Benchmarking "Adequate Professionalism" During Undergraduate Medical Education: An Exploratory Survey Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professionalism Studies
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Assessing medical professionalism is complex due to its broad, contextual nature and ambiguous expectations.
• Defining "adequate professionalism" at various stages of undergraduate medical education is crucial for consistent evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and benchmark student and faculty perceptions of "adequate professionalism" at defined milestones in UK undergraduate medical education.
• To identify discrepancies and agreements in expectations regarding medical student professionalism.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study involving UK medical students and faculty.
• Development of 15 professionalism themes with four behavioral descriptors each, mapped to Miller's Pyramid progression (novice to proficient).
• Online survey administered to 112 participants (74 students, 38 faculty) across 8 medical schools.

Main Results:

• Broad agreement between students and faculty on professionalism standards at different educational milestones.
• Faculty reported higher expectations than students in one theme; students expected higher performance than faculty in 10 themes across milestones.
• Discrepancies noted where students were expected to exceed "novice" levels early or not reach "proficient" levels by graduation.

Conclusions:

• Benchmarks for "adequate professionalism" for medical students at key undergraduate curriculum stages have been established.
• Findings offer insights for curriculum design, targeted professionalism assessments, and future research directions.