Table 5 Examples of student written reflection statements

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses

• “Coming up with my own learning objectives was also good because it forced me to highlight some of my deficits and/or knowledge gaps, which is something I may not have done on my own.”

Preparation for Residency

• “It gave me a chance to balance the clinical duties and educational workload of a resident with same “real-life” responsibilities I will be facing as an intern. I feel more confident in terms of my communication as well as my ability to plan out and then accomplish my goals moving forward.”

Challenges and Limitations

• “The main challenge was realizing that I could not fully accomplish all my goals in a 1-month period. Developing my own history-taking style will take a lifetime, as will learning the intricacies of healthcare policies. Memorizing vaccinations will also require long-term practice. I overcame these challenges by telling myself to be patient and to just put in a decent effort each day without getting discouraged.”

• “I think the ILP would have been much more powerful if students could have truly tailored their experience to their needs instead of assuming the tasks of a resident. For example, if a patient needs to be sent for a scan or a surgical procedure, the student may be able to stay with the patient and become a part of those procedures by observing or scrubbing in etc.”