“It was clear to me that nothing else would make me happy” – a qualitative, type-building interview study on meaningfulness and motivation in medical studies at two medical faculties

Objective: The aim of this study was to qualitatively describe the relationships between the experience of meaningfulness, crises of meaning and the motivation of medical students. Methods: Semi-structured interviews using an interview guide with 20 students in the clinical study phase were analyzed using type-building qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz. Results: Sources of professional meaning were identified as belonging and teamwork, performance and striving for development, autonomy, coherence and social relevance. Transition phases, pressure to perform, negative practical experiences and professional or system-related challenges were cited as inhibiting factors for a good experience of meaningfulness. The students reported that experiences of meaningfulness and crises of meaning had an impact on their motivation. Four specific student-types were elaborated, regarding the degree of motivation for their studies and later career entry, in professional meaningfulness and crises: Students with a calling had the strongest motivation and the highest experience of meaningfulness with hardly any crises of meaning. Students who are seekers had a high experience of meaningfulness, but their motivation was low due to crises of meaning, in contrast to students who are doubters, who also had a low experience of meaningfulness. Students who are work-to-live persons, despite low levels of experience of meaningfulness or crises of meaning, showed motivation for their studies and later careers. Conclusion: Students’ experiences of meaningfulness and crises of meaning were shown to be related to their motivation to study and later career entry. The proposed typology revealed individual accentuations of the students on how they can cope with experiences of meaningfulness and motivation. Further research is required to confirm the relationships found and to develop targeted interventions based on them.