| Medical education as moral formation: an Aristotelian account of medical professionalsim. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20173298 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The medical professionalism movement, bolstered by many influential medical organizations and institutions, has in the last decade produced a number of conceptual definitions of professionalism and a number of concrete proposals for its measurement and teaching. These projects, however laudable, are misguided when they treat professionalism as a unitary descriptive concept rather than as a contested and therefore primarily evaluative one; when they conceive professionalism as a domain of medical practice separable in principle from other domains; and when they treat professionalism as, in principle, a specifiable goal or product of sufficiently well designed educational curricula. The logic of professionalism-as-product corresponds to the logic of techne (art or practical skill) in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle provides a cogent argument, however, that the moral excellences denoted by "professionalism" cannot be "produced" or even prespecified in the concrete; rather, they must be acquired through long practice under the careful concrete guidance of teachers who themselves embody these moral excellences. Phronesis (practical wisdom) rather than techne must therefore be the guiding logic of educational initiatives in medical professional formation, with particular emphasis on close mentorship and on the moral character both of students and of those who teach them. |
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Authors:
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Warren A Kinghorn |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Perspectives in biology and medicine Volume: 53 ISSN: 1529-8795 ISO Abbreviation: Perspect. Biol. Med. Publication Date: 2010 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-02-22 Completed Date: 2010-09-16 Revised Date: 2010-11-09 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0401132 Medline TA: Perspect Biol Med Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 87-105 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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DurhamVA Medical Center, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC 27705,USA. warren.kinghorn@duke.edu |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Attitude of Health Personnel Education, Medical / ethics*, methods Ethics, Medical* Humans Morals Philosophy, Medical* Physician's Role* Physicians / ethics*, psychology Professional Competence |
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