Personal Storytelling During Medical Training Aids Learning
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2025 -- A student-led program in which medical students share their own personal stories with illness during a preclinical curriculum enhances learning, according to a pilot study recently published in Medical Science Educator.
Elyse A. Olesinski, M.D., from the Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues designed, implemented, and evaluated the Student Perspectives Initiative (SPI), an original, student-led program empowering medical students to share their own personal stories with illness within the preclinical curricula. SPI included a series of seven to eight voluntary student presentations with Q&A lasting 30 to 60 minutes. A mixed-methods evaluation included survey responses from 52 medical students.
The researchers reported that respondents highly rated the SPI program for its pedagogical effectiveness both in preclinical and clinical settings. Respondents reporting improved understanding of medical information, increased interest in course material, and greater confidence in counseling patients about their medical conditions. Findings also showed SPI strengthened respondents’ sense of peer community and deepened empathy after hearing student talks.
"It shows that when students share their own experiences with illness, it not only teaches important lessons but also helps build empathy and community," Olesinski said in a statement. "It also suggests that storytelling could be used more widely -- not just in medicine, but in schools, workplaces, and communities -- to help people better understand each other and grow together."
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