Modernized education of traditional medicine in Korea: is it contributing to the same type of professionalization seen in Western medicine?

In Korea, the teaching of traditional medicine (TM) has been institutionalized for more than five decades, and accordingly the formulated educational system has a structure similar to that of Western medicine (WM). The authors therefore assumed that TM and WM students would share similar attitudes and values regarding professionalism. To test this hypothesis, we administered a questionnaire to TM students nationwide, and compared the results with those of WM students. We found that, despite the large differences in philosophy, concepts, and clinical content between the medical disciplines, the professional socializations of TM and WM students were progressing in a similar way.