Mentoring Profession Part II: Mentoring as a Paradigm for Teaching Medicine

Abstract

Professionalism is the basis of medicine’s contract with society, demanding that physicians focus on patient welfare, respect for autonomy, and social justice while meeting standards of competency and integrity in service provision. Medical students are frequently confronted with conflicting ideas regarding the profession of medicine that stem from inconsistencies between didactic lessons and clinical observations of mentors and practitioners. Teachers and mentors bear the most significant responsibility for the character traits infused in students and residents in their charge. However, a multidisciplinary approach is vital to shape student intellect and skill in such a way that humanistic ideals dominate interactions with future patients. There have been broad efforts over the last several years to ensure that professionalism remains the core of medical training and education. Institutions and national professional organizations alike are responding to the separation of medical practice from its core virtues of compassion, humility, honesty, and courage.