Exploring professionalism in medical educators : from model to tool

• Main Author: Ball, Kerry Louise
• Other Authors: Ryan, Charly ; Rickenbach, Mark
• Published: University of Winchester 2008
• Subjects: 610.7
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.503839

The aim of this research was to explore professionalism in medical educators, mostly from a primary care background, in a mixed method research design. Previous research on profesSionalism has focused on medical students and doctors. However medical educators are responsible for teaching professionalism to medical students. Professionalism is a complex and developed state, which must be explored in context to a specifiC role. This study was an exploratory sequential mixed method research design, with two distinct phases. The first was a qualitative phase involving exploration into the concept of professionalism within the doctors' role of a medical educator. This exploration inCluded a literature review and open-ended survey on professionalism, which led to the development of a model of professionalism for medical educators. The second phase involved the design and piloting of a tool, the Professional Reflective Enrichment Tool (PRET), that could be used to enhance professionalism in medical educators, using the model developed in phase one to structure the tool's development. The model of professionalism offered a unique insight into the medical educator's role. In this research, a resource to encourage reflection was used to enhance aspects of professionalism. Reflection was encouraged by developing a series of scenarios, based on the model, designed to pose professional dilemmas. Formative feedback was provided based on this reflection. The PRET was piloted using both assessors and users. A high multi-rater reliability was found. The pilot testing used 53 medical educators, 75% of whom were from primary care. A three-stage model of reflective thinking was developed using existing, tested models of reflection to structure formative feedback to the PRET. Qualitative data comments indicated that the PRET did promote a state of reflection and that the formative feedback was useful. This research offers a unique resource to encourage reflective thought and professional development in medical educators. By providing a structure to this thought the educator is able to apply the resource to their own practice, in personal reflection and implicit or explicit teaching methods.