Understanding of professionalism among medical students in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic – a qualitative monocentric study

OBJECTIVE: The existing literature indicates that medical students’ understanding of professionalism is influenced by internal and external factors. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether the early phase of the pandemic affected the understanding of professionalism among medical students at the University of Ulm. METHODS: In May and June 2020, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 21 students (in the 8(th) and 9(th) semester) at the Medical Faculty of the University of Ulm. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed by a qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. RESULTS: The results showed shifts in students’ perception of the importance of certain aspects of medical professionalism. Not only competency in the disciplines hygiene, virology, and microbiology came to the fore, but also personal qualities such as “radiating a sense of calm”, empathy, and altruism; communicative competency; and the capacity for reflection. The students also perceived changes in the expectations placed on them. More emphasis was placed on their roles as scientific or medical advisors and as helpers in the health care system, a change that was sometimes emotionally stressful. With respect to the study objective, both limiting and supporting factors were named. For example, the clarification of the relevance of the medical professional was motivating. CONCLUSION: The study showed that students’ understanding of professionalism depends on context, as was suggested by earlier studies in experts. The perception of changed role expectations may thereby also play a role. One consequence of the findings may be to address such dynamics in suitable curricular events and discuss them with students to prevent them proceeding in an uncontrolled manner.