REFINING ELEMENTS OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM IN THE UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS

Medical Professionalism

Abstract

Objective: To assess the perception of professionalism in the students of Army Medical College.
Study Design: A survey based descriptive study.
Material and Methods: In the first phase of the study, experts were selected from various fields in medicine through email and their opinion was sought about the most important key elements of professionalism. On the basis of response, in the second phase, weighting of the elements were selected and re-forwarded to the experts for their confirmation. In the third phase, a survey of 1st year and final year was conducted amongst the students about their knowledge, perception and importance of selected element.
Results: The first version of the professionalism assessment scale (PAS) consisted of 35 items. The experts also suggested 10 additional elements of professionalism other than proposed by the researchers. Based on their percentages, 33 out of the 45 items were excluded, so the second version of the PAS contained 12 items. When the mean scores of the different elements were compared among the responses of first year and the final year students, three elements i.e. integrity, teamwork and ethics were found to be significant.
Conclusion: Professionalism assessment scale (PAS) can be used for the assessment of perception of professionalism among undergraduate medical students.