Assessment of professionalism in undergraduate medical students

This thesis investigates professionalism in undergraduate medical students. Professionalism is comprised of values and behaviours that underpin the contract between the public and the medical profession. Medical errors are reported to result in significant morbidity and are in-part related to underdeveloped professionalism. The aim was to determine whether aspects of professionalism were underdeveloped in medical students. A questionnaire with 24 clinical and medical student vignettes was taken by Year 2, 4, and 6 medical students from UNSW Medicine 3801 and their responses where compared to responses from practicing Clinical Academics. Second, fourth and sixth Year medical students' responses differed from Academics in two aspects of professionalism, firstly, high ethical and moral standards and secondly, humanistic values such as integrity and honesty.A second component of this thesis was to determine whether student's responses to professionalism changed as they progressed through the medical program. Year 2 and 4 students had very similar responses except for the aspect responsibility and accountability. Similarly, the Year 2 and 6 students differed in only two of eight aspects of professionalism, that is, high ethical and moral standards and humanistic values and responsibility and accountability. These findings suggest that students' approaches to some aspects of professionalism do change slightly as they progress through a medical course, however there does not appear to be a clear decline or development of professionalism as a whole.Responses from the Year 2, Medicine 3801 and Medicine 3802 (new medical program) medical students were compared and no statistically different responses. This finding would indicate that professional behaviour was very similar between these two groups of students.Certain aspects of professionalism seem to be underdeveloped in medical students compared with Academics. These aspects of professionalism may need to be targeted for teaching and assessment in order that students develop as professionally responsible practitioners. In turn, students with well-developed professionalism may be less involved in medical error, and if involved they may have the personal values which can help them deal with error more honestly and effective