Narrative means to professional ends New strategies for teaching CanMEDS roles in Canadian medical schools

Medical students in training are rarely encouraged to engage in reflective thinking around clinical encounters. Writing exercises can be an effective route for encouraging student reflection. The purpose of this pilot project was to determine if using reflective writing in teaching the CanMEDS roles helps to increase students' understanding of the roles in the clinical context. A pilot project was undertaken with 10 third-year medical students at the University of Toronto in Ontario. Students wrote about a different CanMEDS role for each session based on supplied writing prompts. Students also completed a Narrative Reflection Tool at the end of each group session. A selection of writing samples was assessed for reflection and for an understanding of the CanMEDS roles. Students were also given an opportunity to provide feedback on the program. Students demonstrated a good grasp of the CanMEDS roles, strong reflective capacity, and engagement in the learning process. Results suggest reflective writing has an important role in encouraging personal reflection and reflective thinking in the clinical context.