Exploring medical students’ experiences of role modelling in clinical training: a phenomenological study of professional identity formation

A qualitative phenomenological study of 17 final-year medical students at a major public medical faculty in Türkiye found that role modelling during clinical training involved selective interpretation, imitation and rejection of observed professional behaviours. The abstract reports two major themes: emulated behaviours and avoided behaviours. Students described how physicians communicated with patients, managed clinical responsibilities, interacted with teams and addressed safety issues, identifying these practices with qualities such as patient-centred care, communication, safety, collaboration and leadership.

Researchers conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the students, who were interns, and analysed the data through inductive thematic analysis. Two researchers iteratively coded the material and developed themes. The researchers reported steps intended to support trustworthiness, including detailed description, participant validation, reflexive analysis and an external audit through regular review by a thesis monitoring committee. Because the supplied evidence is limited to the study abstract, the interview guide, detailed sampling procedures and fuller results cannot be assessed here.

Students also described behaviours that they consciously rejected, including neglect of patient needs, avoidance of responsibility, discriminatory actions, inappropriate communication, internal team conflict and hierarchical mistreatment. The analysis identified a role-model spectrum containing positive, negative and anti-role-model features. Students’ responses included imitation, selective conformity and rejection, indicating that professional identity formation was associated with how they interpreted observed conduct rather than with passive imitation alone.

The abstract further reports that some students imitated paternalistic practices they considered pragmatically effective in managing clinical complexity, even when those practices did not fully align with expected professional standards. The authors conclude that professional identity formation can operate as a lived and interpretive process shaped by clinical conditions and students’ efforts to navigate demanding environments. They also argue that role models should be aware of their influence on learners because interactions that are not explicitly examined may remain implicit in clinical training. These conclusions arise from the reported experiences of 17 interns at one Turkish medical faculty, and the abstract does not establish how widely the findings apply to other students, institutions or clinical settings.

Subject of Research: Medical students’ experiences of clinical role modelling and professional identity formation

Article Title: Exploring medical students’ experiences of role modelling in clinical training: a phenomenological study of professional identity formation

Article References: Mergen, M., Akpınar, A., & Kavas, M. V. (2026). Exploring medical students’ experiences of role modelling in clinical training: a phenomenological study of professional identity formation. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10483-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10483-5

Keywords: medical education, role modelling, professional identity, clinical training, medical students, phenomenology, qualitative interviews, Türkiye, Exploring, medical, students, experiences