Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: Ethics and professionalism are an integral part of medical school curricula; however, medical students’ views on these topics have not been assessed in many countries.Objective: The study aimed to examine medical students’ perceptions toward ethics and professionalism teaching, and its learning and assessment methods.Design: A self-administered questionnaire eliciting views on professionalism and ethics education was distributed to a total of 128 final-year medical students.Results: A total of 108 students completed the survey, with an 84% response rate. Medical students reported frequently encountering ethical conflicts during training but stated only a moderate level of ethics training at medical school (mean = 5.14 ± 1.8). They noted that their education had helped somewhat to deal with ethical conflicts (mean = 5.39 ± 2.0). Students strongly affirmed the importance of ethics education (mean = 7.63 ± 1.03) and endorsed the value of positive role models (mean = 7.45 ± 1.5) as the preferred learning method. The cohort voiced interest in direct faculty supervision as an approach to assessment of knowledge and skills (mean = 7.62 ± 1.26). Female students perceived greater need for more ethics education compared to males (p = < 0.05). Students who claimed that they had experienced some unprofessional treatment had a more limited view of the importance of ethics as a subject (P = 0.001).Conclusion: Medical students viewed ethics education positively and preferred clinically attuned methods for learning.
Highlights
Whereas knowledge and competencies are the primary goals of formal medical training, an understanding of professional values and ethical conduct is essential for fostering the development of a good doctor [1,2,3]
Students reported encountering frequent ethical conflicts during training. Respondents stated that they had received a moderate level of ethics training during medical school. They reported that their medical education had helped somewhat in dealing with ethical conflicts, and their supervising residents and faculty had been positive role models for ethical and professional behavior
Consistent with earlier reports [19,22], students recorded encountering ethical conflicts moderately frequently during training, and believed they had received a reasonable level of ethics training during medical school
Summary
Whereas knowledge and competencies are the primary goals of formal medical training, an understanding of professional values and ethical conduct is essential for fostering the development of a good doctor [1,2,3]. Ethics curricula have often been structured in relation to abstract bioethical principles rather than considerations of context, trainees’ experiences, and self-identified educational needs [6] This is despite the fact that over the last three decades several studies have shown that a majority of medical students (64–84%) believe that ethical practices are critically important in the provision of the highest standards of medical care [7,8]. In an outcomes-based curriculum experiential, adult learning, social constructivist and reflective theories [10,11,12,13] represent important theoretical frameworks underpinning learning strategies suited to medical ethics teaching and learning; since to develop ethics and professional behaviors all learners should identify their learning needs, gaps in knowledge, and understanding and be able to observe the performance of role models, discuss and make sense of problems, practice application of skills in classroom and clinical environments, and important, to reflect on and express views on the learning process and intended outcomes. Conclusion: Medical students viewed ethics education positively and preferred clinically attuned methods for learning
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