Learning the ropes together: assimilation and friendship development among first-year male medical students

This study explores the mutual influences of friendship development and organizational assimilation processes among first-year male medical students. Interviews and observations were used to examine the ways students constructed and enacted their friendships with male classmates during the process of assimilating into medical school. The study also examined how the male friends viewed the influence of their friendships on their assimilation into medical school and how the assimilation process simultaneously influenced their developing friendships. Thematic analysis revealed that although the men perceived their medical school friendships as "not yet close," the friendships provided them with valuable tangible and socio-emotional support during the rigorous assimilation process and that the assimilation process paradoxically facilitated as well as hindered the development of friendships. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.