Centre for Health Professions Education
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Browsing Centre for Health Professions Education by Subject "Academic medical centers -- Worchester (South Africa)"
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- ItemExploring the professional identity development of students at a rural clinical school(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Viljoen, Jacobus Abraham; McNamee, Lakshini S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.ENGLISH SUMMARY : In the field of medical education, the development of a professional identity has been well established as a priority for any curriculum. The Rural Clinical School (RCS), a centre in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, provides a unique context where the unfolding of this process can be explored. The study used a qualitative research approach, guided by a phenomenological framework. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted among nine of the final-year undergraduate medical students who were completing their studies at the RCS. Data were analysed using an inductive, iterative process and using coding analysis to organise codes into sub-themes and eventually, themes. The centrality of socialisation in becoming part of ‘communities of practice’ was explored through the lens of lived experiences, often in contrast to experiences they previously had at the former teaching hospital. The RCS provides a nurturing environment for relationships with mentors and role models that enhance professional identity formation. The RCS also provides a supportive context to the development of competency, an essential requirement of the process of becoming a physician. The study concludes that apart from lesser factors supporting the development of professional identity, present at the RCS, the authenticity and closeness of relationships are the main driving forces for students to starting acting, thinking and feeling like physicians.