What makes medicine a profession

Older definitions of professionalism pitched the doctor in an exclusive group, defined through specialist knowledge and expertise. Today, information about health and disease is available to anyone with access to a computer, and the definition of professionalism in healthcare has had to adapt and change in an increasingly consumerist healthcare sphere. The report agreed that professionalism in healthcare can be defined as:.

Furthermore, the RCP working group concluded that in their day-to-day practice, doctors are committed to:. As medicine is a profession, such thinking follows that all doctors are automatically professionals. However, this booklet serves to show this is not the case.

Modern medical professionalism is something that can, and indeed should, be learnt. Being aware of the expectations of a professional can help to improve patient care. It is important to continually develop communication skills, clinical knowledge and team-working skills in order to help improve standards.

In other professions, too, similar qualities of trust, responsibility and integrity apply. The onus on standards and regulation is not solely on the medical profession. There is a flip side to the pressures of striving to be professional in the medical profession. Perfectionism is a common trait amongst doctors.

People who are perfectionists strive for flawlessness, set excessively high standards of performance, and tend to be overly critical of their behaviour. It is important to remember that doctors are human too; mistakes will be made, and sometimes doctors will fall short of the high ideals that the public, and they themselves, expect. Adverse outcomes can result from care in the most experienced hands — it is not necessarily a sign of poor care or lack of commitment. True professionalism comes into play when mistakes are made.

Knowing what to do when things go wrong and how to react appropriately can make all the difference in ensuring high standards of patient care are maintained and a speedy resolution is reached. More can be found on what to do when things go wrong in Chapter 4. You can either download a PDF version of the guide by clicking here or use the links at the bottom of each page to read online.

Chapter 2: Professionalism - What does it look like? As a busy clinician we know it is a challenge to fit in training and development. Our online programme of webinars and interactive modules can be accessed at a time and place to suit you. A one-day event consisting of interactive and practical sessions, with the aim to enhance skills in achieving more effective consultations and handling of adverse outcomes.

Workshops are expertly facilitated, using a blend of presentations, small group discussions and activities, case studies, reflective exercises and opportunities to rehearse skills. Cabot in the beginning of his talk said that he did not come to persuade his hearers that medicine was the only profession worthy of their attention.

He said that there were many drawbacks to the practice of medicine, and he pointed out several of them. In the first place, medicine is not a money-making profession. There are few physicians in the country that make as much as one hundred thousand dollars a year. The average income is comparatively small. In England the average income of a physician is seventeen hundred dollars a year. In addition the doctor has no vacations; he must work day after day. But despite these objections, which keep many men out of the profession, there are a number of opportunities that appeal to the strong, manly man.

Medicine brings the practitioner into contact with all sorts and conditions of people as no other profession does. Rich, poor, and people of the middle class; men, women, and children come to the doctor and tell him things which they would not mention to their minister. Moreover, the physician sees them under the best and the truest condition. Suffering brings out the best in the man. Next to the opportunity for contact with humanity, the excitement of the profession offers the greatest appeal.

Once you become a doctor, you become part of an elite community and experience the pride of being a medical professional. We all have faced times when a doctor comes to our rescue, took charge of the dark time, and ignited light of hope. While we all aim to achieve specific goals in our lives, we all know that we enjoy the journey more than we appreciate the realization of our goals.

The field of medicine is fascinating too. Being in a position of understanding the human body and knowing how to bring it back on track and the experiences in between are the ones that you will cherish for your lifetime.

Each time you cure a patient, the patient will thank you, and you will thank yourself for being a doctor! There can be millions of reasons to pursue a career in medicine and become a doctor that can be listed here.

However, the most important reason is your own calling. Pathway to become a doctor is not an easy one and if you want to become a doctor, you need self-motivation and an unshakable reason for pursuing a career in medicine that should come from within. While the nine reasons that are listed above are great causes to go for medical education, they are incomplete without the particular reason that only you have.

Adhere to your intuition, and you will get your calling that will stay with you throughout your medical journey. Deciding to pursue a career is not an easy task. To help medical aspirants and youngsters like you, we crafted this guide to help you crystal clear why you should become a doctor.

I hope, it will help you in deciding the right path. He is one of the scintillating scholars who got opportunity to study from Johns Hopkins medical university USA. A man without passion is just like being alive but not living. He has also walked the ramp for leading Indian designers and international brand as well as for FDCI. He has also acted in music album and presented many brands as their brand ambassador like A3. He is writing two fiction also which are illegal recipe and blue bucket list.

Nakshatra Gujrati. Akshay G Paraskar. Abinaya Suresh.