Department of Medicine Publications
Credentials as Cultural Capital: The Pursuit of Higher Degrees among Academic Medical Trainees
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2010
Journal
Academic Medicine
Volume
85
Issue
10 Supplement
First Page
21
Last Page
24
URL with Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181ed4097
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Growing numbers of postgraduate medical trainees pursue master's or PhD degrees together with professional education. This study explored students' motivation for undertaking these degrees and considered theoretical explanations for the forces shaping this phenomenon.
METHOD: Using constructivist grounded theory methods, interviews were conducted with 14 fellows pursuing higher degrees during subspecialty pediatric training. Emergent themes were identified from transcripts using constant comparative analysis.
RESULTS: Participants pursued higher degrees to be more competitive for academic jobs and to increase their credibility within their field. Academic medicine was felt to demand ever-increasing credentials to position trainees as a good investment. Clinical practice alone was not believed to earn respect and status in academia.
CONCLUSIONS: Through mostly tacit means, students absorb values from their academic training environment, learning to regard credentials, research publications, and grants as forms of capital, and also learning that success and status within academia depend on accumulating such capital.
