TY - JOUR
T1 - Students' social networks are diverse, dynamic and deliberate when transitioning to clinical training
AU - Atherley, Anique E. N.
AU - Nimmon, Laura
AU - Teunissen, Pim W.
AU - Dolmans, Diana
AU - Hegazi, Iman
AU - Hu, Wendy
N1 - Funding Information:
Anique Atherley is supported by a scholarship through the Western Sydney University as part of a joint PhD collaboration between Western Sydney University and Maastricht University. Anique Atherley received the Medical Education Travelling Fellowship Grant in 2019. We wish to acknowledge all participants for their eager participation in this study. We thank the School of Health Professions Education at Maastricht University for their feedback at an early data interpretation stage during a lunch lecture. We thank Penny Abbott and the reviewers for their feedback on a previous version.
Funding Information:
Anique Atherley is supported by a scholarship through the Western Sydney University as part of a joint PhD collaboration between Western Sydney University and Maastricht University. Anique Atherley received the Medical Education Travelling Fellowship Grant in 2019.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. Medical Education published by Association for the Study of Medical Education and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Context: Transitions in medical education are dynamic, emotional and complex yet, unavoidable. Relationships matter, especially in times of transition. Using qualitative, social network research methods, we explored social relationships and social support as medical students transitioned from pre-clinical to clinical training. Methods: Eight medical students completed a social network map during a semi-structured interview within two weeks of beginning their clinical clerkships (T0) and then again four months later (T1). They indicated meaningful interactions that influenced their transition from pre-clinical to clinical training and discussed how these relationshipsimpacted their transition. We conducted mixed-methods analysis on this data. Results: At T0, eight participants described the influence of 128 people in their social support networks; this marginally increased to 134 at T1. People from within and beyond the clinical space made up participants’ social networks. As new relationships were created (eg with peers and doctors), old relationships were kept (eg with doctors and family) or dissolved over time (eg with near-peers and nurses). Participants deliberately created, kept or dissolved relationships over time dependent on whether they provided emotional support (eg they could trust them) or instrumental support (eg they provided academic guidance). Conclusions: This is the first social networks analysis paper to explore social networks in transitioning students in medicine. We found that undergraduate medical students’ social support networks were diverse, dynamic and deliberate as they transitioned to clerkships. Participants created and kept relationships with those they trusted and who provided emotional or instrumental support and dissolved relationships that did not provide these functions.
AB - Context: Transitions in medical education are dynamic, emotional and complex yet, unavoidable. Relationships matter, especially in times of transition. Using qualitative, social network research methods, we explored social relationships and social support as medical students transitioned from pre-clinical to clinical training. Methods: Eight medical students completed a social network map during a semi-structured interview within two weeks of beginning their clinical clerkships (T0) and then again four months later (T1). They indicated meaningful interactions that influenced their transition from pre-clinical to clinical training and discussed how these relationshipsimpacted their transition. We conducted mixed-methods analysis on this data. Results: At T0, eight participants described the influence of 128 people in their social support networks; this marginally increased to 134 at T1. People from within and beyond the clinical space made up participants’ social networks. As new relationships were created (eg with peers and doctors), old relationships were kept (eg with doctors and family) or dissolved over time (eg with near-peers and nurses). Participants deliberately created, kept or dissolved relationships over time dependent on whether they provided emotional support (eg they could trust them) or instrumental support (eg they provided academic guidance). Conclusions: This is the first social networks analysis paper to explore social networks in transitioning students in medicine. We found that undergraduate medical students’ social support networks were diverse, dynamic and deliberate as they transitioned to clerkships. Participants created and kept relationships with those they trusted and who provided emotional or instrumental support and dissolved relationships that did not provide these functions.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85092352506&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32955741
U2 - 10.1111/medu.14382
DO - 10.1111/medu.14382
M3 - Article
C2 - 32955741
VL - 55
SP - 376
EP - 386
JO - Medical Education
JF - Medical Education
SN - 0308-0110
IS - 3
ER -