Where do physicians start and end?

Abstract

Medical education is primarily about training physicians and maintaining their capabilities over time. Given that physicians are the primary focus of the field, there is a need for a clear idea of what physicians are or could be. This paper seeks to explore this issue by posing the simple question: ?Where do physicians start and end?' In doing so, the authors explore a series of different conceptual frames, including those of a physician's physical dimensions, their cellular boundaries, personal intentions and beliefs, professional identity, regulation, entrustability, professional performance, extended cognition, and disability. This existential look at the concept of a physician demonstrates the plurality of medical education scholarship and the implications of the many intersecting points of view in the field.