Table 3. Aggregated rankings of professional qualities in overall and healthcare provider groups
Professional qualities Overall Healthcare Providers
M X M X B
Unselfishness 22 26 22 28 12
Choose patient's interest over physician's interest 14 19 14 17 5
Desire to help others 4 9 5 12 6.5
Being patient’s advocate 5 7 4 7 2
Being responsible to colleagues 20 23 20 19 9
Being responsible to society and institution 26 27 26 26 26
Self-motivated to practice excellence by being a lifelong learner 18 21 16 18 10
Teach other medical personnel 32 28 29 27 15
Promote research to create new knowledge 33 30 33 30 23
Being transparent and truthful 7 3 7 2 3
Maintain the honor of the medical profession 23 20 25 23 25
Being trustworthy and dependable 2 2 2 1 1
Respect for patients 1 1 1 3 11
Politeness 21 17 21 22 21
Respect for co-workers 13 12 13 10 18
Communicate clearly to patients 9 6 9 6 8
Having proper conversation with co-worker 28 25 28 20 27
Listen and respond to patient's concern 6 8 6 9 4
Being a good team player 10 11 10 8 14
Good leadership 16 13.5 15 13 28.5
Self-control 24 16 24 16 31
Compassionate patient care 3 4 3 5 6.5
Share the feeling of patient's suffering 19 22 19 25 20
Kindness 11 10 11 11 13
Avoid any conflict of interest 29 31 30 33 30
Respect patient confidentiality and privacy 15 18 17 21 19
Adhere to doctor's religious and moral values 36 38 35 38 24
Holistic approach to patients 31 32 31 32 28.5
Excellent knowledge and procedural skills 8 5 8 4 17
Able to treat patients in various situations with limit resources 17 13.5 18 14 22
Responsive to feedback 25 24 23 24 32
Try new behaviors to promote patient care 34 34 34 34 35
Situational awareness 12 15 12 15 16
Wearing a white coat 39 39 39 39 39
Professional attire 38 37 38 36 37
Appropriate grooming 37 35 37 35 36
Complete medical records on time 35 36 36 37 38
Document charts accurately 30 33 32 31 33
Gather data efficiently with limited time and resources 27 29 27 29 34

Key: M: Millennials; X: Generation X; B: Baby Boomers/Silent Generation

Numbers represent rankings for each professional quality by each cohort; one is the most important quality and thirty-nine is the least important quality. Bolded numbers indicate values of the groups that have a cultural consensus

Int J Med Educ. 2018; 9:246-252; doi: 10.5116/ijme.5ba0.a584