Medical Student Development Across the New Curriculum: Exploring Longitudinal Data With Structural Equation Modeling

• In Event: Professional Identity Formation and Development — Paper Session

Abstract

The professional development of medical students from beginning undergraduate medical education through lifelong learning that occurs as a practicing physician is complex. Utilization of longitudinal data may reveal new information about the professional development of physicians otherwise unavailable using cross sectional studies. This study takes a longitudinal perspective from admissions through graduation to examine relationships between academic performance, licensure scores, student personality profiles, and patterns of development across a new curriculum model. Results show early evidence for differences between groups of students and how those differences may be related to variation in performance across the undergraduate medical experience. This work also illustrates the value in longitudinal study and lays the framework for future studies of greater depth.

Authors

• JK Stringer, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Moshe Feldman, Virginia Commonwealth University