CODE OF ETHICS FOR STAFF & STUDENTS

This Code of Ethics of Tagore dental College & Hospital, articulates the behaviour we expect of all members of our community—faculty, students,. The Code reflects our values and our day-to-day professional aspirations for carrying out our mission by caring for our patients, teaching, learning, conducting research, and interacting with our colleagues. Our core values and their associated behaviours emerged from a collaborative effort by all members of our community and they apply to us all.

Our five core values are: Respect, Truth, Responsibilities, Fairness, and Compassion. These core values and their associated behaviours in the manner are described as follows.

Respect

We at Tagore Dental College & Hospital treat all people as we would expect them to treat us.

We acknowledge the dignity, humanity, and sense of self of everyone. We understand that our colleagues and patients come from varied cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. We treat everyone with the same degree of acceptance and deference. We maintain a collegial relationship with all members of the Tagore community. We understand that, by the way we appear and how we behave, we project the image of the School. We are committed to carrying ourselves in a professional manner.

TRUTH

SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH AND TELL THE TRUTH AT ALL TIMES

We adhere to our rules of conduct as written in our Code of Student Conduct, and in our Faculty Handbook, and in the Human Resources Manual. We are open and honest to all about our adherence to these rules and address disciplinary matters with consistency, honesty, and openness.

RESPONSIBILITY

WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO OTHERS AND TO OURSELVES AND TAKE OWNERSHIP IN THE WELL-BEING OF OUR SCHOOL AND COLLEAGUES.

We are all responsible for promoting and establishing this Code and our values in the Tagore community. We talk proactively with colleagues about our Code and values, especially those colleagues who are operating outside the Code.

We carefully balance our roles in healthcare and education. We help Tagore to succeed in its roles of treating patients, educating dentists, and conducting research.

FAIRNESS

We treat others equally and consistently. No one must ever feel that they are treated with bias or prejudicial behaviour by any member of the Tagore community. We do not tolerate unfairness.

COMPASSION

WE EXERCISE UNDERSTANDING AND EMPATHY TOWARD OUR PATIENTS AND COLLEAGUES.

As administrators, faculty, staff, and student body, we care for the School as an institution and for each of our colleagues and patients as individuals.

CODE OF ETHICS FOR STAFF

RESPECT

• The teachers should practice and demonstrate (role-model) interactions with patients that stress listening attentively, communicating clearly, understanding and solving patient problems, and always placing the welfare of the patient above personal interests.
• Should accept and embrace cultural diversity, beliefs, different ways of thinking, and others’ priorities that are present among patients, faculty, staff, and other students.
• Should maintain and promote a safe environment that prevents harassment of any nature at all levels and never abuse authority.
• Should value other staff members and expect fellow faculty and students to treat them with respect and confidence as competent professionals.
• Should treat intellectual property appropriately..
• Should “treat” or “care for” patients—and never “work on” patients.

TRUTH

• Be truthful in communications with patients about all aspects of dental care (diagnosis and treatment recommendations).
• Should demonstrate to students how to communicate with patients in a truthful manner.
• Should demonstrate to students how to describe clearly advantages and disadvantages of treatment alternatives to patients so that together can make the best possible decisions about their care.
• Assume a responsibility to maintain our own professional development and assure that teaching materials are accurate, up to date, and appropriately credited.
• Practice evidence-based decision-making in both patient care and in the classroom.
• Should clearly demonstrate to students the importance of making decisions based on truth.
• Readily admit when things go wrong or mistakes are made and take responsibility to make things right as soon as possible.
• Always consistently act in good faith and work to build confidence in the credibility of TDC faculty.

RESPONSIBILITY

• Acknowledge that you are ultimately responsible for the quality of patient care in treatment centres—it should be everyone’s highest priority. Work with students to ensure that all patients under your supervision are treated well.
• Make sure that what you teach and what you do will give the highest priority to the welfare of the patient at the highest level.
• Enthusiastically encourage participation in community health care programs.
• Support an environment that proactively prevents wrongdoing. Identify and report wrongdoing in the appropriate manner and promote others to do the same without fear of retribution.
• Maintain confidentiality in all aspects of discussion about patients, students, and co-workers.
• Honour time commitments, being punctual for lectures, labs, clinic, and meetings, and be are respectful of the time constraints of others.
• Understand that teaching and learning is an active participatory process and that, in a profession that requires life-long learning, should take a proactive responsibility for our role in learning.

FAIRNESS

• Should be fair and equal treatment of patients.
• Understand their obligation to avoid bias when interacting with students.
• Strongly support policies that eliminate all forms of prejudicial treatment.
• Create an environment where everyone feels safe in expressing their opinions and concerns.
• Deal with wrongdoing (detecting and reporting) with no bias.
• Do not retaliate or allow others to retaliate for negative reports or evaluations.
• We apply the rules of professional conduct and standards for student evaluation fairly.

COMPASSION

• Serve as role models for compassion in dealings with all patients.
• Remember what it was like being a dental student. Understand that the road toward competence and proficiency is a work in progress and strive to support students through their struggles.
• Work cooperatively with students to solve problems.
• Strive to understand all sides of a story.
• Understand that there may be external factors affecting the performance of others.
• Understand that being compassionate toward everyone creates a positive environment for all.

CODE OF ETHICS FOR STUDENTS

RESPECT

• Should demonstrate commitment to professionalism in dentistry by respecting patient autonomy, by listening to patients and understanding their needs, by explaining clearly and thoroughly the treatment options and procedures, and by always placing patient welfare above personal interests.
• Should accept and embrace cultural diversity, beliefs, different ways of thinking, and others’ priorities that are present among our patients, faculty, staff, and other students.
• Treat the Tagore facility and the environment that we all share as if it were our own.
• Respect the contributions and work of others.
• Should “treat” or “care for” patients—and never “work on” patients.

TRUTH

• As health care providers, should be committed to the principle that our patients not only require excellent treatment but also complete and clear information.
• Be truthful with all patients regarding options for treatment, expected outcomes, risks and benefits, costs, time frame of treatment, and possible complications.
• Be truthful to faculty and honest in performances on exams and the completion of homework and patient procedures.
• Be truthful in obtaining faculty signatures and keeping honest records.

RESPONSIBILITY

• Understand that learning to provide patient care correctly ranks above grades and points and personal interests.
• Assist colleagues when they are in need and always strive to be positive contributors to the Tagore community at large.
• Report misconduct and participate in the process of peer review. Complete assignments on time and take responsibility for your education.
• Learn how to communicate effectively with diverse personalities and populations.
• Learn to understand and comply with legal documentation.
• Learn the limits of our skills and practice within them.
• Honour time commitments, being punctual for lectures, labs, clinic, and meetings.
• Learn professional obligations and learn to assess and resolve ethical dilemmas.

FAIRNESS

• Treat every patient equally with no favouritism, and with no prejudice.
• Understand that are all here to succeed. Discourage destructive “cutthroat” competitiveness.
• Understand that all students are classmates and part of a healthcare team. Be unselfish to ensure that your classmates must have equal access to clinical facilities and patients.

COMPASSION

• Appreciate that patients may be fearful and may have difficulty understanding the information you provide. They may also have difficulty responding to your questions and statements. Listen carefully and patiently, seeking to empathize with them and to provide reassurance.
• Work cooperatively to achieve success, without undercutting others.
• Understand that being compassionate toward everyone creates a positive environment for all.