Clinical and preclinical professionalism: Perception of undergraduate students

Abstract

Objective: To determine student perception of professionalism in preclinical and clinical years of MBBS at the Bahria University Medical and Dental College (BUMDC), Karachi, Pakistan Methodology: This comparative cross sectional observational study was conducted at the department of physiology, over a period of 6 months. A university based survey design using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among first, third and final year medical students at BUMDC. The survey included demographic details of the subjects and responses to 10 open ended hypothetical scenarios based on the values and attributes of medical professionalism. Results: In the clinical group (third and final year), 230 students responded out of which, 152 were females and 78 were males. In the preclinical group (first year), 129 students responded out of which, 66 were females and 63 males. There was a statistically significant difference among the two groups for questions 1 and 8, as it was more acceptable for the clinical group to sign in a student in a lecture in their absence and to do a ward round unshaven, than the preclinical group. Conclusion: Medical students had a good understanding of acceptable professional behaviors. Less professional behaviors were categorized as unacceptable and more professional behaviors as acceptable.