APPLICATION OF NARRATIVE MEDICINE TO IMPROVE PROFESSIONAL AWARENESS AMONG MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

Kien Thanh Lam1, Ngoc Anh Thu Nguyen1, Minh Son Nguyen1, Van Chuong Le1, Thi My Tien Pham1,
1 Van Lang University

Main Article Content

Abstract

Background: Traditional medical education focuses on biomedical knowledge but pays limited attention to professional awareness development. Narrative Medicine has proven effective in developing professional identity, but its application to Medical Laboratory Technology in Vietnam remains limited. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of Narrative Medicine methodology on professional awareness among Medical Laboratory Technology students. Materials and methods: A one-group pretest-posttest intervention study was conducted with 38 first-year Medical Laboratory Technology students during the first semester of 2024-2025. The program consisted of 9 sessions, each 90 minutes, focusing on Tuan's professional journey integrated with internal medicine pathology. Professional awareness was assessed using a 10indicator questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale. Results: 35 students (92.1%) completed the program with 292 responses. Five of 10 indicators showed statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05). "Confidence in professional knowledge" showed the highest improvement (+0.77 points, Cohen's d = 1.01), followed by "Confidence in success ability" (+0.64 points, d = 0.84). Students with low baseline scores (≤3.3) achieved largest effect size (d = 1.28). Conclusion: Narrative Medicine is an effective teaching tool for improving professional awareness among Medical Laboratory Technology students, particularly those with initially low awareness levels. 

Article Details

References

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