Connect or detach: A transformative experience for medical students in end-of-life care.

ABSTRACT:

Context

At the beginning of clinical practice, medical students face complex end-of-life (EoL) decisions, such as limiting life-sustaining therapies, which may precipitate emotionally charged moral dilemmas. Previous research shows these dilemmas may cause identity dissonance and impact students' personal and professional development. Despite the prevalence of such dilemmas, medical educators have limited insight into how students navigate these often emotional experiences. This study explores how medical students make sense of and deal with moral dilemmas lived during EoL's care.

Methods

This cross-sectional qualitative study used thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke) to analyse interviews with 11 Brazilian final-year medical students. The interviews followed the drawing of

SUBMITTER: Ribeiro DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11906276 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature