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Table 5 Qualitative analysis of student feedback regarding the faculty instructor (N = 20)

From: Compassion cultivation training promotes medical student wellness and enhanced clinical care

Coded Themes

Representative Student Quotes

Significance

Personality

“[He] is incredibly passionate about the objectives of this course! His enthusiasm made it easy for me to move from a skeptical mindset towards acknowledgment of the benefits of meditation. [He] created a safe environment where his students could experience compassion training without judgment.”

“His kind demeanor was very encouraging.”

Instructor selection must be purposeful and deliberate. To effectively model compassionate and mindful behavior, instructors must be perceived as relatable. Clinical experience or context of patient care and/or medical school are important considerations. Formal training and understanding the scientific basis for these training methods prepare instructors for their role.

Professional role-modeling

“[He] is the definition of practicing what you preach. Had he not been an example of the concepts he taught, it would have been much more difficult to buy into compassion cultivation training.”

“[He] is very open and honest about how mediating helped him, and I found his openness was beneficial for me to explore meditation in my own life. He made the course very approachable and enjoyable. I would recommend this class for all medical students.”

Relatable to medical students

“[He] is incredibly knowledgeable and relatable…He seemed real and genuine.”

“He was kind and was very open to talking about his journey through the medical field. He talked about his experiences that have shaped him into the doctor and person he is today. He also had humility and talked about mistakes he has made along the way and that compassion fatigue happens to everyone.”

“[He used] useful real-life anecdotes of being a physician and the struggles of practicing compassionate care.”

Training is key

“Really deep-rooted learning”

“[He] made meditation useful for beginners and those that have meditated before.”

“[He] provided wonderful insight into not only what compassion means, but gave us a forum to practice our compassion.”