PURPOSE: As the importance of teaching professionalism has become more emphasized in medical education, Korean medical educators are trying to introduce and revise new learning materials concerning professionalism. The purpose of this study is to analyze the transition of curricula subjects related to medical professionalism in Korean medical schools. METHODS: A search for the learning subjects was done by reviewing the' Korean Medical Education Guide'from 1998 to present. Subject titles relating to medical professionalism and the time allocation of these subjects in lectures and laboratories in the 41 Korean Medical Schools were identified. The annual increasing rate of related subjects, as well as some characteristic differences between medical schools were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 28 subjects with content on medical professionalism in 1998/99.
There was a rapid increase in the introduction of professionalism to the curriculum annually. Although private medical schools outnumber the public system, there was no significant difference between them in the number of established subjects. But schools with fewer students had more programs relating to professionalism. This may be seen as a reflection of the relatively newly established schools with fewer students being more ready to adopt curriculum reform than older, larger medical schools. CONCLUSION: The results show that there has been a rapid growth in the number of subjects relating to medical professionalism in the curriculua at Korean medical schools. This study focused mainly on analyzing the current subject constellation in the curricula. A further study on the specifics of curriculum content and its teaching method is required.
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