Virtue Training in Medical Schools: The Perspective of Behavioral Science Course Directors

Abstract

Although the multidisciplinary research on physician socialization has focused on areas such as developments in learners’ ideological commitments and ethics knowledge and skills, the literature on physician virtues has been anecdotal. To contribute empirical knowledge of virtue development during socialization, I performed constant comparisons on interviews with 20 directors of preclinical behavioral science courses. In discussing their courses, participants revealed foci on virtues involved in making intimate connections with patients (e.g., empathy) and “being professional” with colleagues (e.g., trustworthiness). To cultivate virtues for intimate connections, participants used the strategies of learner engagement with patients’ narratives of illness, service in underserved communities, and shadowing and observing role models. To develop virtues for being professional, participants used the strategy of small learner groups, which consisted of discussions, project collaborations, and group evaluations. I conclude with implications for training students of various health sciences and managing health care teams.

Notes

1. ¹Semistructured protocols allow interviewers, in the course of interviewing, to paraphrase and rephrase interview questions and to change the sequencing of questions from one interview to the next.

2. ²I did not phrase this (or any) question in a leading way. While conducting these interviews, I did not solicit contributions on virtue development. Rather, I encouraged participants to talk freely about where they would like students to be upon completing the course. The contributions on virtue emerged naturally and spontaneously.

3. ³This program was used to identify and label relevant units in the interviews, conduct constant comparison in the search for themes, and structure and restructure the relationship among emerging themes.