Standing out with Professionalism: How do Students and Faculty of two different Medical Schools perceive it?

Background and Objectives: Medical professionalism is an essential aspect of medical education and practice worldwide. Our objective was to explore and compare the perception as recommended sanctions about professionalism lapses, using the [Dundee Polyprofessionalism Inventory I: Academic /ntegrity], among the faculty and the students' of two different medical schools in Saudi Arabia

Methods: Respondents from the two medical schools in Saudi Arabia, recommended sanctions for the first time, absolute lapses in academic professionalism were determined by using the "Dundee Polyprofessionalism Inventory 1: Academic Integrity"

Results: On comparing the faculty and students' responses [from College of Medicine, King Saud University] with the published data [from another, unidentified medical school in Saudi Arabia] we found alignments in recommending sanctions for 14 [46.66%] behaviours among faculty and again concerning thel 1[36.66%] behaviours among the students of both cohorts

Conclusion: The results can be used to emphasise on the improved teaching and learning strategies in undergraduate medical students' understanding of professionalism

Similarities and variances in perception of professionalism among Saudi and Egyptian Medical Students

Background and Objective: Professionalism has a number of culturally specific elements, therefore, it is imperative to identify areas of congruence and variations in the behaviors in which professionalism is understood in different countries. This study aimed to explore and compare the recommendation of sanctions by medical students of College of Medicine, King Saud University [KSU], Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and students from three medical colleges in Egypt

Methods: The responses were recorded using an anonymous, self-administered survey "Dundee Polyprofessionalism Inventory I: Academic Integrity". In the study 750 medical students of College of Medicine, KSU, Riyadh were invited and a questionnaire was electronically sent. They rated the importance of professionalism lapses by choosing from a hierarchical menu of sanctions for first time lapses with no justifying circumstances. These responses were compared with published data from 219 students from three medical schools in Egypt

Results: We found variance for 23 [76.66%] behaviors such as "physically assaulting a university employee or student" and "plagiarizing work from a fellow student or publications/internet". We also found similarities for 7 [23.33%] behaviors including "lack of punctuality for classes" and drinking alcohol over lunch and interviewing a patient in the afternoon", when comparing the median recommended sanctions from medical students in Saudi Arabia and Egypt

Conclusion: There are more variances than congruence regarding perceptions of professionalism between the two cohorts. The students at KSU were also found to recommend the sanction of "ignore" for a behavior, a response, which otherwise was absent from Egyptian cohort