Perception on medical professionalism among final year medical students
Abstract
Objectives: To find out final year medical students’ awareness on professionalism, its components, how best it can be taught, assessed and the level of importance they give for each component.
Methods: 134 final year medical students were given a previously validated questionnaire derived from the definition by the American Board of Internal Medicine. They were also asked about how professionalism is best taught and assessed.
Results: 83.7% were aware of the term medical professionalism and 12.6 % were aware of its definition. Four components perceived very imporant were: being aware of ones own limitations , punctuality to work, being awailable when on call, and keeping knowledge and skills uptodate. The two components perceived least important were making an effort to exceed ordinary expectations and accepting inconveniance to meet the needs of the patients. 73.3% of students expressed that they learnt professionalism by clinical experience ; 58.5% by lectures and 33.4% by role modeling. Most identified clinical experience(47.4%) and role modeling(21.5%) as preferred methods to teach professionalism. 12.6% expressed lectures as the best teaching method. 3600 evaluation was identified as the best assessment tool by 62.2% students.
Conclusion: Awareness of professionalism and its components is very good. Although they identify these components as important, this perception alone may not necessarily be translated into observed practice. Lectures are not the most desirable teaching method of choice and more emphasis be made on role play and clinical experience as these have been identified as better teaching methods of professionalism where good practice can be demonstrated and motivated in their early medical carrier.
