction elsewhere for an offence which would be a criminal offence if committed in England or Wales)
• adverse physical or mental health
• not having the necessary knowledge of English
• a determination (decision) by a regulatory body responsible for regulation of a health or social care profession, either in the UK or overseas, to the effect that their fitness to practise as a member of the profession is impaired

Risk to patients, public or bringing the profession into disrepute

If a medical student’s behaviour suggests they may be a risk to patients or the public, or may bring the profession into disrepute, the school or university will launch a formal investigation.

If there is sufficient evidence to call into question a medical student’s fitness to practise, the school or university can deal with the issue without the need for a fitness to practise committee.  For example, a warning, educational remediation, educational agreement or offer an undertaking might be more appropriate.

The outcomes of an investigation could also refer the case to a fitness to practise panel or committee.

The role of the fitness to practise committee is to make a decision on a student’s fitness to practise, based on the evidence of the investigation.

The committee or panel can find that:

• the student has sufficiently addressed any concerns relating to health or conduct and poses no risk to patients or the public, nor any risk to undermining the public’s trust in the medical profession;
• the student’s fitness to practise is not impaired, but the committee may issue the student with a warning if their behaviour has significantly departed from expected standards; or
• the student’s fitness to practise is impaired, in which case the committee will need to consider any mitigating or aggravating factors when deciding an appropriate outcome or sanction.

If the student’s fitness to practise is impaired the committee can:

• agree undertakings
• apply conditions
• suspend the student from the medical course
• expel the student from the medical course