Using Narratives to Create a Framework to Analyze Professional Growth of Third Year Medical Students

Purpose: To create a framework for analyzing student narratives relating to professional growth in their third year of medical school. Method: Using a qualitative approach, we examined 32 student narratives in a professionalism course, and analyzed them in three phases: 1) open coding 2) categorical consolidation and 3) thematic analysis. Result: Three main themes were identified in third year student narratives: 1) Physician-Patient & Family Relationships 2) Learning Environment and 3) Self-Identity in Relationship to Teams. Based on student narratives the authors created a framework for narrative analysis referencing work from learning development theory and prior understanding of professional formation. Conclusion: A professional growth framework was developed using qualitative analysis of students’ voices in selfreflection narratives during third year clinical clerkships. We believe this framework will be helpful to educators in understanding the process of professional formation and be useful as an analysis scheme for further studies of professional formation.