Medical students' perceptions of cheating.

In 1985, 683 students at a large private upper-midwestern medical school were surveyed concerning the appropriateness of traditional cheating behaviors and behaviors related to professional misconduct and dishonesty in patient care. They also rated the acceptability of various rationalizations for these behaviors. The students agreed that traditional forms of academic cheating are inappropriate, but they did not agree about the appropriateness of certain behaviors in the areas of patient care and professional misconduct.