Navigating the Boundaries of Health and Identity: Medical Students' Perspectives

Abstract

Background: Medical professionals do not always manage their own health in an optimal way. Research conducted on medical students' response to illness is limited; however, some studies suggest they choose to self-manage and seek advice outside of the traditional pathways of care. This study aims to understand how medical students perceive and manage their health as they transition through medical school. Methods: Individual semistructured interviews with 10 medical students from one institution in England were conducted. Interviews explored students' experiences of managing their own physical and mental health and the health of family and friends, and how they could be better supported at medical school. Thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Four themes were described reflecting: the different sources of learning that students used to construct their notion of health and how these changed during their training; how these notions of health influenced the practices that students used for good and bad self-care; how they held multiple identities of a lay person and somebody with medical status that could result in conflicts and tensions; finally, students suggested supportive practices including creating a safe space for reflection and the discussion of conflict. Discussion: Becoming a doctor can result in many tensions as students develop increasingly medicalised notions of health that may lead to poor self-care. Creating spaces within the curriculum to discuss the privileges and tensions that arise from training to be a doctor may yield future benefits for the medical profession and patient care.