| Medical student mistreatment persists in the form of public humiliation, belittlement, discrimination, harassment and physical threat or harm. The literature consistently reports research based on survey instruments. Although recommended, qualitative studies have not been reported to date. Through semi-structured interviews this study examines the story behind the statistics, including the meaning attached by students and what they learned. Participants were often surprised their negative experience matched the AAMC definition of student mistreatment. This study reveals specifically how students discern what a negative encounter is, how the encounter interferes with student learning, how the student made sense of the experience, and how these encounters influenced student views of the culture of medicine and medical education. |
