A Qualitative Study of Medical Student's Structured Narrative Reflection on an International Conference for an Incurable Genetic Disease

Authors

Jun-Yi Sim
Ching-Yuan Chang
Hwan-Wun Liu
Shao-Yin Chu

Abstract

Background: Service learning offers medical students opportunities to develop social accountability and positive relationships; however, it remains underused in Taiwan. Purpose: This study explored student reflections on their experiences during the Third Asia Pacific Mucopolysaccharide Disorders Conference, a 2-day 1-night international conference, during which they served as interpreters and caregivers. Methods: Qualitative data analysis was conducted using structured open-ended questionnaires and student journals of ten fifth and sixth grade medical students who voluntarily participated in the study. Independent thematic analysis was performed using methods proposed by Cresswell and Miller. Results: Three themes emerged from qualitative data analysis: students learned social accountability, self-reflection for personal and professional development, and establishing student-patient relationships based on the experience. Conclusion: Service learning is a useful tool for teaching social accountability, self-reflection for personal and professional development, and fostering student-patient relationships particularly in Asian medical schools to train future physicians to be more perceptive to patients' needs.

First Page

137

Last Page

145

DOI

10.6145/jme201315

Recommended Citation

Sim, Jun-Yi; Chang, Ching-Yuan; Liu, Hwan-Wun; and Chu, Shao-Yin (2013) "A Qualitative Study of Medical Student's Structured Narrative Reflection on an International Conference for an Incurable Genetic Disease," Journal of Medical Education: Vol. 17: Iss. 4, Article 2.
DOI: [https://doi.org/]10.6145/jme201315
Available at: https://jme.researchcommons.org/journal/vol17/iss4/2