Identity Influences on Medical Students’ Orientation to Feedback During Rotations

Abstract

Abstract Medical students’ attitudes about and preferences for feedback from preceptors may change over the course of the third year of medical school and is likely influenced by identity-related factors. We propose that both how students view themselves personally (i.e., impostor syndrome) and how they view themselves in relation to the group (i.e., identification with the profession) are identity factors related to related to feedback orientation during clinical rotations. 177 third-year medical students enrolled in our four-phase longitudinal survey study beginning at the start of clinical rotations and continuing every twelve weeks of the academic year thereafter. Mixed modeling was utilized to assess models that included phase, sex, and specialty intention as covariates and impostor syndrome and group identity as predictors of feedback orientation. Results indicate that feedback orientation does not significantly change during the third year. Instead, across phases, impostor syndrome was at least marginally, significantly associated with all aspects of feedback orientation across phases—utility, retention, sensitivity, and confidentiality. Group identity was associated with feedback utility and retention, and female-identifying students reported significantly greater feedback confidentiality and feedback retention. Interventions may be needed to improve medical students’ attitudes about feedback, particularly for those who experience impostor syndrome. Fostering group cohesion among medical students may influence how well students remember feedback and find it useful.