Student Strategies to Cope with Derogatory Comments of Clinicians/Clinical Teachers in Prosthodontics Clinic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52206/jsmc.2025.15.1.1032Abstract
Background: Derogatory comments can be insulting statements that are disrespectful, unethical, dehumanizing and lead to erosion of professionalism, especially in the clinical workplace. Clinics where informal interactions frequently occur between clinicians and students are often the sites of such remarks. These comments can disrupt the learning process by affecting student's psychology, concentration, motivation, and idealization of the profession.
Objective: To identify students' strategies to cope with derogatory comments from senior clinicians and/or clinical teachers in the prosthodontics clinic.
Materials and Method: This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted at the University College of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Lahore. The study focused on final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students from both public and private institutions. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and coded. Data was analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), resulting in the identification of codes that were clustered into subthemes and then into two main themes.
Results: Themes and subthemes identified revealed that due to derogatory comments, students started avoiding that particular teacher, they stayed away from the department, and some distracted their minds to avoid the problem. On the other hand, some think that this derogation is due to their poor clinical performance or their image which might be due to feedback from previous teachers so they tried to learn from their mistakes and tried to improve their skills and shortcomings. Other students tried to communicate with the teacher to make things better while others praised the teacher for coming on good terms and some were courageous enough to complain against the teacher but yeh they remained anonymous.
Conclusion: Students recognize the importance of the learning process and employ various strategies to cope with clinicians' derogatory comments. As medical educators, it is essential to provide platforms for students to discuss and resolve these issues comfortably, ensuring that future dentists are well-equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to serve society effectively.
Keywords: Bias, Bullying, Coping mechanism, Derogatory comments, Microagression, Prosthodontics clinic student Strategies.
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