Medical Students' Creation of Original Poetry, Comics, and Masks to Explore Professional Identity Formation

Johanna Shapiro; Juliet McMullin; Gabriella Miotto; Tan Nguyen; Anju Hurria; Minh Anh Nguyen

doi:10.1007/s10912-021-09713-2

Medical Students' Creation of Original Poetry, Comics, and Masks to Explore Professional Identity Formation

J Med Humanit. 2021 Dec;42(4):603-625. doi: 10.1007/s10912-021-09713-2. Epub 2021 Nov 15.

Authors

Johanna Shapiro¹, Juliet McMullin², Gabriella Miotto³, Tan Nguyen⁴, Anju Hurria⁵, Minh Anh Nguyen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, UC Irvine Medical Center, University of California Irvine, rte 81, bldg. 200, rm 835, 101 City Dr. South, Orange, CA, 92868, USA. jfshapir@hs.uci.edu.
² Department of Anthropology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
³ The Children's Clinic, Long Beach, CA, 90806, USA.
⁴ Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, UC Irvine Medical Center, University of California Irvine, rte 81, bldg. 200, rm 835, 101 City Dr. South, Orange, CA, 92868, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA, 92868, USA.
⁶ University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: This study examines differences in students' perceived value of three artmaking modalities (poetry, comics, masks) and whether the resulting creative projects offer similar or different insights into medical students' professional identity formation.

Methods: Mixed-methods design using a student survey, student narrative comments and qualitative analysis of students' original work.

Results: Poetry and comics stimulated insight, but masks were more enjoyable and stress-reducing. All three art modalities expressed tension between personal and professional identities.

Discussion: Regardless of type of artmaking, students express concern about encroachments of training on personal identity but hoped that personal and professional selves could be integrated.

Keywords: Arts in medical education; Comics in medical education; Mask-making in medical education; Medical education; Medical student wellness; Poetry in medical education; Professional identity formation.

MeSH terms

Education, Medical, Undergraduate*
Humans
Masks
Narration
Social Identification
Students, Medical*