Congratulations to dr. Jurgitas Tuitaitė after successfully defending her doctoral thesis ”Professional Identity Formation in Medical Students Patient and Doctoral Educational Interaction Applying Narrative Medicine” (scientific supervisor – prof. Dr. Vilma Žydžiūnaitė (Vytautas Magnus University, Social Sciences, Education, S 007), and after acquiring doctoral degree in social sciences(educology).

The dissertation is available at the National Libraries of Vytautas Magnus University, Klaipėda University, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius University, and Martnas Mazvydas library.

The dissertation is available at: 11 Studentų Str.  Academy, Kaunas district.

The brief summary is presented below.

The aim of the dissertation research is to reveal the formation of the professional identity of medical students through the educational interaction of patients and medical students. Patients with epilepsy were purposefully selected as the research participants, as epileptic seizures are usually not seen during meetings with physicians, but only described by the patient and therefore require physician’s capability to reflect.
The methodology of the grounded theory was chosen to analyse the data of the empirical research. Grounded theory is an inductive method by which a theory is constructed from the obtained qualitative data (Glaser, Strauss, 1967). According to Charmaz, the paradigm of social construction was applied in the formation of the constructivist underlying theory. According to Berger and Luckmann (1966), the constructivist theory of social reality defines “knowledge” and “reality,” where “knowledge” is interpreted as certainty and “reality” as a property of phenomena.
The results of the research allow us to assume about the inclusion of narrative medicine (reflection) in the training of future doctors and about the dynamic formation of the medical students’ professional identity that is constantly moving vertically and horizontally and is used in order to become a professional doctor. The underlying theory of “Opening up” reveals the importance of educating the future physician’s ability to reflect in shaping their professional identity and the limitations of the institutional environment in shaping the professional identity.

Dissertation was prepared at Vytautas Magnus University in 2017–2021. The right of doctoral studies was granted to Vytautas Magnus University jointly with Klaipėda University, Mykolas Romeris University and Vilnius University, on 22 February 2019, by the decision No. V–160 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

Scientific Supervisor:
Prof. habil. dr. Vilma Žydžiūnaitė (Vytautas Magnus University, Social Sciences, Education Sciences, S007).

Dissertation Defence Council
Chairman:
Prof. dr. Remigijus Bubnys (Vilniaus University Šiauliai academy, Social Sciences, Education Sciences, S007).
Members:
Assoc.prof. dr. Eglė Stasiūnaitienė (Vytautas Magnus University, Social Sciences, Education Sciences, S007).
Assoc.prof. dr. Ilona Tandzegolskienė Vytautas Magnus University, Social Sciences, Education Sciences, S007).
Prof. dr. Darius Leskauskas (Lithuanian University of Health sciences, Health sciences, Medicine, M 001).
Assoc.prof. dr. Tomas Butvilas (Mykolas Romeris University, Social Sciences, Education Sciences, S007).