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Girls in scrubs: An ethnographic exploration of the clinical learning environment.

Shalini GuptaStella HowdenMandy MoffatLindsey Margaret PopeCate Kennedy
Published in: Medical education (2024)
This research reveals that despite constituting the majority demographic of medical school, female students struggle to gain social and cultural capital. Gendered hierarchies that structure clinical workplaces disadvantage female students and doctors, and the differential experiences transform their habitus. Based on our theoretically informed investigation, we advocate for role-models given their positive impact on students' and doctors' habitus. Additionally, medical educators may consider extended clinical placements that provide opportunities for female students and early-career doctors to secure social and cultural capital through integrating better in health care teams and building meaningful interprofessional relationships.
Keyphrases
  • healthcare
  • high school
  • mental health
  • medical students