Abstract
Background:There is consensus among many medical school deans that exposure to human rights is a necessary component of physician training [78], however little is known about the impact of engagement in human rights programs on students’ personal and professional development [1516171819202122232425262728].Objective:This study aimed to examine medical students’ experiences in the Mount Sinai Human Rights Program (MSHRP), their motivations for involvement, and the possible influence of engagement on their professional identities, personal growth, and career choices.Methods:Through semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study gathered the experiences of 15 fourth year and recently graduated medical students who participated in the comprehensive training, research, and direct service opportunities provided by the program. Responses were coded using a content analysis approach.Findings:The results of this research highlight the motivations behind students’ involvement in a medical human rights program, as well as the challenges they experienced engaging with this work. The study captured students’ perceptions of the role of the program on their personal growth, clinical skills, and career vision. Nearly all the students interviewed indicated they developed important, clinically applicable skills that enhanced their traditional medical education. Students indicated that their participation directly influenced their professional identities and future career directions by reinforcing previous interests in human rights and social justice work, impacting medical specialty and residency program selections and fostering commitment to working with immigrant populations.Conclusions:The results of this study indicate that longitudinal involvement with the MSHRP contributed to the acquisition of important clinical skills that were not otherwise attained in students’ early medical education. Findings suggest that there is significant opportunity for clinical and leadership development outside the traditional preclinical and clinical setting, and that exposure to human rights education shapes students’ professional identities and career paths. Finally, the findings highlight the essential role of human rights and social justice in medical education.
Highlights
We are currently in the midst of the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II
The findings suggest that human rights and social justice can be strengthened in medical education through a longitudinal and dedicated curriculum, beginning in the pre-clinical years, that would increase exposure to these issues throughout the institution and hospital system
After conducting and analyzing 15 semi-structured interviews using a content analysis approach, we found that involvement in the human rights program aided in medical students’ personal and professional development as it provided a forum for experiences outside of traditional academic and clinical medical training
Summary
We are currently in the midst of the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. In 2018, over 70 million people were forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. Outside of formal classroom learning and in response to the current global refugee crisis, many U.S medical schools have supported the development of student-led human rights. Objective: This study aimed to examine medical students’ experiences in the Mount Sinai Human Rights Program (MSHRP), their motivations for involvement, and the possible influence of engagement on their professional identities, personal growth, and career choices. Most the students interviewed indicated they developed important, clinically applicable skills that enhanced their traditional medical education. Students indicated that their participation directly influenced their professional identities and future career directions by reinforcing previous interests in human rights and social justice work, impacting medical specialty and residency program selections and fostering commitment to working with immigrant populations. The findings highlight the essential role of human rights and social justice in medical education
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