Preparing Doctors in Training for Health Activist Roles: A Cross-Institutional Community Organizing Workshop for...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Physicians face increasing demands to address health inequities stemming from social and structural determinants.
• Limited formal training exists for physicians in leadership skills necessary for tackling these inequities effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce medical interns to community organizing as a framework for physician advocacy.
• To equip participants with public narrative skills for building relationships and fostering collective action.

Main Methods:

• A 3-hour cross-institutional workshop was developed for incoming medical interns across Boston-area residency programs.
• The workshop incorporated didactic sessions, video examples, and small-group practice focused on community organizing and public narrative.
• Evaluation was conducted via a post-workshop survey.

Main Results:

• 51 residents from 13 programs attended the workshop.
• Post-workshop surveys indicated high participant agreement on the workshop's value and impact on knowledge (mean score > 4/5).
• Qualitative feedback highlighted feelings of solidarity, community, and enhanced professional identity.

Conclusions:

• The workshop successfully introduced community organizing and public narrative principles to medical interns.
• Participants applied public narrative skills and recognized their utility in physician advocacy.
• The training reinforced motivations for medical careers and generated interest in further community organizing education.