“It's All About How You Carry Yourself About”: How Medical Students Conceptualize Professionalism in Trinidad & Tobago

Abstract

The study revealed diverse attitudes with some embracing the ethical standards of a high calling that whilst others were concerned that too much was expected, that they had a right to break free and be themselves as long as they did not transgress too far from their expected roles. There were two distinct groups both concerned with 'how' they 'carried themselves about' but this meant different things to each dependent on which of the two perspectives they embraced. As a whole, the study revealed an ongoing conflict of value systems with concern for patient welfare just remaining uppermost. Insights: As The University of the West Indies has now stepped into the field of medical professionalism actively it would hope to support students in resolving their conflicts more consciously in response to the range of philosophical stances which currently present themselves.

Beyond ‘born not made’: challenging character, emotions and professionalism in undergraduate medical education

“…The RCP’s definition excludes the option that medicine might not be considered a vocation for some (although it certainly is for many), but in its phrasing and didacticism, insists that doctors must adhere to a set of long-ago developed characteristics. The dedication that ‘vocation’ suggests can become analogous to a ‘totality of being’; while some may relish this, a vocational pull and idea of being constantly on duty does not appeal to or sit comfortably with many entering the profession (Youssef, Peters, and Youssef 2016, 372). Recent studies which engage with medical students’ perceptions of professional identity show a strong trend of resentment for the vocational model, wanting medicine to be a job, a part but not a totalising whole of their lives; a part of their identity, but not the whole of it (Youssef, Peters, and Youssef 2016).…”

“…The dedication that ‘vocation’ suggests can become analogous to a ‘totality of being’; while some may relish this, a vocational pull and idea of being constantly on duty does not appeal to or sit comfortably with many entering the profession (Youssef, Peters, and Youssef 2016, 372). Recent studies which engage with medical students’ perceptions of professional identity show a strong trend of resentment for the vocational model, wanting medicine to be a job, a part but not a totalising whole of their lives; a part of their identity, but not the whole of it (Youssef, Peters, and Youssef 2016). Studies also suggest that the notion of a vocation or calling is particularly troubling to female medical students, concerned that ‘self-sacrifice might turn into self-effacement’ (Johansson and Hamberg 2007, e3).…”