Minu Mary Mathew

Dr. Kennedy Andrew Thomas

 Textual analysis of the vision and mission
of Catholic Medical Colleges across the
country
 Preliminary Review
 Personal communication conveyed to the
investigator
 Extensive review of related literature
 Medical science challenges the intellectual
competency of the doctor
 Candidate to possess adequate skills and
the right attitude
 True education as the fulfilment of the
pursuit of the individual for the good of the
society -Gravissimum Educationis
 Catholic Medical Institutions function 
objective to be in continuation with the
healing ministry of Christ, as a moral
vocation
 Sound intra and inter personal skills
 Adaptability of the mind
 Ability to make decisions
 Accountability
 A rigorous bent of mind to work hard under
turbulent conditions
 A meticulous learner
 Concern about the well being of the sick
 Conducting oneself with utmost professionalism
 Medical professionalism
 Service Mindedness
 Commitment
-The Ideal Physician, c. 320 BC, 2008) and the Medical Council of
India (India, 2002) in its Professional Conduct, Etiquette and
Ethics Regulations, 2002
 One’s own free will
 Serving humanity, especially the poor and the
needy
 Social service
 Parent’s will and parental support
 Suggestions of friends and relatives
 Acquisition of high social status
 Respect and honour advocated to the
profession
 Financial incentives and gains
 Social status

 Charismatic lifestyle -R, et al., (2014)

 Prospective medical entrepreneurs on the long
run - Personal communication
 Choice of specialization in post-graduate medical
education - Personal communication
 Selection of the right students
 Sustenance in the profession is a challenge
 Students not able to cope  discontinuing
their medical studies
 Non realization of medical science as their
vocation - Maher, et al., (2013); Miah, et al., (2011)
and Yates, (2012).
 Existence of several lacunae existing in the
means of selection of medical students

 Selection  based purely on the basis of

cognitive characteristics rather than the
characteristics of what the candidate
possesses qualities in tandem to what is
expected to be in a doctor

 Need of selecting individuals who have been

“chosen or called for” the vocation of Medical
Science with a divine purpose of healing the
sick.
 The prevalence of a dysfunctional attitude to
the profession in the youth of today

 Re look into the modes of selection at entry

level

 Re look into attitude, traits and values

possessed by students into the profession at
entry level.
 The objective of Education, as cited by the
Catholic Bishops Conference of India have
stressed on the formation of basic human
values

 Spiritual, personal, moral and social

developments of students especially the
marginalized ones in the society.

- All India Catholic Education Policy, 2007

 Medical Science as a career is perceived to be
noble since  goal is to save lives and relieve
suffering, providing an opportunity to serve
fellow human beings more than any other
career

 Status of the doctor is many a times

considered equivalent to a “wonder worker”
or “divine healer”

 Profession  sacred and envisaged

themselves as the ‘representatives of God on
earth’ by alleviating the sufferings of the
deceased
 Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur,
Kerala - managed by reverend priests of the
Congregation of Mary Immaculate (CMI)

 Jubilee Mission Medical College & Research

Institute, Thrissur, Kerala – governed by the
Catholic Archdiocese of Trichur, Kerala

 Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and

Research Centre, Thiruvalla, Kerala – run by the
Thiruvalla Archieparchy of the Syro-Malankara
Catholic Church
 Father Muller Medical College, Mengaluru,
Karnataka- a unit of Father Muller
Charitable Institutions, a Registered Society
sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of
Mangalore

 St. John's Medical College, Bengaluru-

established by the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of India (CBCI) and run by the
CBCI. Society for Medical Education.
 Constant Lievens Academy of Health
Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand - established
by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India
(CBCI) and run by the CBCI Society for
Medical Education
 Development of Professional
Competencies of the student
 Value Consciousness adept to the
Profession and
 Catholic Dimension of Faith
 Compassion for the sick
 Develop competency in the student
 Advocating a holistic approach to patient
care inclusive of physical, social and
psychological healing
 Fostering a spirit of healing vocation to staff
and its students
 Respect for life from womb till its natural end
 Developing values of honesty, integrity in
their students and development of sound
moral values as stated in the Gravissimum
Educationis
 Promoting values of love, brotherhood and
non-violence
 Evoking a spirit of service
 Care for the underprivileged and
marginalized sections of the society
 To grow in the spiritual strength and in
adequate Christian formation of students– as
mentioned in the Ex Codre Ecclesiae
 Emotional maturity- in facing situations of
pressing concern; coping up with pressure and
stress
 Sound skills in Listening, Communication and
Leadership
 Steadfast Commitment to the profession
 Relentless ability to work hard
 Compassion for the sick
 Ability to develop critical thinking and problem
solving skills – in promoting the spirit of inquiry
 Developing values of honesty, integrity, humility
and equality
 Demeanour of a moral code of conduct
 Father Muller Medical College has
highlighted what is expected to be imbibed by
students
  development of “virtues of brotherly love,
compassion in a spirit of service, respect for
life from womb to tomb, deepen their
knowledge and skills in different fields of
medical sciences and to grow in spiritual
strength”.
 Many Catholics believe that a career in
medicine is a calling from God and look to a
tradition that describes Christ as the Divine
Physician who came to heal a wounded
humanity
 Catholic Medical Education provides
possibilities for personal growth of the
medical student emphasizing on values of
commitment to service as a moral
vocation.
 This moral grounding calls for ethical
commitments as in the case of medical
termination of pregnancies, embryonic stem
cell research and assisted suicide
 Many medical colleges, even worldwide,
screen candidates for those who support Pro
Life
 The interview selection process to applicants
in Catholic medical colleges pose several
open ended questions related to ethical
issues.
 Objective  to check their ability to
articulate issues related to medical ethics
 The Sacred Ecumenical Council has also
encouraged the youth to be motivated to
appraise moral values with a right
conscience for a deeper knowledge.
 Certain faculty  unfair to expect higher
secondary adolescents to possess a right
orientation to ethics in compliance with
those expected in from Catholic Medical
Colleges or from the profession of Medical
Science in general
 A rigorous one week interview process for the
selection of its candidates, where the value
orientation and ethical perspective of the
candidate is assessed in issues concerning
medical interest.
 Medical science is still one of the most
sought after career for adolescents- the
reasons being many
 Nevertheless, the number of aspirants for the
profession of Medical Science will never
recede
 The objective of the functioning of the
Catholic Medical Colleges in our country
shows that they play a pivotal role in
spreading the mission of the healing
ministry of Christ on earth.
 Since, one of the colleges to be established is
in remote locales- the call of vocation is to
be felt widespread
 Catholic medical education ascertains ethics
and moral commitment as the prima
challenge to the profession
 Compassion for the sick; a service minded
bent of mind and respect for life are three
essential requisites to be possessed by any
medical aspirant, as stated in the visions of
these six medical colleges.
 However, the success of these colleges in
imbibing the Catholic Doctrine with the ideals
expected from the profession- in their
adolescent population- can be tangible only
once the medical students graduate from these
institutes and confront situations