Empathy in medicine: Cultivating an empathetic professional identity in osteopathic medical students through service learning: A qualitative analysis of reflective essays

Abstract

Context: The role of professional identity development has been established as a significant element of the “hidden curriculum” in medical education. While most programs do not contain explicit instruction on that topic, service learning initiatives are a popular trend in medical education that offer medical students early clinical experience and an opportunity to develop professional identity. Through intentional reflective practices, service learning can also promote empathy development, a critical component missing from current models. Objective: To determine the role of service learning participation on the development of empathy and professional identity among osteopathic medical students. Methods: Using a grounded theory method, the authors analyzed reflective essays from students who voluntarily participated in a service learning project that provided medical care to patients who are homeless. Essays were completed within 1 week of volunteer experience. Results: The authors collected and analyzed 64 reflective essays from 55 students in this study. A review of the 64 texts yielded 5 coding domains and several subdo-mains. The codes revealed 4 major themes: (1) incoming attitudes, (2) transforma-tive experiences, (3) empathy development, and (4) professional identity formation. Conclusions: Structured service learning experiences provide students with an opportunity to develop an empathetic professional identity in the preclinical stage of medical education. This form of volunteer service is a transformative experience that challenges students’ incoming perceptions and leads to the development of both empathy and professional identity.