Determining the cognitive base (core knowledge of the nature of
contemporary professionalism, its history and evolution, and the
reasons for its existence in society) is often so difficult that many
programmes neglect to take this essential first step. In the absence
of a stated cognitive base, including a definition, the concept of
professionalism remains indistinct for students, the reasons for
the presence of professional obligations not fully understood and
the relationship between teaching and assessment is not logical.
It follows, therefore, that the initial challenge in developing a
professionalism programme is to agree upon a definition consistent
with the literature on professionalism so that faculty and students
share the same understanding and use the same vocabulary.