FIMA Year Book 2009 - Federation of Islamic Medical Associations

Teaching Medical Professionalism:An Islamic ApproachMohamed Hatta Shaharom*AbstractThe universal concept of teaching of medical professionalism highlights thepractice of medicine as a moral endeavour that requires a rigorous applicationof behavioral and ethical standards and scientific training. Before the medicalstudent becomes a medical practitioner, he must be taught and trained topractice the core values of professionalism in his life: dedication, respect,compassion and empathy, honesty, altruism, responsibility, integrity, selfimprovement,magnanimity and accountability.The student-centred approach of learning is an effective way for the medicalstudent to acquire the understanding of medical professionalism.Through an integrated Islamic approach on the teaching-learning of medicalprofessionalism, medical students in their early years in colleges, who areidentified to be unwilling to be properly educated, should be counseledand if they show no signs of improvement, they should be guided to leaveundergraduate medicine and choose a different course in their lives.Keywords: Medical professionalism, student-centred approach, Islamic MedicalEducation.Prof. Mohamed Hatta ShaharomDean, Faculty of MedicineCyberjaya UniversityCollege of Medical Sciences (CUCMS)MalaysiaE-mails: hatta@cybermed.edu.myhattashaharom@yahoo.comFIMA YearBook 200957