Can Professional Attitude Be Taught And Gauged During Medical Education?

During the recent years, medical ethics has evolved as a major concern for the doctors since doctors’ behaviors have come under close scrutiny, highlighting the importance of teaching the right professional attitude to the doctors. 

Despite the formulation of standardized set of medical ethics, it is unclear how professional attitudes can be instilled and evaluated during medical education. Researchers have repeatedly tried to study the possibility of assessing the professional attitude in medical students.  
During a recent study, researchers closely studied professionalism among doctors and the role of medical schools in the development of right kind of attitude. “Attitude’ was defined as the tendency to act in favor of or against a particular notion during specified circumstances. For example, a female asking for abortion might trigger a pro-life attitude in the doctor, causing the doctor to refuse the termination of pregnancy despite patient’s explicit wish. 

Role of Medical Education in Attitude Development

Research has consistently shown medical schools to play a key role in training medical students.

At times, students are taught to modify their behavior in accordance with the policies of the medical schools, leading them to think that adopting contradictory attitude can be harmful for them. 

It’s time that the medical school and hospital authorities realize the fact that they provide the moral grounds upon which the behaviors of medical students and junior doctors are formed.

Professional Training of Medical Students and Junior Doctors 

Training the medical students and junior doctors about empathy, compassion, decision-making and executive skills starts at the very basic level. Communication skills training and teaching of medical ethics and a pro-humanitarian approach have now become an essential part of the medical curriculum in UK and USA since the crucial role of medical education in the development of professional attitude amongst doctors has been realized. 

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Desirable professional medical attitude, as standardized by the governing bodies like GMC, entails prioritizing the patients’ well-being, respecting the patients’ dignity and their opinions, including the patients in the decision-making process, protecting the patients’ confidentiality and being polite to the patients as well as colleagues during the performance of professional duties, amongst others.

However, the extent to which medical students’ behaviors can be influenced through medical education is subject to debate. This is why there is a dire need for formulation of a feasible and reliable scale for the assessment of the level of professionalism amongst students and junior doctors based on psychological traits. 

 The tutors’ behavior towards the students should mirror the attitude that is expected of a doctor towards his patients. Only then, medical students can be ethically trained for clinical practice.