Abstract
As first generation (FG)/low income (LI) students enter the elite profession of medicine, schools make presumptions about how FGLI students allocate their time. However, their lives are markedly different compared to their peers. This study argues that while all forms of capital are necessary for success, time as a specific form keeps classism in place. Using constructivist grounded theory techniques, we interviewed 48 FGLI students to understand where, why and how they allocated their time, and the perceived impact it had on them. Using open coding and constant comparison, we developed an understanding of FGLI students’ relationship to time and then contextualized it within larger conversations on how time is conceptualized in a capitalist system that demands time efficiency, and the activities where time is needed in medical school. When students discussed time, they invoked the concept of ‘time famine;’ having too much to do and not enough time. In attempting to meet medicine’s expectations, they conceptualized time as something that was ‘spent’ or ‘given/taken’ as they traversed different marketplaces, using their time as a form of currency to make up for the social capital expected of them. This study shows that because medical education was designed around the social elite, a strata of individuals who have generational resources, time is a critical aspect separating FGLI students from their peers. This study undergirds the idea that time is a hidden organizational framework that helps to maintain classism, thus positioning FGLI students at a disadvantage.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all of the FG students who entrusted their experiences with us so that we might bring them to the attention of our medical education community. We would also like to thank the other team members for their review of an early draft.
Funding
This study was funded by an Association of American Medical College’s (AAMC) Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) Educational Grant awarded to Drs. Boatright, Mason and Wyatt.
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The following authors, Wyatt, Casillas, Webber, Parrilla, Boatright, & Mason analyzed the data and wrote the main manuscript text. Mason created the Table and Wyatt prepared Fig. 1.
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Yale School of Medicine’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved this study (#2000028071) on November 9, 2021.
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This work was prepared by a civilian employee of the US Government as part of the individual’s official duties and therefore is in the public domain. The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University or the Department of Defense.
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An early version of this study was presented at the 2022 Association for American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Learn, Serve, Lead Conference in Nashville, TN.
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Wyatt, T.R., Casillas, A., Webber, A. et al. The maintenance of classism in medical education: “time” as a form of social capital in first-generation and low-income medical students. Adv in Health Sci Educ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10270-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10270-7