The strength of our stories: a qualitative analysis of a multi-institutional GME storytelling event

Abstract

Context: Storytelling is a powerful tool for encouraging reflection and connection among both speakers and listeners. While growing in popularity, studying the benefits of formal oral storytelling events within graduate medical education remains rare. Our research question was: could an oral storytelling event for GME trainees and faculty be an effective approach for promoting well-being and resilience among participants? Methods: We used multiple approaches to gather perspectives from physician participants (storytellers and audience members) at an annual oral storytelling event for residents, fellows, and faculty from seven academic health systems in Minnesota. Data sources included short reflections written by participants during the event, an immediate post-event survey exploring participants' experiences during the event, social media postings, and targeted follow-up interviews further exploring the themes of connection and burnout that were raised in postevent survey responses. We performed a qualitative analysis using both deductive and inductive coding to identify themes. Results: There were 334 participants, including 197 physicians. At the event, 129 real-time written reflections were collected. There were also 33 Twitter posts related to the event.Response rate for the post-event survey was 65% for physicians, with 63% of physician respondents volunteering for targeted follow-up interviews. Of those, 38% completed the follow-up interview. Themes that emerged from the multi-modal qualitative analysis included a sense of connection and community, re-connection with meaning and purpose in work, renewal and hope, gratitude, and potential impact on burnout. Conclusion:The large turnout and themes identified show how an oral storytelling event can be a powerful tool to build community in graduate medical education. Qualitative analysis from multiple sources obtained both in real-time at the event and upon deeper reflection afterwards showed the event positively impacted the well-being of participants and that oral storytelling events can be an effective approach for promoting resilience in GME.

Imposter Phenomenon in US Physicians Relative to the US Working Population

“…Such attitudes can be replaced with a culture of authenticity and vulnerability during the medical school and residency training process as well as deliberate approaches to reduce IP among physicians in practice. 11,32,53 Tactics to advance these aims might include COM-PASS (Colleagues Meeting to Promote and Sustain Satisfaction) groups, 54,55 storytelling events, 56,57 sharing of personal narratives, 12,[58][59][60] and small group discussions. 30,61 Senior physicians discussing challenging times in their career and sharing their "failure resume" during department meetings or other forums can also be a useful approach to illustrate to junior physicians that many of their role models have also faced challenges throughout their career.…”

Factors associated with medical radiation and imaging professionals’ willingness to work during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

“…Studies have shown oral story telling, the sharing of how a person copes in times of struggle, increases empathy and decreases burnout in healthcare settings. 55 , 58 Future research should seek to determine whether simulated learning experiences can mitigate the development of personal distress in early career professionals.…”

Practical Strategies to Foster a Well-Being Curriculum for Medical Students

“…Such storytelling would be an opportunity to increase connection with peers and conquer fears and worries through volubility moments. 4…”