Mitigating Impostor Phenomenon of Onboarding Military Medical Students: A Workshop Utilizing Situated Learning Theory

Impostor phenomenon (IP), where individuals attribute their success to external factors rather than their abilities, is prevalent in competitive environments like medical school. Research on how the onboarding medical school curriculum influences IP is limited, but recent studies suggest that situated learning theory (SLT) may help inform how we approach IP. This study sought the effects of an SLT-focused, specifically communities of practice and legitimate peripheral participation, workshop during orientation week on IP perception among first- and second-year medical students. Second-year students (MS2) facilitated the discussions with first-year students (MS1) about IP and identity formation, aiming to reduce IP through normalization of IP, shared experiences, and strategies to mitigate IP.

A workshop was held during the orientation week at the Uniformed Services University, School of Medicine. The participants were organized into learning pods consisting of 4 students. An MS2 learning pod was paired with an MS1 learning pod to moderate the workshop activity. One MS2 from each learning pod received training to be moderators. Both MS1 and MS2 participants completed pre- and postworkshop surveys, which included the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), which was the primary measure of IP.

A total of 222 medical students (n = 130 MS1; n = 92 MS2) were included in this study. Before completing the workshop, 53% of participants reported frequent or intense IP experiences versus 43% postworkshop. Overall, 71% of MS1s and 57% of MS2s had decreased (i.e., improved) absolute CIPS score postworkshop, with changes in the range of 1-30. However, 20% of MS1s and 34% of MS2s had increased CIPS score, with a range of 1-24 points. Additionally, proportion of MS1s who strongly disagreed or disagreed that they were admitted to medical school because of luck or chance rather than their skills and abilities increased from 65% before the workshop to 74% afterward. Those who strongly disagreed that they felt like an impostor (or did not belong) on campus also increased from 38% before the workshop to 47% afterward. The percentage of MS1s who strongly agreed or agreed that that comfort levels discussing their own, as well as their peers, IP experiences increased from 66% to 83% and 78% to 87%, respectively. In an open-ended response, participants reported appreciation of the open and safe peer-to-peer discussions as it enabled reflection and normalization of IP, shared best practices and strategies related to reducing IP, and promoted a sense of belonging with fellow military medical students.

Using SLT as our guide, our workshop discussed IP in a near-peer and peer-peer setting that facilitated safe conversations that attempted to normalize IP, which then led to a decreased sense of IP for a majority of students. The workshop reduced feelings of isolation and empowered students to recognize and mitigate IP both in themselves and others, which could contribute to a more resilient and cohesive learning environment. Future research may want to explore why CIPS scores increased for some students after the workshop.