Stimulating Medical Student Professional Identity Formation Through Mentored Longitudinal Partnerships With Patient...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Identity Formation
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Longitudinal patient relationships are crucial for medical students' professional identity formation (PIF) and understanding of illness.
• Traditional block clerkship models often limit opportunities for sustained patient interaction.
• The Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) model offers benefits but is not always feasible.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and evaluate the novel Patient Student Partnership (PSP) program.
• To assess the feasibility of integrating mentored longitudinal patient relationships into a traditional block curriculum.
• To explore the impact of the PSP program on medical students' learning and professional development.

Main Methods:

• The PSP program pairs medical students with patients with chronic illnesses for longitudinal mentorship.
• The program is integrated into a 4-year required curriculum at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
• Survey data from the first full cohort (Class of 2022) were collected at 5 timepoints over 4 years.

Main Results:

• 80.6% of graduating students agreed the PSP program allowed observation of chronic illness trajectories and daily life impacts.
• Student surveys indicated the PSP program facilitated connection between classroom learning and clinical practice.
• Students reported meaningful roles in patient care, improved communication skills, and enhanced self-reflection.

Conclusions:

• The PSP program demonstrates feasibility for integrating longitudinal experiences into block curricula.
• Further research is needed to compare PIF development in PSP participants versus LIC models.
• Program development will focus on clarifying roles and enhancing engagement between students and patient teachers.