Table 3.
Components of the Professionalism Curriculum at MakCHS according to 1st to 5th Year Students
| Category | Process | Illustrative quotations from transcripts |
|---|---|---|
| Formal | 1st Year course on professionalism | My first tutorial, the tutor was so good, the first thing we dealt with was ethics, he talked about attitude and my attitude wasn't good. I used to be proud, he emphasized the point of respecting and doing good to people; he helped me work on my attitude (1st Year) We learnt professionalism theoretically in 1st year, we read up the codes to be followed (4th Year) |
| Lectures | Dr. Y was giving guidance at the very beginning of the course, I got information so lectures helped (1st Year) | |
| Reading | My point is that it was gained through reading. We read various books (1st Year) | |
| Hidden | The tutorial process | In our tutorials, there are students who have better communication skills and we learn from each other (1st Year) We conduct our tutorials, we set ground rules which we follow and share information and learn how to interact with fellow students (2nd Year) |
| Experiential learning | Through the wards; the exposure has brought out how we are expected to behave, for example every one knows we need screens before we examine a patient (4th Year) First, we learn ethics, then from clinical years, the way you speak to a patient (5th Year) It's a people business, no matter what, there's that element of community members, how to deal with them, you must work with people (5th Year) I have learnt from class and wards, still on the issue of knowing the limits (5th Year) |
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| Community based Education and Service | Interaction with other people when we go for COBES (2nd Year) We have never sat in one place, we move in people's districts so we've learnt and are still learning all that is required of us (4th Year) |
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| Informal | Interaction | Interacting with friends, listening and learning takes place (3rd Year) I've learnt confidentiality by keeping my patients' records, I don't just display them, if you don't respect them, if you don't respect patients, you'll never get knowledge (5th Year) I have learnt to respect others irrespective of their level of education, that is support staff know things we don't know and communication with patients at every level and social status. (2nd Year) |
| Reflection/self awareness | ...but what really impacts itself is what you do, if you can't do that when you are a student, there is no way to do it later on even as a full doctor (5th Year) You realize there are things to consider and accepting your limitations. You see how things are done learning from mistakes. It's a process from exposure (5th Year) |
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| Role modeling and mentoring | I learnt to respect colleagues from a doctor; he is a senior doctor who gives you time to talk to him; he appreciates every one at the same level (1st Year) By examples, so tutors should live as an example and let them go for professionalism courses (2nd Year) On the ward when you use what a senior does so you want to do it the same (3rd Year) Skills passed on from one to another in medicine can't be learnt in books. There has to be a human element who has to be a model (4th Year) The best way to learn is from your seniors, mentoring though it didn't work; 3 students to 1 doctor (5th Year) |
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