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Does Pre-clerkship Medical Humanities Curriculum Support Professional Identity Formation? Early Insights from a Qualitative Study

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Abstract

There is a lack of consensus about the outcomes of medical humanities training. In this qualitative study, the authors analyzed pre-clerkship small group discussions to assess the nature of learning in medical humanities. Twenty-two medical students (12 females and 10 males) in three humanities small groups consented to participate. The authors used inductive thematic analysis to qualitatively analyze the text from 13 weeks of curriculum. Findings indicate that students reflect about negotiating the clinician-patient relationship within the stressful environment characteristic of today’s healthcare systems, that they worry about sacrificing their personal values in pursuit of honoring professional expectations, and that they encounter and commonly confront ambiguity. These themes were used to develop a descriptive framework of humanities small groups as a structure and safe space for the early development of professional identity.

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Funding

Characterizing learning and communication in humanities small groups. Woodward Endowment for Medical Sciences Education, 2016–2017.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H134, Hershey, PA, 17011, USA

    Rebecca L. Volpe & Margaret Hopkins

  2. Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Division, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Lauren Jodi Van Scoy

  3. Department of Humanities and Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Daniel R. Wolpaw

  4. Department of Medicine and Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education, Hershey, PA, USA

    Britta M. Thompson

Authors
  1. Rebecca L. Volpe
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  2. Margaret Hopkins
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  3. Lauren Jodi Van Scoy
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  4. Daniel R. Wolpaw
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  5. Britta M. Thompson
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Correspondence to Rebecca L. Volpe.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The IRB at Penn State College of Medicine approved this study.

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Written informed consent was obtained by every study participant.

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Volpe, R.L., Hopkins, M., Van Scoy, L.J. et al. Does Pre-clerkship Medical Humanities Curriculum Support Professional Identity Formation? Early Insights from a Qualitative Study. Med.Sci.Educ. 29, 515–521 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-018-00682-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-018-00682-1

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