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 Integrity”, 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 the11(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.