Role models in the eye of the beholder: A student-centered reimagination of role models in medical education

Role models are an important part of medical education. Medical students learn a lot by observing and imitating more experienced doctors. Students with a migration background -who are underrepresented in the medical specialist population - are often said to ‘need more role models.’ This may seem like a quick fix, but on closer inspection, our image of a role model as an ‘excellent doctor’ turns out to be too one-dimensional to offer real solutions.
PhD candidate Isabella Spaans explores this topic in her doctoral research. She uses interviews with doctors with a migration background, surveys among medical and non-medical students, and a literature review covering fifty years of role model research.
Her findings offer a complex and thought-provoking reimagination. Students don’t just admire one excellent doctor, they compose their role model, like a mental mosaic made up of people both inside and outside medical training. This mosaic is deeply personal and constantly evolving. The research also underlines the impact role models have: students with role models report better grades and a stronger sense of belonging. Students find role models who reflect something of themselves most inspiring. And although students with a migration background do have role models, they often lack access to such relatable, representative role models.
The study shows that role models in medicine encompass more than excellent doctors. A broader, more inclusive understanding of role models can guide future research and policy and argues for a diverse learning environment where students encounter a variety of physicians.