What Will You Protect? Redefining Professionalism Through the Lens of Diverse Personal Identities

Date of Review: May, 2023

This module, from MedEdPORTAL, describes a 2-hour long session during orientation for first-year medical students designed to define professionalism, provide live and written case-based experiences of challenging intersections between professionalism and personal identity in medicine, and facilitate small group-based self-reflection among medical students about their own identity and how that can be compatible with professional expectations. Challenges of this resource include: a significant portion of students may not feel comfortable expressing their opinions in randomly formed small groups and that this module is standalone and not able to provide longitudinal support for students as they proceed in school and graduate medical education. The module cultivates bonds among students in their shared experiences and concerns about their personal development as professional physicians, which through their survey data is a common concern of medical students as they start medical school. Overall, this format may be more effective in engaging students than the traditional lecture-based didactic session used for medical school orientation. —Victor Quan, MD, NCEAS

Corresponding Author’s Email:

abhatialin@mednet.ucla.edu

Institution:

University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine

Where was the Curriculum Implemented:

Los Angeles, CA

Outcomes that Have Been Reported for the Curriculum:

Learner Satisfaction or reaction

Self-reported learner attitude

Outcome and Study Design:

Post only

Level of Learner Assessment

Appreciation of content/attitude assessment (self-reflection, blogging with rubric)