Background: A doctor should be able to establish and maintain professional boundaries and must be accountable. Medical students should have commitment to the growth of the medical profession. Professionalism is now a required competency across the continuum of undergraduate.
Objective: To study the level of awareness of social responsibility among fresh medical students and indirectly motivate them toward socially oriented profession by self-assessment.
Materials and Methods: Single group, cross-sectional observation study was done in a medical college in South India after approval by the institutional ethics committee. A total of 248 pre- and paraclinical level medical students enrolled and 237 participated in this study. A descriptive questionnaire addressing the communication attitude, students view on drug abuse, competence to face real-life situations, attitude to social responsibility, and research was issued to them. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 17 summary statistics software.
Result: Among the participants, 69.6% of students had desirable communication attitude, 11.8% had experienced intravenous drug abuse, 75.9% were confident to face real-life situations, 62% showed desirable social attitudes and responsibility, 38.4% expressed self-centeredness, 70.9% were interested in research, and 84.8% expected guidance from teacher. Questions that were not answered were taken as invalid response.
Conclusion: Communication attitude needs improvement by training. Current student behavior needs better relationship between students, parents, and teachers. Facing real-life situations is expected to improve in forthcoming years of study. A minor group of students needs to learn and apply desirable social behavior. Students role in research can be nurtured by teachers motivation and guidance.
Key words: Communication attitude, drug abuse, social attitude, medical students
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