View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Medical student moral distress in the clinical learning environment: Identifying the sources and pedagogical implications.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Medical student moral distress in the clinical learning environment: Identifying the sources and pedagogical implications.
Authors: Reczek, Annika D.1 (AUTHOR), Kim, Daniel T.1 (AUTHOR) kimd5@amc.edu, DiBrito, Sandra1 (AUTHOR), Shelton, Wayne1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Medical Teacher. Jul2026, Vol. 48 Issue 7, p1239-1248. 10p.
Subject Terms: *School environment, *Medical education, *Qualitative research, *Content analysis, *Internship programs, *Ethical problems, *Students, *Experience, *Longitudinal method, *Medical schools, *Psychology of medical students, *Student attitudes, *Comparative studies, Clinical medicine, Supervision of employees, Psychological distress, Questionnaires, Fisher exact test, Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, Ethics, Hospital medical staff, Psychological stress, Physicians, Data analysis software
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Introduction: Moral distress arises when clinicians feel unable to act according to their ethical beliefs due to various constraints. Medical students transitioning from classroom to clinical settings are particularly vulnerable due to limited authority and fear of repercussions. This study examines how medical students experience and report moral distress, the role of supervising physicians, and the implications for professional development. Method: 407 case reports from third-year students at a U.S. allopathic medical school were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed to assess instances of moral distress and students' experiences and relationship with clinical mentors. Results: Moral distress was reported in 170 (41.8%) cases. Of those, "actions by another" (n=56, 32.9%) and "systemic concerns" (n=39, 22.9%) were the most common causes of moral distress. Mentor status (attending vs. trainee) had no significant impact on moral distress scores (p=0.6). Students without moral distress were more likely to rate their mentors more positively than those with moral distress (73.9% vs 54.0%, p<0.001) and want to emulate them (79.7% vs 55.9%, p<0.001). Discussion: Moral distress is commonly experienced among medical students, frequently driven by observing others' behaviors. Positive role modeling and mentoring can significantly influence students' moral distress and professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Medical Teacher is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: ehh
DbLabel: Education Research Complete
An: 194783047
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Medical student moral distress in the clinical learning environment: Identifying the sources and pedagogical implications.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Reczek%2C+Annika+D%2E%22&quot;&gt;Reczek, Annika D.&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1&lt;/relatesTo&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Kim%2C+Daniel+T%2E%22&quot;&gt;Kim, Daniel T.&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1&lt;/relatesTo&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;i&gt; kimd5@amc.edu&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22DiBrito%2C+Sandra%22&quot;&gt;DiBrito, Sandra&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1&lt;/relatesTo&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Shelton%2C+Wayne%22&quot;&gt;Shelton, Wayne&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1&lt;/relatesTo&gt; (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;JN&quot; term=&quot;%22Medical+Teacher%22&quot;&gt;Medical Teacher&lt;/searchLink&gt;. Jul2026, Vol. 48 Issue 7, p1239-1248. 10p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: *&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22School+environment%22&quot;&gt;School environment&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Medical+education%22&quot;&gt;Medical education&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Qualitative+research%22&quot;&gt;Qualitative research&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Content+analysis%22&quot;&gt;Content analysis&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Internship+programs%22&quot;&gt;Internship programs&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Ethical+problems%22&quot;&gt;Ethical problems&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Students%22&quot;&gt;Students&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Experience%22&quot;&gt;Experience&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Longitudinal+method%22&quot;&gt;Longitudinal method&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Medical+schools%22&quot;&gt;Medical schools&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Psychology+of+medical+students%22&quot;&gt;Psychology of medical students&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Student+attitudes%22&quot;&gt;Student attitudes&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Comparative+studies%22&quot;&gt;Comparative studies&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Clinical+medicine%22&quot;&gt;Clinical medicine&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Supervision+of+employees%22&quot;&gt;Supervision of employees&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Psychological+distress%22&quot;&gt;Psychological distress&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Questionnaires%22&quot;&gt;Questionnaires&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Fisher+exact+test%22&quot;&gt;Fisher exact test&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Descriptive+statistics%22&quot;&gt;Descriptive statistics&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Chi-squared+test%22&quot;&gt;Chi-squared test&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Ethics%22&quot;&gt;Ethics&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Hospital+medical+staff%22&quot;&gt;Hospital medical staff&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Psychological+stress%22&quot;&gt;Psychological stress&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Physicians%22&quot;&gt;Physicians&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Data+analysis+software%22&quot;&gt;Data analysis software&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22United+States%22&quot;&gt;United States&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Introduction: Moral distress arises when clinicians feel unable to act according to their ethical beliefs due to various constraints. Medical students transitioning from classroom to clinical settings are particularly vulnerable due to limited authority and fear of repercussions. This study examines how medical students experience and report moral distress, the role of supervising physicians, and the implications for professional development. Method: 407 case reports from third-year students at a U.S. allopathic medical school were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed to assess instances of moral distress and students&#39; experiences and relationship with clinical mentors. Results: Moral distress was reported in 170 (41.8%) cases. Of those, &quot;actions by another&quot; (n=56, 32.9%) and &quot;systemic concerns&quot; (n=39, 22.9%) were the most common causes of moral distress. Mentor status (attending vs. trainee) had no significant impact on moral distress scores (p=0.6). Students without moral distress were more likely to rate their mentors more positively than those with moral distress (73.9% vs 54.0%, p&lt;0.001) and want to emulate them (79.7% vs 55.9%, p&lt;0.001). Discussion: Moral distress is commonly experienced among medical students, frequently driven by observing others&#39; behaviors. Positive role modeling and mentoring can significantly influence students&#39; moral distress and professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Medical Teacher is the property of Taylor &amp; Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=194783047
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/0142159X.2026.2614603
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 10
        StartPage: 1239
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: School environment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Qualitative research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Content analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Internship programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ethical problems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Experience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Longitudinal method
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology of medical students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Comparative studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Clinical medicine
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Supervision of employees
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological distress
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Questionnaires
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fisher exact test
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chi-squared test
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ethics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hospital medical staff
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological stress
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Physicians
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United States
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Medical student moral distress in the clinical learning environment: Identifying the sources and pedagogical implications.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Reczek, Annika D.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kim, Daniel T.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: DiBrito, Sandra
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Shelton, Wayne
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Text: Jul2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0142159X
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 48
            – Type: issue
              Value: 7
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Medical Teacher
              Type: main
ResultId 1