Exploring Turning Points: A Qualitative, Reflexive, and Flexible Design
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Abstract
This study explores, using a reflective and flexible qualitative design, turning points in the career paths of a group of physicians at three stages of their lives and professional practice. Turning points are pivotal events that reshape biographies and have varied characteristics. From a life course perspective, the objective is to identify and describe situations originating in medical training and practice that become turning points, modifying aspects of the individual and their life as a physician. Methodologically, a qualitative design based on the biographical approach was employed, working with life histories and flexibly combining strategies and tools for data collection and analysis. Twenty-four physicians were interviewed at three stages: young adults starting their careers, established middle-aged adults, and mature adults nearing retirement. Data collection was structured around two interviews, focused on the biographical reconstruction of significant experiences during university training, residency, and professional practice. The thematic analysis integrated Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the use of ATLAS.ti, NotebookLM with AI, and expert researchers. The findings reveal phenomenological qualities of the turning points, and a typology is proposed, classifying them as genuine, false, and ignored. The reflexive dimension of this work lies in making explicit a flexible methodological model for analyzing life histories and the constant reflexivity of the research team to ensure transparency and transferability of the results. It is concluded that medical training and practice are a source of significant moments for the physicians interviewed which can be promoted by educational institutions. The mechanism by which an event becomes a turning point is an aspect that warrants further investigation.
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