BIPOC medical student wellness: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color (BIPOC) medical student wellness has been studied almost exclusively by utilizing quantitative research methods. Few studies have looked at BIPOC medical student wellness through qualitative research methods. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was utilized to study BIPOC medical student wellness through interviewing, describing, and analyzing their lived experiences while in medical school. This is the first known study utilizing IPA to research the lived experience of BIPOC medical students. With this research, how BIPOC medical students experience personal wellness as they navigate systemic racism in medical schools was investigated. This study was guided by one main research question and two sub-questions. The main guiding question: How do BIPOC medical students make meaning of personal wellness as they navigate historically White medical school ecosystems? The sub-questions included: (a) How do BIPOC medical students define personal wellness for themselves? and (b) What resources do BIPOC medical students point to as their key support systems at predominantly White medical institutions? Intersecting identities, critical race theory (CRT), and ecological systems theory (EST) were considered, and four Group Experiential Themes (GETs) were identified. Conducting future qualitative studies on BIPOC medical student wellness, especially focusing on action-oriented research, is recommended.