Medical professionalism

Abstract

Medical professionalism is an increasingly commonly used term and the subject of undergraduate education. It is seen as a ‘good’ both amongst health professionals and the public. But what exactly does it mean and how did it develop? This article looks at how medical professionalism originated and how it has led to similar debate and constructs in other areas of healthcare. The article starts with a brief synopsis of how medicine developed as a profession but broadens out to professionalism in general and how professionalism interacts with integrated health care. One will see how history has shaped the conception and subsequent iterations of medical professionalism. Ultimately, medical professionalism can be seen as a response to both external and internal threats to both the individual's identity and the group's identity. Medical professionalism is the mechanism for identifying and developing core unifying characteristics that allow a profession to weather challenges and change.