“What are you signing up for?”: Pre-medical students' perception of physicians' risk and responsibility during COVID-19

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) 2021-10, Vol.287, p.114320-114320, Article 114320
• Main Author: Leigh, Jenny K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Admissions policies; Attention; College students; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Education; Health care; Health research; Health services; Humans; Inequality; Medical education; Medical personnel; Medical schools; Medical students; Medical training; Medicine; Normalization; Pandemics; Perception; Perceptions; Physician socialization; Physicians; Pre-med; Sacrifices; SARS-CoV-2; Socialization; Students, Medical; Workers
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114320

Though there has been growing attention to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the career trajectories of current health care workers, research remains sparse on how those in earlier stages of medical education have been affected by the pandemic. To better understand the pandemic's influence on pre-medical students' professional trajectories, this study draws on 48 interviews with freshmen and sophomore pre-medical students at a private university in the northeastern United States. For many students, witnessing physicians' role during the pandemic made them more aware of both the vulnerability of physicians and the limits of their power in the medical field and society at large. Notably, students primarily explained the risks that physicians confronted as an individual professional expectation rather than a structural concern in the medical system. Despite acknowledging these risks, students emphasized that the pandemic had reinforced their interest in becoming a physician by validating their perception of the vital role that physicians play in society. Additionally, they expressed greater concern about meeting expectations for admission to medical school in light of additional barriers due to COVID-19. This study builds upon existing literature on the medical profession by both centering earlier stages of education and examining processes of socialization during times of crisis. More broadly, these findings indicate a need for greater attention to the normalization of health care workers' sacrifices, as well as the potential exacerbation of existing inequities in pre-medical education during the pandemic. •Pre-medical students express that the pandemic validated their interest in becoming a physician.•Students largely describe risks physicians confronted during COVID-19 as necessary sacrifice.•Students are concerned about immediate disruptions that may influence their academic progress.•COVID-19 reveals a need to address existing obstacles in pre-medical education.