Learning Professionalism Through Movies at Tehran University of Medical Sciences: An Experience Report

Recognizing the importance of improvement of professionalism and ethics in medical students, the association of American medical colleges (AAMC) and the Liaison committee on medical education (LCME) and others have called for medical educators to pay attention to this critical competency and use different methods and tools for teaching professionalism in training. This article will share the author’s experience using movies as a flexible and interactive teaching tool and technique. The taskforce, which aims to teach medical professionalism via movies, was established in 2012 at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). The researchers used movies for teaching professionalism and ethics in medical education as an optional program. First, they invited faculty members, who have expertise and interest in this field. The duration of the programs varied from 3 to 4 hours. During the programs, students received a brief introduction about the program objectives and after implementing the program, they criticized and analyzed them through reflection. An anonymous evaluation form was distributed to evaluate the effect of the program on the students’ motivation and satisfaction. These programs thus provided the opportunity for students to learn medical professionalism by observing and reflecting on movies.