Role Model In Medical Education

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Education is a loan that we hold and teaching is one way to pay it back. As members of scientific fraternity we need to be effective in paying back this loan. Medical education is inclined towards integration of subjects thus we now have longitudinal and spiral themes. Educationists are trying their maximum to make medical education more and more mathematical and objective. In this quest we are missing to integrate role modelling as part of education. In past Students were considered ends and not means to achieve the target of this prestigious job. Nowadays teaching is meant to earn money, it’s a business, quite a contrary to what it was in past. We tend to learn from experience and thus experience should be as refined and effective as …show more content…

Oxford dictionary describes Mentors as "An experienced and trusted adviser" and role model as " A person looked to by others as an example to be imitated". These definitions well explain the concept of role models. It is also evident that Role modelling is not a discrete episode in which students observe rather a continuous state of doing the right thing so students can learn and imitate them. To become a role model you also do not need to be an experienced, senior or trusted person but just need to execute right things in right fashion so students can learn from. Many times learning is an unconscious phenomenon thus teachers need to be conscious of this, as teachers in state of automaticity may do unprofessional things and students do not miss any chance to pick them. Teachers ought to be as role models as they provide students an opportunity to see their future in themselves and this gives a motivation to work …show more content…

, This shows that role modelling not only creates learning environment of the very moment but also directs students for future. Hidden curriculum is in fact more significant in education as it intends to create an environment of professionalism, essential of being a doctor. Role models help students to make their implicit explicit, thus breaking the barriers of oneself.
Role models not only help students in choosing the right way of becoming a professional physician but they also provide an opportunity to choose their future career. GMC has also illustrated attributes of a good teacher who is involved in clinical teaching, it mentions that he should have "An enthusiasm for his/her specialty". Enthusiasm will provide the spark that students will see and inspire.
We need to revisit our scheme of medical education as the product that we want does not matches with what we are teaching them. A teacher in order to be effective role model should never forget his role, even when he is not actively teaching. Teachers should also encourage dialogue with students as this will address misconception of students. There is dire need to increase human contact-a free time in the absence of gadgets that can flourish attributes of a good scholar, student and of a

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