Medical Professionalism

Although individual doctors have their own personal beliefs and values, there are specific professional values that all doctors are expected to uphold in their practice. Key aspects of professionalism in medicine include:

• Ethical Practice: Adhering to moral principles and medical ethics, such as confidentiality, informed consent, and patient autonomy.
• Accountability: Being responsible for one’s actions and decisions, and being answerable to patients, colleagues, and the profession.
• Commitment to Competence: Continuously updating and improving one’s knowledge and skills to provide high-quality care.
• Altruism: Putting the needs and welfare of patients above self-interest.
• Respect for Others: Treating patients, colleagues, and all members of the healthcare team with dignity and respect.
• Honesty and Integrity: Demonstrating truthfulness, transparency, and moral uprightness in all professional interactions.
• Compassion and Empathy: Showing concern for the suffering and well-being of patients.
• Confidentiality: Protecting patient information and ensuring privacy.
• Collaboration: Working effectively within a healthcare team to provide the best possible patient care.
• Reflective Practice: Continuously reflecting on and learning from one’s experiences to improve future practice.

Upholding these key aspects of medical professionalism is crucial as the doctor-patient relationship is one of a high trust relationship by nature. So, medical schools are looking for candidates who are future doctors mostly likely to display such qualities, values and attitudes. And an effective communication skill helps operationalise these qualities and gain confidence from patients. 

In medical interviews, questions are naturally designed in such a way to test the candidates on these qualities. So, always critically analyse the scenario/question and identify issues that relate to these qualities.