OBJECTIVES: Medical students are selected primarily for their demonstrated ability to acquire information. We wanted MDs to rate their own progress in achieving professional goals for qualities they felt characterized an ideal MD, and whether these qualities were "learnable" versus innate. METHODS: Prospective Cross-sectional Survey. Sample: Consenting MDs chose the 5 most important qualities of an ideal MD from a list of 33. They rated their own progress and assessed how immune each is to education. RESULTS: Of 241 participants, 65% completed training. For the single most important quality, the mean self-assessed grade was 83% (SD15). Grades for the most frequently selected characteristics were: Medical knowledge 75%(69-80), Common sense 87%(82-92), Attentive to patient needs 78%(72-84), Interpersonal skills 82%(77-87), Compassionate 82%(77-87). Innate ratings, and (95% CI) for the frequently selected characteristics were: Medical knowledge 19%(14-23), Common sense 81%(76-86), Attentive to patient needs 57%(50-64), Interpersonal skills 72%(66-78), Compassionate 76%(70-82). The highest grades were in categories rated as most innate. The mean innate rating of the two most common choices, medical knowledge and common sense were: 19% and 81%; the mean grades were: 75% and 87% (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: MDs rated their professional progress at a "B" level in nearly all of the characteristics they felt were important. Three of the top 5 selections were rated as relatively immune to adult educational interventions. Physicians gave themselves higher ratings in areas they felt were least teachable. Based on these opinions one might conclude that medical students should be selected for these qualities.
Learning Objectives: 1. During this session, participants will discuss reasons why physicians rated their own professional progress higher on qualities that they felt were immune to adult educational interventions. 2. During this session, participants will develop and discuss potential solutions aimed at improving the outcomes of the medical education process
Keywords: Education, Physicians
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.