Educational Leaders' Developmental Support of Medical Learners: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study
Date
9-25-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
James Sigler
Keywords
program directors, professional identity formation, adult development theory, pediatric emergency medicine
Disciplines
Education | Medicine and Health Sciences
Recommended Citation
Horeczko, Timothy, "Educational Leaders' Developmental Support of Medical Learners: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7514.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7514
Abstract
This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of educators supporting the professional development of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows in ACGME-accredited programs in the United States through the lens of adult development theory. The central research question asked: What are the lived experiences of educators in supporting the professional identity formation of their trainees? Purposeful, criterion-based, snowball sampling was used to recruit PEM program directors with specialty training in pediatrics or emergency medicine. Data were triangulated through developmental reflexive questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and follow-up letter writing, and analyzed using van Manen’s methodology. Program directors described a duty to cultivate both clinical skills and professional identity to ensure future care for acutely ill and injured children. Professional development is optimized when learners engage authentically with mentorship and available resources. Fellowship emerged as a dynamic, reciprocal learning environment in which fellows, faculty, and program directors mutually shape each other’s personal and professional growth. The study offers implications for institutional and national policy and proposes a new integrated theory for supporting trainee development in high-stakes clinical settings.
