Professionalism and narrative medicine

Abstract

This work is a bibliographical review of the challenges of professionalism in medical training. Medicine practiced with narrative competence, called narrative medicine, is proposed as a model for humane and effective medical practice. By virtue of the changes in the practice of medicine during the last years, professionalism values emerge as qualities that should reshape medicine. Several medical associations are redefining professionalism and insist that this issue should be included in the training curriculum. Thus, several medical education institutions are pursuing strategies to teach and assess professionalism. Modeling is still relevant as a learning strategy, but it must be tutored and directed. Also, timely and formative feedback appears as the most frequently suggested evaluative action. Both processes incorporate a personal reflective practice. Several recent studies suggest that a reflective experience is relevant for the formation of a professional identity. Narrative Medicine methodology emerges as an innovative strategy to address this issue, as it seeks to deliver valuable learning experiences to the students through reflection and the search for a new paradigm for medical practice.