Medicine is a time honored noble profession. It is a life saving profession. It is not a trade, and making a profit should not be your aim. There should be a large component of service which implies personal sacrifice. The labelling of patients as clients has somewhat undermined this concept. What is medical professionalism? It is the basis of medicine’s contract with society.
It demands to place the interests of patients above those of yourself, setting up and maintaining standards of competence and integrity, and providing expert advice to society on matters of health. Essential to this contract is public trust in medical doctors and nurses which depends on the integrity and expertise of individuals and the whole profession. We live in a materialist world with many temptations, but you always have a choice. Make the right one. The trust of patients cannot be breached. Medicine is a…
