We lived and breathed medicine - then life catches up: Medical students’ reflections

Abstract

BackgroundReflective writing enhances personal and professional development. It is essential for the teachers to be familiar with the students’ perceptions to improve the students’ learning. Our aim was to deepen the understanding of the medical students’ perceptions of the studies and the coming profession.MethodsOur theoretical perspective is constructivist, based upon the relativist view that individuals construct realities to understand and navigate the world. Constructivist methodologies are hermeneutic, with the focus on understanding rather than explaining. Thirty-five written reflections were collected in the first and fifth semesters at Lund University Medical School, Sweden. We used a thematic analysis, close to editing style analysis, inspired by K Malterud, who has modified Giorgi’s phenomenological method.ResultsFor first-semester students the focus is on studies and methods to structure them. The fifth semester is permeated by strategies for achieving a sense of ‘good enough’, qualities of a good doctor and applicability. Clinical placement as a motivating element is important for both semesters.ConclusionsA sense of ‘good enough’ is crucial for students to get by. Reflective writing can illuminate the strategies for achieving this. Clinical placement is vital for motivation.

Characterization of medical students recall of factual knowledge using learning objects and repeated testing in a novel e-learning system

“…The feedback that is thus formed between the quiz and the study task further promotes the spaced repetition of study and self assessment sessions and can improve student engagement, the main driver of successful learning. This is even more important at a time where students need to define tangible goals that allow them cope with course demands [ 79 ].…”

Considerations in the use of reflective writing for student assessment: issues of reliability and validity

“…In response, medical educators have developed tools that support the growth of reflective capacity in learners, or the ability to review, interpret and understand experiences in ways that achieve deeper meaning and guide future behaviour . Reflective writing is one such tool that is used increasingly in the context of learning portfolios …”

“…9,10 Reflective writing is one such tool that is used increasingly in the context of learning portfolios. 4,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] The rise of reflective writing as an educational tool has resulted in tentative, but increasing, assumptions and expectations among medical educators that it can also be used as an assessment tool to formally assess a medical student's reflective capacity 'as an indicator of professional development', 10 with respect to both identity formation and growth in interpretive, relational and reflective skills. 10,12,20,22 Fuelling these assumptions and expectations is the growth of the competency-based education movement in medicine, 23,24 which requires assessment mechanisms to affirm that students have accomplished key milestones over the course of their training.…”

Professional Conduct of Clinical Teachers: Perspectives of Medical Students

“…Reflective writing promotes personal and professional development; reflection is a metacognitive process resulting in a greater understanding (Kristiansson et al 2014). But, only 1% of the respondents in this study preferred reflective writing as teaching tool for PPD (Table 1).…”

“…But, only 1% of the respondents in this study preferred reflective writing as teaching tool for PPD (Table 1). So, question automatically raised about whether we really know how reflective assignments should be designed to have the best effect (14). It is vital for the educators to emphasese the importance of feedback (14).…”