This oral presentation aimed to offer a unique perspective on medical education curricula worldwide. It was demonstrated how the character of the medical student (proceeding to physician) can be encouraged either to develop, or to whither, under the modern medical curriculum. It concentrated on the modern Problem Based Learning (PBL) process and how clinical ethical reasoning can be encouraged and developed in this arena. It drew on the wisdom of the Ancient Greek and Scholastic Philosophers and looked into their treatment of the moral virtues, paying particular attention to the virtue of prudence. This piece is of timely significance as the General Medical Council in the UK has re-emphasised in new guidance (which came into effect on 1st September 2016) the need for medical students, and in turn qualified doctors, to ‘apply ethical and moral reasoning to their work’. (General Medical Council. Achieving good medical practice: guidance for medical students).
