Communication Skills and Professionalism: The Self-Assessment of Golestan University of Medical Sciences' Students

Background: Communication is a human skill that can develop through learning and teaching, Although, this is an integral component of clinical activities of physicians, still the dominant attitude in medical education is biological. There is a little attention to communication skills in formal medical education program. The aim of this study was to determine communication skills and professionalism of medical students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences by self-assessment. Methods: In this cross-sectional study in 2009, eighty medical students through non-random sampling were studied. The data collected by a valid and reliable questionnaire contained demographic, communication skills, and professional behaviors questions. Results: Eighty% of the students were female and the mean age of them was 22.3 years. 2.5% of the students evaluated their communication skills at average level, 25%  good, 56.2%  very good, and 16.2% excellent. None of students were assessed as weak in communication skills. 48.8% of the students evaluated their professionalism as "good". The relationships among communication skills, professional behavior, and demographic date were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: Some of the evidences indicate that in spite of positive attitudes of physicians to having good behavior with patients, failure is common. Although the students evaluated their communication skills and professional behaviors at good level, however they were not in touch with real professional situations as the same independent physician.