The understanding, attitudes and perceptions of chiropractic master’s students regarding professionalism

Introduction Professionalism is described as ethical behavior that is expected amongst the members of a profession, and refers to the conduct, qualities, vision and/ or goals that characterize or mark a professional person and ensures that there is quality workmanship or service. This research shows an insufficiency of studies on the understanding, attitudes and perceptions of Chiropractic master’s students regarding professionalism and its parts that may be improved. It is critical to comprehend this information to provide training for Chiropractic master’s students and ultimately improve the practice of professionalism so that unprofessional behavior is not perpetuated in the Chiropractic profession. Aim The current study aimed to explore and describe the understanding, attitudes and perceptions of Chiropractic master’s students regarding professionalism and to understand their views on what parts of professionalism may be improved at the selected University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal. Method The study was conducted at a selected University of Technology in KwaZulu Natal, utilizing a qualitative descriptive and exploratory research approach to understand the professionalism phenomenon from Chiropractic master's students’ perspectives and responses. Purposive sampling was used to select 14 Chiropractic master’s students. However, data saturation was reached with the twelfth participant, and two more participants were interviewed to confirm data saturation. The participants who were willing to participate in the study were from the selected University of Technology in the eThekwini District in KwaZulu-Natal province. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions for data collection. A deductive thematic content analysis was employed for data analysis to identify themes for the study. The themes were discussed as findings, and the discussion and conclusion were made based on the findings. vi Findings The participants displayed a limited understanding of professionalism. However, their attitudes were positive and their perceptions varied according to each participant’s understanding of professionalism. Their overall interpretation omitted fundamental aspects that constitute professionalism. The themes that emerged during the analysis of data were: Chiropractic master’s students’ understanding regarding professionalism; Chiropractic master’s students’ attitudes regarding professionalism; Chiropractic master’s students’ perceptions regarding professionalism and its parts that may be improved. Conclusion Chiropractic master’s students must obtain a full understanding of professionalism as it could improve their competence during clinical training. The introduction of professionalism workshops, seminars and possibly a professionalism module in the Chiropractic program would benefit Chiropractic master’s students to ensure quality health services to their patients.