Role Modeling: A Precious Heritage in Medical Education / Učenje po modelu: dragoceno nasleđe u medicinskom obrazovanju

Summary Role modeling is a powerful form of learning and an integral part of medical education. Although role modeling has a longstanding history, it has not received enough attention in medical education. The aim of this study was to present a comprehensive review of the literature to describe dimensions of role modeling in medical education. Review of the literature was undertaken using the international databases with the following search terms or their combinations: “role modeling”, “observational learning” and “medical education” up to September 2014. Relevant articles were retrieved. A total of 39 articles were included in this review. The results showed that clinical excellence, humanistic personality and excellence in teaching composed three essential elements of role modeling. Basic outcomes of role modeling in medical education are humanism and professionalism. In conclusion, role modeling as an outstanding educational approach has been recommended for enhancing humanism and professionalism in medical education.