Understandings of professionalism, academic professionalism (AP) and medical professionalism (MP)
| Professionalism | Professionalism has been conceptualised more broadly by Freidson42 as including interrelated features such as: specialised work underpinned by knowledge and skill; authority around division of labour established and monitored through occupational cooperation; protected position in labour force based on occupational qualifications; formal higher education producing qualifications controlled by occupation and occupational ideology of doing good work43 |
| Medical professionalism | By ‘medical professionalism’, we are referring to students’ professionalism in relation to their future professional role (as doctors to be) and within the medical workplace setting such as in hospitals, primary care, etc. Published definitions of medical professionalism vary but often centre on the behaviours and values of doctors and their relationships with patients underpinned by trust. For example, ‘medical professionalism signifies a set of values, behaviours and relationships that underpins the trust the public has in doctors’ (Royal College of Physicians, p. 14)44 and ‘medical professionalism consists of those behaviours by which we—as physicians—demonstrate that we are worthy of the trust bestowed on us by our patients and the public, because we are working for the patients’ and the public’s good’ (Swick , p. 614)1 |
| Academic professionalism | Academic professionalism has typically related to the professionalism of academics including key characteristics such as educational expertise, autonomy, generating new knowledge, altruistic concern for students, etc.45 However, by using the term ‘academic professionalism’ in the current study, we are specifically referring to students’ professionalism in relation to their student/academic role and within the University setting such as classrooms, virtual learning environments, examinations, etc. Understandings of academic professionalism in this sense have typically centred on the academic integrity of students including issues such as examination/assessment integrity (not cheating in examinations, not plagiarising coursework), attendance and punctuality for classes, appropriate behaviours towards University-based staff, not manipulating research data, contributing appropriately to group work and so on.46 47 |