Becoming a physician: students' creative projects in a third-year IM clerkship

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professionalism in Medicine
• Humanities in Medical Curricula

Background:

• Limited understanding exists regarding the impact of humanities-based components on medical student professionalism.
• Medical curricula often lack methods to assess or foster professionalism development effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To qualitatively analyze how medical students utilize creative-project assignments to explore professional development.
• To understand the role of humanities integration in shaping medical students' professionalism.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative analysis was conducted on 221 creative projects from 277 third-year medical students.
• Projects reflected on problematic or meaningful illness-related incidents during internal medicine clerkships.
• Process and content analyses were employed to examine student reflections.

Main Results:

• Student projects varied in format and style, examining socialization into medicine.
• Key themes included student-patient relationships, confronting mortality, understanding patient experiences, and managing stress.
• Creative projects facilitated exploration of professional identity and ethical considerations.

Conclusions:

• Creative projects serve as a valuable supplement to traditional clerkship activities.
• These assignments enhance medical students' reflection on the process of becoming a physician.
• Integrating humanities fosters critical self-assessment and professional growth in future doctors.