Unit information: Developing Professionalism (Unit 232) in 2012/13

Unit name	Developing Professionalism (Unit 232)
Unit code	MEDIM0005
Credit points	15
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Fowler
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning for Health Professionals
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Teaching and Learning for Health Professionals
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

Professionalism is a core strand in health care teaching and training. In this unit students will explore what it means to be a professional in the health professions. Students will explore relevant definitions of professionalism in order to understand how modern concepts developed and how this impacts on their own area of work. Students will then explore issues around the teaching of professionalism:

• What are the most effective methods for teaching and learning professionalism?
• How and when should professionalism be assessed?
• How does training in professionalism impact on later training and practice?

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit students will have:

• Compared definitions of professionalism in the health professions and proposed an appropriate definition of professionalism for their own context
• Researched the history of the concept of professionalism
• Explored how the development of professionalism in an individual impacts on their[?] training and practice
• Evaluated methods for teaching and learning professionalism
• Formulated appropriate methods for the assessment of professionalism

Teaching Information

• E-learning
• Pre-course reading
• Contribution to online discussion Face to face
• Discussion
• Seminar
• Small group activities

Assessment Information

Formative assessment: feedback on activities and online activities. Summative assessment: (100%): Essay of 3000 words - chosen from:

• Formulate an assessment of professionalism of a specific group of students. Rationalise plan, drawing on relevant literature.
• Analyse a case study to identify issues around professionalism. Develop a session plan for teaching professionalism to your students using this case study.
• What does it mean to be a professional (in a specific context) and how does this impact on health care training?

Reading and References

• Royal College of Physicians (2005). Doctors in Society: Medical professionalism in a changing world. ISBN 1 86016 255 X.
• Cruess RL, Cruess SR & Steinert Y (2009). Teaching Medical Professionalism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-70742-8.
• Stern DT (2006). Measuring Medical Professionalism. OUP. ISBN 0195172264. *Codes of conduct relevant to students.