Teaching leprosy: The need for knowledge and for the development of attitudes to work

Abstract

Current approaches to education for the caring professions are often based upon the needs of the people to be served. This is a tremendous advance over subject-based education, and is a powerful educational strategy. However, insofar as educational design is based largely upon the acquisition of abilities to carry out defined tasks, as it often is, and disregards the need for students to acquire willingness to fulfill these tasks with integrity and compassion, it risks producing a cadre of technicians who are competent but uncaring. It is suggested that the use of an expanded taxonomy of educational objectives will be useful to educators, at least as a checklist. It should be helpful in the development of an appropriate balance between training for the acquisition of knowledge and technical skills and opportunities to develop the personal qualities and attitudes necessary for the effective implementation of leprosy programs and the compassionate care of leprosy patients.