Together but separate: A longitudinal study of how spatial context shapes the formation of social ties of women medical students

Abstract

Developing and maintaining connections and relations with others, or what we refer to as the formation of social ties, may strengthen medical students’ sense of belonging in medical school. Social ties play a particularly important role for women medical students as the medical field remains largely dominated by masculine norms. However, forming social ties remains challenging for women in medicine. This study used the COVID-19 pandemic to examine how women medical students navigated the spatial contexts of medical school to form social ties. Using longitudinal qualitative research and narrative inquiry, it describes how 17 women medical students formed social ties during the early stages of COVID-19. Beginning in fall 2020, during the first two-years of medical school, the participants 1) described how personal social ties were deterred from forming in early experiences of medical school; 2) shared experiences that promoted a sense of community bonding during middle and later periods; and 3) expressed limitations of access to the formation of professional social ties throughout their first two-years. This study has important implications for understanding ways spatial contexts, access to physical connections, and the mental and emotional spaces play roles in social tie formation for women medical students and how longitudinal qualitative research can narrate these changes through time.