Investigating the nature of trust in the medical student-professor relationship: an interview study

Although trust is an essential resource in successful social exchanges, the basis of trust in the student-professor relationship in higher education has not been extensively studied. The purpose of the present study was to gain a better understanding of how trust is developed within a medical school learning environment. To that end, we applied a qualitative approach using semistructured interviews. Interview guides were developed based on the leading model of organizational trust, which posits that trustworthiness can be modeled based on three factors of a trustee, namely their perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity. Eleven faculty members and 11 medical students in their core clerkships agreed to participate, providing in-depth viewpoints that were transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis. Faculty interviews sought to develop a model describing how trust develops in the medical school learning environment, and student interviews interrogated how faculty performed within each trust domain to corroborate best practices. The research team applied interpretive-phenomenological analysis to develop consensus around the key themes. Arising from the data, we propose a model showing how faculty demonstrate their ability, benevolence, and integrity to learners as well as features of a learning environment that promote trust, including positive student traits. Finally, we recommend a series of best practices for faculty wishing to develop a trusting learning climate.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This series of interviews with medical students and their faculty were formally analyzed to shed light on how trust is formed in the teacher-learner relationship. We propose best practice points aimed at promoting a powerful and trusting learning environment in medical school.