Tangrams: a simple visual tool for communicating the complexities of professionalism.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Professionalism
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Professionalism is crucial for high-quality healthcare but is complex and challenging to teach and assess.
• Core professionalism concepts like the hidden curriculum and professional identity are often difficult for learners and educators to grasp.
• Existing methods for teaching and assessing professionalism may not adequately address its complexities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an innovative visual tool, using a tangram analogy, to explore core professionalism concepts.
• To improve the understanding of professionalism among healthcare learners and educators.
• To support the design of professionalism programs and assessment strategies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a visual tangram analogy to represent professionalism concepts.
• Application of the tangram model in various educational contexts with healthcare learners and educators.
• Qualitative feedback collection from participants regarding their understanding and practice changes.

Main Results:

• Participants reported a deeper understanding and new insights into professionalism after using the tangram model.
• The tool helped learners and educators to view professionalism differently and identify practice changes.
• The tangram model facilitated a better appreciation of the complexity and uncertainty in professionalism and the hidden curriculum.

Conclusions:

• The tangram analogy is an effective visual tool for teaching and learning complex professionalism concepts in health professions education.
• This approach can enhance faculty in designing professionalism programs, support assessors, and alert learners to the hidden curriculum.
• The model has broad relevance across health professions and potential for further development to explore related issues like reflective practice and teamworking.