Muslim doctors are those qualified doctors who practise their professional knowledge and skills in line with Islam and upholds the highest standards of ethical and professional behaviour. The medical curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) was designed with the integration of Islamic input which aims at producing doctors who are able to practise medicine that is integrated with Islamic, moral and ethical values. Halaqah Studies and Fundamental Islamic Knowledge (FIK) courses such as History of Medicine in Islam, Science and Medicine in Quran and Sunnah, Akhlak and Tasawuf, Islamic Jurisprudence and Medical Ethics and Fiqh Issues are taught to students during the pre-clinical and clinical phases. Memorization of selected Quranic verses throughout the programme aim to get the students to apply the verses of the al-Quran into practice in everyday life and especially in their clinical practice. Islamic values are emphasised during doctor-patient interactions in all clinical postings. Islamic knowledge and values integrated in the curriculum are assessed in written and clinical examinations. The outcome of the integration of the Naqli component in the medical curriculum has been demonstrated positively by the students in the patient management problems and clinical consultations. Studies on the outcome of the integrated Islamic input in the medical curriculum among the clinical students and graduates are being carried out.
Introduction: The Medical Faculty of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) aims to produce good Muslim
doctors (GMD) who are able to practise medicine that is integrated with Islamic values. Islamic courses and
Medical Ethics are integrated into the curriculum in its effort to provide adequate Islamic knowledge and
nurturing professionalism as a process of personal and professional development (PPD) within the framework
of Islamic teaching. The objective of the study was to evaluate the perception of graduates and students of
characteristics of a GMD. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the participants. The
respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement or disagreement on the statements that represent
the characteristics of a GMD. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using SPSS version 18.0. The
mean, median and inter quartile ranges of the characteristics were determined and differences between the
groups were analysed using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Results showed significant difference between
gender for the item “Conscious of professional ethics” (p=0.021). Significant differences were seen in the
median scores between the graduates and the final year students in four out of six items for personal
characteristic. Conclusion: Islamic input in the medical curriculum and the teaching of professionalism has
an impact on graduate perception of characteristics of a GMD. Further improvement in the teaching of
professionalism among undergraduates is necessary in order to promote greater impact on the understanding
and internalization of characteristics of a GMD. The Islamic input in the medical curriculum can thus be
regarded as the blueprint for PPD of medical undergraduates to become a GMD.