Abstract: Objective To analyze the expression of ″mission, vision and values″ of medical schools domestically and internationally, so as to inspire insights and provide a reasonable framework for a better articulation of these concepts. Methods Under a holistic and cultural view, a text-based discourse analysis was conducted from October to December 2022, which compared 22 medical schools domestically and internationally in terms of their expressions of ″mission, vision and values″. Results There is a lack of clear and definite articulation of ″mission, vision and values″ among medical schools in Chinese mainland. This might hurt the international profile of its medical education and cause misunderstanding in the international exchanges. Absence of mission statement reflects a different way of thinking and language use. Conclusions Medical schools in the new era face emerging challenges worldwide. Internationalization should be fully considered in training future health professionals and creating a platform for global dialogue. In order to better address it, medical schools in Chinese mainland need to revisit how their ″mission, vision and values″ are articulated and communicated to the world. Thus each medical school can align the understanding and pace in the implementation of action plans under the guidance of its mission statement and realize the goals and vision accordingly.

Key words: Medical schools, Mission, Vision, Values, Textual analysis, Cultural discourse studies