Understanding medical professionalism: insights into identity and cultural implications

Abstract

OBJECTIVES : 1. To understand the different ways in which medical professionalism is understood across country cultures 2. To understand what professional identity is and how this related to the different conceptualisations of professionalism 3. To consider how these issues impact upon the teaching and learning of professionalism and the extent to which this can ever be uniform across different country cultures. The term Medical Professionalism is said to signify a set of values, behaviours and relationships that underpin the role of a doctor. The concept of professional identity relates to the degree to which an individual has assimilated their professional role in terms of who they are, rather than just what they do. But these values, behaviours and relationships necessarily differ according to the cultural context in which we live. Drawing on her international programme of research in professionalism across the England, Wales, Australia, Taiwan and Sri Lanka, and the wider international literature around professionalism, Lynn will outline different ways of conceptualizing professionalism and how this can shed light onto the development of professional identities. This work ultimately leads her to ask questions around the education of professionalism and to question the one-size-fits-all approach so often adopted within medical education.