Table 1 Qualitative analysis of responses to the question “Tell us something that happened to you in your life that influenced your view of the medical profession.”
From: Professional values at the beginning of medical school: a quasi-experimental study
Category | Items | Sample Speeches |
|---|---|---|
Process of illness and care | Personal experience of illness | “I suffered an accident at a birthday party. During the confusion, a doctor was proactive and soon took the lead, managing to stop the injury quickly and driving me to the hospital, constantly reassuring me and giving me confidence”. (S4, female,18 years old, IG) |
Family members’ illness | “Being with my mother, I could see the impact each doctor had on her life, both in terms of her health and the way she viewed her illness”. (S124, female,18 years old, CG) | |
Medical care | “When I was 14, my grandfather spent many months in a hospital. Seeing the dedication of the doctors to him and all the knowledge they brought to accomplish their profession, I became interested in the medical field…” (S87, female, 21 years old, IG) | |
Experience in the pandemic | “When my father had to be hospitalized due to covid, to the point of being intubated, I saw how solicitous and sensitive the new generation of doctors was with me who received information about what was happening to him…” (S133, male, 24 years old, CG) | |
Role models | ||
Professional | “During the guided visit to the Faculty of Medicine in 2018, I realized how serious and responsible the students and professors are, resulting from what the profession demands. In addition, the cultural environment of this faculty showed me, in practice, that the daily life of a doctor is made up of a lot of study.” (S16, female, 21 years old, IG) | |
Management | “Participation in discussion groups on technology, leadership, management, and entrepreneurship in healthcare. It allowed me to learn about the medical market and its trends”. (S21, male, 19 years old, IG) | |
Teachers | “I ended up being captivated by the physiology lessons that a physical education teacher taught at school. From then on, I began to seriously consider pursuing a medical career…” (S88, male,19 years old, CG) | |
Literature | “A book I was reading at the time, whose main character was a doctor who talked about his motivations, filled my eyes with the possibility of the humanitarian action of medicine”. (S79, male, 18 years old, IG) | |
Cinema | “In particular, I cite two films that served as significant and influential events: Path Adams (especially regarding humanization in the profession) and St. Giuseppe Moscati (who treated everyone with the differential of love and genuine attention).” (S63, female, 19 years old, IG) | |
Previous correlated experiences | Visiting colleges and hospitals | “I did the workshop organized by the scientific department of the college in which I would have an anatomy class with authentic pieces […] I was amazed, and that is undoubtedly one of the most incredible classes I have had, and that definitely influenced me…” (S116, male, 18 years old, CG) |
Digital media | “I have always been interested in the area and enjoyed studying and knowing curiosities of the human body, even more with the popularization of educational videos on YouTube”. (S22, male, 20 years old, IG) | |
Health Policies | “Because of my admiration for primary care and my taste for science, I decided to choose a medical career”. (S90, male, 20 years old, CG) | |
Volunteering | “I had the opportunity to follow a day of consultations with a group of homeless. It was an incredible experience that made me reflect on how medical practice goes beyond health environments”. (S127, female, 20 years old, CG) |