Becoming the 'good doctor': medical students’ views on altruism and professional identity

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Background and PurposeProfessionalism is central to modern medical practice and altruism is one of the humanistic qualities thought to underpin professionalism. However, there has been limited exploration of medical students' perceptions of altruism and if/how it is incorporated in to their professional identity. This study explores medical students' understanding of altruism and whether they felt it was an important part of being a 'good' doctor.MethodologySemi-structured qualitative one-on-one interviews with nine students from Leeds University Medical School began by asking participants to provide their own definition of altruism and then explored students' views of altruism in clinical practice and the importance of altruism to being 'good' doctors. Students were encouraged to reflect on their clinical experiences. Interview responses were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.ResultsDefinitions of altruism varied and were often easily shaken upon questioning. Students conceptualised altruism as a spectrum, ranging from a pure to a more pragmatic form. Generally students did not consider altruism as essential to the role of a doctor and saw it as going "above and beyond" duty. However, almost all participants expressed a preference to work with or be an altruistic doctor. Students also repeatedly referred to the idea of the "right balance of altruism" to avoid self-sacrifice to the point of burnout.Discussion and ConclusionsThe variability in medical students' definitions of altruism echoes the variability of definitions within literature, which may indicate students' relatively shallow understanding of the concept. Introducing guided reflection on professionalism within the medical curriculum may help to address this by helping students to develop a deeper understanding of professionalism and how it impacts their practice. Our paper supports a move away from the term altruism towards 'pro-social behaviour', which places importance on the benefits of an action without encouraging self-sacrifice. This may continue to provide students with the motivation they associate with altruism, whilst encouraging self-care and work-life balance.