Students’ professional value guidelines and their formation when studying at a medical college

Abstract

Introduction. The paper provides an overview of domestic studies on professional value guidelines in health professionals. The results of a theoretical analysis revealed the leading component of professional value guidelines in health professionals – the adoption of the principles of humanism and justice as the highest values.

Materials and methods. This was quantitative and qualitative analysis of the structure of professional value guidelines by the groups of ultimate and instrumental values revealed by M. Rokeach “Value orientation” technique. The participants comprised 148 students of the medical college.

Results. The analysis of the hierarchy of values revealed that students grouped them in units on certain grounds. The study revealed the leading values in the structure of the medical college students’ value guidelines, as well as qualitative differences in value guidelines in students of different years of education. The comparison of students’ professional value guidelines determined the significance level of the differences. The period between the first and the second year of education is characterized by the highest level of dynamics of the hierarchy of ultimate values. The period between the third and the fourth year of education is characterized by the highest level of dynamics of the hierarchy of instrumental values. The study revealed concrete, abstract, ethical, individualistic, altruistic, and other values.

Discussion. Organizational pedagogical conditions contribute to the formation of professional values at the medical college.