Defining medical professionalism across the years of training and experience at the uniformed services university of the health sciences

Abstract

Background: Many medical institutions have moved forward with curricular objectives aimed at teaching professionalism, but the question remains: Are we teaching the most appropriate content at the most opportune times to maximize sustained learning? The students’ point of view of professionalism is helpful in addressing this question. Aim: To describe the views of professionalism held by students and faculty at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Methods: In e-mailed surveys, students and faculty free-texted the three most important characteristics of a professional. Qualitative analysis was used to analyze the results. Data were compared on the basis of the percentage of each group affirming one of the characteristics. Results: Fourteen characteristics of professionalism were found. There were significant differences across all participant groups in the characteristics that each indicated were most important. Conclusion: Differences emerge between definitions of professionalism that appear to relate to training and experience. Students’ views of professionalism reflect the immediate context of their educational environment. Curricula targeted to the students’ foci are relevant in teaching professionalism.