Forms of medical professionalism and their usefulness in the moral education of medical students and young physicians

Abstract

In the article I discuss three types of medical professionalism: traditional, renewed and complex. I also discuss cultural, economic and axiological factors that influence their development. I advance the thesis that complex professionalism is of no avail in the moral education of students and physicians, due to its complicated nature and the arbitrary manner of the specification of its components. In the second, part I reconstruct and present some of the advantages and drawbacks to both traditional and renewed professionalism. I attempt to justify the view that the greatest advantage of professionalism lies in its moral ambivalence. A professional physician should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of professionalism and should be able to properly weigh them under the given circumstances – they should seek Aristotle’s golden mean. In the final part of the article I argue for a moderately optimistic belief regarding the utility of traditional and renewed professionalism in the moral development of medical students and young doctors.