Moral development in personal and professional identity formation: Longitudinal impact of teaching the role of medicine during the Holocaust in health professions education

Objectives: Critically reflecting on history of medicine during Nazism and the Holocaust (MNH) which included egregious ethical violations such as genocide complicity is a powerful platform for scaffolding Professional Identity Formation (PIF) with contemporary relevance for health professions education (HPE), clinical and research practices, and public policy. The study explored the longitudinal impact of MNH curriculum with an Auschwitz Memorial study trip on personal and PIF including moral development as a key PIF component. Methods: The authors used immersion-crystallization qualitative thematic analysis to analyze medical and psychology students’ reflective writings at 6 weeks (N=10) and 1.5 to 2 years (N=24) post 2019 MNH curriculum with study trip. Results: Four distinct themes were identified, ie. curriculum and study trip impact on me as a 1) person, 2) student & future health professional, 3) member of a health profession (and health system), and 4) global citizen & part of humanity (philosophical/existential aspects). Each theme included five subthemes, ie. moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, moral character, and moral outcome. Themes/subthemes were mapped to a conceptual framework for a moral development model within personal and PIF. Conclusions: This curriculum catalyzed critically reflective learning/meaning-making supporting history-informed personal and PIF, and moral development within HPE. Students described compelling and relevant impact of the MNH curriculum on their perspectives and behavior within their studies, the health care system, and society. MNH curriculum is proposed as a fundamental HPE component cultivating attitudes, values, and behaviors for empathic, morally courageous leadership within inevitable healthcare and societal challenges.