Analysis of Reflective Writing of 3rd Year Medical Students during the Pediatric Clerkship

Abstract

Background: Reflection creates an understanding of the self and the situation so that the future actions can be informed. It helps in self‑regulated and life‑long learning. Guided reflection with the help of a mentor may help medical students entering their early clerkships, challenge their assumptions, and consider new perspectives. Methodology: This is a descriptive report of analysis of reflective writing in the logbooks of the year 3 medical students in pediatrics. Students were requested to identify any significant event in the wards or classroom each week and write a brief reflective report. Mentors had weekly meetings with them and discussed the reports. The reports were classified into four themes (related to children and caregivers, learning, motivation, and miscellaneous) after content analysis. Results: Sixty‑six logbooks were analyzed. Twenty‑five students did not write reports on one or more weeks. There were 29 reports on children, 18 on caregivers, 20 on how students derived inspiration from children and caregivers, 20 on empathy, 24 on upsetting events, 8 on bad experiences of caregivers, 62 on learning, 9 on motivation, and 3 on miscellaneous matters. Challenges: Regular and weekly mentee meetings and discussions are required for meaningful reflective reports. Language posed difficulties in expression. Conclusions: Reflection helped students to be more aware of what is going on in the wards and address troubling issues by discussion with their mentors. It helped mentors gain an insight into students’ perspectives and concerns. Regular mentee meetings helped to establish rapport with mentors and submission of proper reflective reports.