Professionalism and the basic sciences: an untapped resource

Medical, technological and societal developments influence doctors' professional responsibilities and present challenges to educating medical students about professionalism. Medical education about professionalism generally focuses on behaviours and competencies which are taught primarily by clinicians in clinical courses and settings.

Many professional competencies in medicine parallel those in science. We consider here whether medical professionalism can also be taught through the basic science courses which often initiate medical education, and which are typically taught by scientists.

Like doctors, basic science faculty staff can teach professional competencies to medical students. Science faculty are well situated to teach professional competencies and should do so. They can model how to pursue evidence and manage conflicting information. They can also provide explicit messages to students about professional competencies and their value, and create learning objectives that reinforce those messages.