An enquiry into the current and the desirable status of professors’ professional ethics from the perspective of students in Birjand University of Medical Sciences

Higher education as a professional system plays a substantial role in the teaching and transfer of moral values, which takes place through the curriculum and by the experienced professors. The aim of this study was to determine the current and the desirable status of observing professional ethics in teaching by faculty members from the viewpoint of students in Birjand University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 2016-2017. In this cross-sectional study, 302 students who were studying at the University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 2016-2017 were selected through randomized sampling based on their field of study and gender. The research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 69 items (4 main components and 17 sub-components) with items on the Likert scale. Its validity was confirmed by experts as 0.85 and its reliability was calculated by Chronbach’s alpha as 0.78. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS19 software using paired t test and t in two independent samples. The average score of the favorable condition of observing professional ethics of professors from students' point of view. 3.8± 0.73 and the average favorable condition for observance of professional values was 4.74 ± 0.77. There was a significant difference between the mean status of professional ethics in all of its components with favorable status (P <0.05). This study indicated a significant difference between the current and the desired status of professional ethics and its components in teaching; therefore, it can be admitted that universities need to plan for the teaching of professional ethics to professors and for cultural development in this field.