Requirements of ethics-oriented faculty members in universities of medical sciences: A meta-synthesis approach

The aim of this study was to identify the requirements of ethics-oriented faculty members in universities of medical sciences. This qualitative study was conducted following the six-step method of Sandlowski and Barroso (2007). The meta-synthesis team consisted of faculty members specialized in the field of higher education management, familiar with the method of searching databases, educational planning, curriculum planning, and having a good command of meta-synthesis research method. Twenty-six relevant research sources were used as the basis for the analysis, which resulted in extracting 10 main requirements for ethics-oriented faculty members in universities of medical sciences. These included personal ethics, educational ethics, research ethics, faith, intra-university management ethics, inter-university management ethics, interaction ethics, responsibility ethics, and justice ethics. Data validation was done using validation and transferability techniques through researchers’ self-review and data alignment as well as researchers' reliability and alignment. Due to the pivotal role of universities in the future of students, the importance of recognizing and observing professional ethics in these environments is of special interest.