Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
09:52
Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
Experience-based learning: junior medical students' reflections on end-of-life care
Hamish Wilson1, Sally Warmington2, May-Lill Johansen3
1Department of General Practice and Rural Health, Otago Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Medical Education
|May 21, 2019
Summary
Early clinical experiences in end-of-life care shape medical students' professional identity. Support from allied health professionals enhances learning and confidence, even without direct doctor supervision.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Professional Identity Formation
- End-of-Life Care
Background:
- Early experience-based learning is crucial for developing confidence, competence, and professional identity in medical students.
- Pre-clinical exposure to end-of-life care settings can be particularly formative.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how pre-clinical medical students in New Zealand make sense of their participation in end-of-life care.
- To understand the impact of these experiences on student learning and professional identity.
Main Methods:
- Dialogic narrative analysis of essays written by junior medical students.
- Focus on reflections of participation in nursing home placements and personal care of elderly residents receiving end-of-life care.
Main Results:
- Students reported intense learning experiences that altered their attitudes towards death and dying.
- Support from allied health professionals (e.g., caregivers) was vital for student learning, confidence, and participation.
- Reflective writing facilitated sense-making and consideration of professional identity, independent of physician interaction.
Conclusions:
- Students often interpret challenging clinical experiences through the lens of future medical practice.
- Interprofessional support is key for optimizing junior students' engagement in end-of-life care.
- Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms linking experience-based learning, reflection, and professional identity development.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
The history of therapeutic communication can be traced back to Florence Nightingale, who emphasized the importance of developing trusting relationships with patients. She taught that the presence of nurses with patients results in therapeutic healing.
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
01:13Patient-centered Care
Patient-centered care involves delivering care beyond inpatient hospitalization. Reflective practice can enhance a patient-centered approach. Reflective practice is a process of reasoning that considers all aspects of the present situation, including practicalities, learning from personal practice, and consideration of patient needs. Patients appreciate care decisions made while considering their input. Involving the patient in their care provides the patient with a sense of contribution rather...
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
Ethical principles are essential in guiding nurses to fulfill their responsibilities, focusing on the quality of nursing care and decision-making. These principles, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, shape the ethical framework within healthcare settings.
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
01:27Ethical Issues
Nurses are essential in patient care, upholding the ethical principles of their profession and effectively navigating ethical dilemmas. Neglecting ethical issues can lead to inadequate patient care, compromised therapeutic relationships, and moral distress among healthcare workers.
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:30Ethical Dilemmas II
Resolving an ethical dilemma in healthcare involves a systematic approach that considers every aspect of the issue, respecting both the patient's needs and values and the healthcare professional's ethical obligations. Here are potential steps to resolve an ethical dilemma:
01:21Kubler Ross's Stages of Dying
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross significantly advanced psychology's understanding of the process of dying with her influential book, On Death and Dying (1969). She focused on studying terminally ill individuals and outlined five stages commonly experienced when coping with death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
In denial, individuals reject the reality of their condition, often thinking, "This isn't true; I feel fine," as a way to protect themselves from emotional distress. Anger...
In denial, individuals reject the reality of their condition, often thinking, "This isn't true; I feel fine," as a way to protect themselves from emotional distress. Anger...