ArticleBMC medical education2023
"I never should have been a doctor": a qualitative study of imposter phenomenon among internal medicine residents.
Article in BMC medical education, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Imposterism and Self-Efficacy Among Canadian Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Residents: A National Survey.The Laryngoscope · 2026Article
- Association Between Fear of Failure and Impostor Syndrome Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Perceptions from a Single Virtual Near-Peer Mock SBA Examination: A Retrospective Pre-Post Study Among Undergraduate Medical Students.Advances in medical education and practice · 2026Article
- Coping Mechanisms and Resilience Strategies for Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Healthcare Professionals.Cureus · 2025Review
- Article
- The Moderating Effects of Moral Injury and Discrimination Trauma on Women Physician Trainees' Well-Being.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Article
- 'It causes me to minimise myself': impostor phenomenon in simulation educators.Advances in simulation (London, England) · 2025Article
- Review
- Imposter Phenomenon, Burnout, and Suicidal Ideation Among Orthopaedic Surgery Residents.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2025Article
- Exploring the Impostor Phenomenon Among Korean Daycare Directors: A Grounded Theory Approach.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Impostor phenomenon and self- reported satisfaction among medical and surgical postgraduate trainees in Sri Lanka.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Breaking the Cycle: A Qualitative Study of Factors That Mitigate Impostor Phenomenon Among Internal Medicine Residents.Journal of graduate medical education · 2024Article
- Implementation of a "Best Self" Exercise to Decrease Imposter Phenomenon in Residents.Journal of graduate medical education · 2024Article
- Negative feedback in graduate medical education: perspectives from self-determination theory.Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionImposter phenomenon is common among medical trainees and may influence learning and professional development. The authors sought to describe imposter phenomenon among internal medicine residents.
methodsIn 2020, using emailed invites we recruited a convenience sample of 28 internal medicine residents from a teaching hospital in Baltimore, Maryland to participate in an exploratory qualitative study. In one-on-one interviews, informants described experiences of imposter phenomenon during residency training. Using thematic analysis to identify meaningful segments of text, the authors developed a coding framework and iteratively identified and refined themes. Informants completed the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale.
resultsInformants described feelings and thoughts related to imposter phenomenon, the contexts in which they developed and the impact on learning. Imposter phenomenon has profound effects on residents including: powerful and persistent feelings of inadequacy and habitual comparisons with others. Distinct contexts shaping imposter phenomenon included: changing roles with increasing responsibilities; constant scrutiny; and rigid medical hierarchy. Learning was impacted by inappropriate expectations, difficulty processing feedback, and mental energy diverted to impression management. DISCUSSION: Internal medicine residents routinely experience imposter phenomenon; these feelings distort residents' sense of self confidence and competence and may impact learning. Modifiable aspects of the clinical learning environment exacerbate imposter phenomenon and thus can be acted upon to mitigate imposter phenomenon and promote learning among medical trainees.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.