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Personal Growth During Internship : A Qualitative Analysis Of Interns' Responses To Key Questions, Rachel Levine, Paul Haidet, David Kern, Brent Beasley, Lisa Bensinger, Donald Brady, Todd Gress, Jennifer Hughes, Ajay Marwaha, Jennifer Nelson, Scott Wright

Todd W. Gress

BACKGROUND: During clinical training, house officers frequently encounter intense experiences that may affect their personal growth. The purpose of this study was to explore processes related to personal growth during internship. DESIGN: Prospective qualitative study conducted over the course of internship. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two postgraduate year (PGY)-1 residents from 9 U.S. internal medicine training programs. APPROACH: Every 8 weeks, interns responded by e-mail to an open ended question related to personal growth. Content analysis methods were used to analyze the interns’ writings to identify triggers, facilitators, and barriers related to personal growth. RESULTS: Triggers for personal growth included caring for critically …