The purpose of this study was to suggest implications which could obtain by analyzing the top doctors' expertise development process from the life-history perspectives. To find out the processes of top doctors' expertise development and experiential l...
The purpose of this study was to suggest implications which could obtain by analyzing the top doctors' expertise development process from the life-history perspectives. To find out the processes of top doctors' expertise development and experiential learning, the study used the critical incidents within their lives. Three research questions were set in order to achieve the goal of this study.
First, how top doctors developed their expertise development processes throughout their lives? Second, what were the factors that affected top doctors' expertise development process? Third, what was the experiential learning process of top doctors?
A conceptual framework was established based on three different important points: expertise development process, affecting factors at each stage, and experiential learning. Three top doctors who were the presidents of major academic societies and who have appeared in medical documentary program 'Top doctor' participated in this study. In-depth interviews and critical incident technique were used to collect the data. The study was conducted with domain analysis and taxonomic analysis of the transcripts.
The results of this study were as follows. First, top doctors' lives were divided into four stages as per expertise development processes: exploration, training, independence, and creation. The expertise advanced every ten years, and meeting the mentor and overseas training played an important role in top doctors' expertise development process. Top doctors attained great scholarly achievement at school with the help of high parental expectation and support in the exploration stage. In the training stage, top doctors entered the medical school and acquired knowledge about their major. In addition, top doctors learned many things from their mentors and overseas training in the independence stage. Then, they were recognized as top doctor in their fields with creative performance in the creation stage.
Secondly, each stage had different characteristics. Independent mind and concentration, excellent scholarly achievement and parents' expectation and support were crucial factors in the exploration stage. In the training stage, interest in clinics, knowledge on the major, and meeting academic advisers were the important factors affecting the expertise development process. Attitudes towards self-directed learning, establishing a self-value system, informal learning from their work, deciding what to study during their entire lifetime, and meeting the mentors showed as significant factors for the expertise development process. Finally, in the creation stage, continuous inquiring mind, expanding values, creative performance, fostering younger students, and supporting system were critical factors that played an important role in the creation stage.
Lastly, the top doctors' experiential learning was consisted of three steps of process: experiences, reflective process, and outcome. Moreover, this study discovered that the reflection process is essential for the experiential learning, and success and failure in the past had important effects on current experiential learning.
The result of this study suggests implications for HRD. First, top doctors' expertise were gradually developed throughout their whole lives. For continuous education based on the perspective from the lifetime, consultative group including medical school, hospital, and academy society should be considered. It is necessary to pay attention to the on-line recording system that can record the learning experiences of doctors. Second, the subjects showed different characteristics at each stage. Therefore, customized supports considering differences of stages should be accompanied. Information on career options in the exploration stage, education on the sense of mission as a doctor in the training stage, systemic support for the overseas training in the independence stage, and the opportunities to broaden one's perspective in the creation stage should be provided. Lastly, the study showed that reflection was a significant process for the experiential learning. In order to facilitate the experiential learning, an opportunity for reflection should be expanded through keeping a diary, implementing systemic appraisal and feedback.