Donning the White Coat: The Narrative Threads of Professional Development

Abstract

Much has been written recently about medical professionalism, about how we define it, and about how to educate our students in this domain. While there seems to be consensus as to what constitutes professionalism, there remains a good deal of uncertainty as to how best to teach students to meet their obligations to their patients, to society, and to their profession. This essay will examine some of the recent discourse on professionalism education, and will then describe the Family Medicine clerkship narrative medicine curriculum at Keck School of Medicine. By creating time and space in the formal curriculum for reflection with teachers and mentors, we believe that we provide students with an opportunity for the active, self-changing work that is essential for successful personal and professional formation.