Background: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a tool for documenting professional identity formation (PIF) among preclinical medical students, via reflective writings (RWs) about their clinical shadowing experiences.
Approach: To address our key questions, stakeholders conducted comprehensive literature analysis, and the authors developed an analytic rubric through an iterative immersion/crystallisation process.
Evaluation: Rubric iterations were empirically tested, assessed for interrater reliability, refined and then applied in successive development phases to medical student RW narratives. Twenty-nine first-year RWs on their shadowing experiences were included for this developmental evaluation.
Implications: The clinical shadowing experience PIF rubric is a theory-informed analytic tool that demonstrates feasibility of measuring PIF in preclinical medical students' RWs. Reliable use of this tool currently requires a team approach that could be improved by machine learning.
© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.