A comparison of four models of professionalism in medical education

Abstract

Introduction: The prevailing consensus is that medical professionalism must be formally included as a programme in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify institutions that can serve as models for incorporating professionalism in medical education. Differences and similarities were highlighted based on a framework for the comparison which included the following features: Definition of professionalism, curricular design, student selection, teaching and learning innovations, role modelling and methods of assessment. Results: Four models for integrating professionalism in medical education were chosen: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM), University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM), University of Queensland (UQ) School of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical School. The task of preparing a programme on medical professionalism requires a well-described definition to set the direction for planning, implementing, and institutionalising professionalism. The programmes are best woven in all levels of medical education from the pre-clinical to the clinical years. The faculty physicians and the rest of the institution’s staff must also undergo a similar programme for professionalism. Conclusion: The development of all scopes of professionalism requires constant planning, feedback and remediation. The students’ ability to handle professionalism challenges are related to how much learning situations the students encounter during medical school. The learning situations must be adjusted according to the level of responsibilities given to students. The goal of learning is to enable students to grow from a novice to a competent level and afterwards to a proficient and expert level handling professionalism challenges in medicine.