Assessment of Professionalism in Dental Education

Objectives: Identify concepts of professionalism in dentistry and the domains within this construct

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with participants purposively recruited within a sampling matrix to ensure a wide representation of relevant viewpoints. Data analysis used a thematic framework induced from the data and informed by the literature on professionalism.

Results: Professionalism is a complex construct that is both multifactorial and context dependant and is a second order competence or meta-skill that can only be demonstrated when doing something. Context variables included: changes over time, influences of institution/culture, need to be flexible and varying professional image. Domains included: Vocational features such as autonomy, self motivation and (self) confidence; Altruism such as caring, service exclusion of self-interest; Trust including fairness, honest, integrity, responsibility; Accountability including transparency, justifiable, accountable; and Reflection seen as understanding own limitations, empathy, emotional intelligence. The presence of ‘reflection' as a domain emphasises the second order nature of professionalism, which is also inferred from the fact that it appears to encompass other areas of competence such as technical and communication skills and that it is seen as vague, related to the way of thinking and includes both behaviours and attitudes.

Conclusion: Initial findings are in accord with the descriptions of professionalism found in the literature. The dimensions identified will form the basis for an assessment system for undergraduate dental students