Training medical students in ethics and professionalism: Potential challenges and solutions

Abstract

From the global perspective, the medical curricula that is being designed and implemented across medical colleges, place more emphasis on acquisition of knowledge and skills. Ethics and professionalism are indispensable traits in the making of a successful medical doctor. Even though medical ethics has been acknowledged and regarded as an integral component of the medical curriculum, we cannot ignore the presence of a curricular gap. As far as professionalism in medical education is considered, we have to acknowledge that a wide range of challenges exist with reference to its teaching and assessment, including the involvement of stakeholders. To conclude, the training component for medical students on ethics and professionalism has been undermined in multiple settings. However, as these are indispensable aspects in the making of a competent medical professional, we must identify the prevailing challenges and accordingly design our action plan to seamlessly integrate training on ethics and professionalism in the medical curriculum.