Table 2 Development of themes
Quotes and observations | Sub-theme | Theme |
|---|---|---|
Quote “[…] learn a little about the interactions and thinking behind the [medication] changes […] And then, maybe I say something that I have learned. And then, it is discussed.” (MS5) | Assessing patients during pre-rounds | Taking responsibility for emergency care patients |
Observation The medical students and physicians sat together at a table with charts or computers available. Most physicians facilitated active participation by engaging the students in the discussions about the patients, asking questions, and encouraging them to assess the patients’ condition. | ||
Quote “[…] something that has been very nice is the time you get with the physician, where you make suggestions, or you have examined a patient, and then you can talk about it and what to do next” (MS1) | Developing independence when interacting with patients | |
Observation We observed the medical students as they performed physician rounds. When a physician accompanied them, the physician allowed the student to take the lead by keeping in the background. However, the physician sometimes interrupted with input. When no physician was present, we observed how the students approached the patients naturally. | ||
Quote “I am very aware that one should write good discharge notes when I now suddenly sit on the other side and will receive them [the patients]. […] a lot of the treatment here is based on what is written in the discharge note from the hospital.” (MS2) | Keeping proper documentation | |
Quote “There are some who are very good nurses […], I feel like […] standing there with hat in hand. […] you get away with that when it is a student nurse” (MS2) | Learning to lead when collaborating with student nurses | Learning the physician’s role in interprofessional collaboration |
Observation There were several situations where medical students interacted and collaborated with nursing students. For example, medical students met nursing students at morning meetings to plan the day and decide which patients to collaborate on. Most medical students took on the physician’s role while collaborating with nursing students on assigned patients in pre-rounds and physician rounds. During the day, short meetings in the hallway took place, where the medical and nursing students discussed patients and further work tasks. | ||
Quote “It matters that you get to see more of what all the professions do. […] what the patients go through from A to Z during the admission period” (MS6) | Learning about the nurse’s role | |
Observation The nursing students and nurses contacted the medical students when clinical procedures were available and provided the necessary support to complete the clinical procedures. | ||
Quote “Talking aloud about difficult things is useful in itself. […] hearing that other people may think the same and may see the same challenges and think that things may be a little difficult or, yes. That one is not alone about things.” (MS4) | Developing ethical competencies | In-depth knowledge through shared reflections |
Observation The medical students engaged in ethical reflections with the nursing students, contributed actively and showed interest in their perspectives. | ||
Quote “That we could ask them. […] Don’t you who have been doing this for ten years any suggestions? And then they sometimes have a little, some nice things that I will take with me further...” (MS3) | Developing content understanding | |
Observation The physicians and nurses became involved in medical topics covering various patient situations and diagnoses such as multimorbidity, diabetes, and heart failure. Observations also showed that when the physicians and nurses asked the medical students questions about the addressed topics at hand, this pushed the reflections deeper and facilitated higher-order thinking. |