LAUSR

Passi and Johnson’s (2016) article on ‘‘The impact of positive doctor role modeling’’ led me to reflect on my own experience as a medical student and now as a doctor. For me, observation of consultants in clinics provided excellent opportunity to appreciate different styles of interacting with patients. These experiences shaped the sort of doctor I aspired to be. I agree that a positive role model can influence career choice and even lead students in a direction they had previously not considered. It is also important to recognize that a negative role model may discourage a student from pursuing a certain career path. It is clear that consultants need to be aware of their influence as a role model to junior colleagues and students. Yet, I wonder what role students play in bringing out positive attributes in consultants. Just as students may experience both positive and negative role models in their clinical attachments, consultants will experience a range of attitudes from students, which may subsequently influence their behavior towards them. For example, when supervising medical students in the wards, I find it easier to teach and engage with students who are enthusiastic to learn and keen to participate. I suspect I would be perceived as a more positive role model to such students, compared with students who come across less interested in learning. Goldie et al. (2015) looked at what factors make a good clinical student. Good students were considered to be visible in the wards, enthusiastic, and motivated, whereas poor students did not appear as interested and attended the ward less often. Interestingly, they identified that good clinical students share many characteristics with good clinical teachers. Students who are seen as pro-active and interested may motivate a consultant to engage more with them and result in a better learning experience. This may, in turn, lead to the perception of that consultant as a good role model. Further research is needed into how students contribute to positive role modeling in medical education.