Which images do medical students draw to discuss their early clinical experience, in reflection meetings?

Background in 2010, a First Approach to the Patient (FAP) mandatory course (40 h) was developed at S. Paolo Teaching Hospital. It includes a 2-week nursing attachment, aimed at making first year students empathize with patients, observe healthcare teams and describe and deal with feelings accompanying their early clinical experience. After it, students attend reflection meetings, managed by a doctor and a pedagogist. They have to discuss in small groups their clinical experience and create a poster, which is later presented to the class, focusing on the patient’s experience, the healthcare team and the students’ emotions. Summary of work from 2010, 400 students have elaborated 60 posters on their early clinical experience. They were analyzed by 2 researchers and divided into two categories: schemes and images. Summary of results Forty-eight% of the students’ posters were schemes. Images were used to represent their experience in 52% of the posters, and were about: growth (trees), connection (bridge, path), exchange (cell, neurons), circulation (hearts), injection (syringe), balance (pair of scales), movement/raise (clouds, balloons, butterflies), ambivalence (sun/moon). White coats/medical doctors are also represented, but often without faces. Conclusions when reflecting on their early clinical contact, students can use schemes, but they can be very creative in producing images to express and share their experience. Teacher’s questions on those images can help students to deepen the meaning of their experience. Images/metaphors allow to present emotions that sometimes elude linguistic description. Take-home message drawing images can be an useful strategy to help students reflect on their early clinical experience and stimulate the debate.