The Problem and Power of Professionalism: A Critical Analysis of Medical Students' and Residents' Perspectives and Experiences of Professionalism.

PURPOSE: Professionalism has historically been viewed as an honorable code to define core values and behaviors of physicians, but there are growing concerns that professionalism serves to control people who do not align with the majority culture of medicine. This study explored how learners, particularly those from historically marginalized groups, view the purpose of professionalism and how they experience professionalism as both an oppressive and valuable force. METHOD: The authors conducted a qualitative study with a critical orientation. In 2021 and 2022, they interviewed fourth-year medical students and senior residents at 3 institutions about their perceptions and experiences of professionalism. After cataloguing participants' stories, the authors combined critical theory with narrative and thematic analysis to identify mechanisms by which professionalism empowered or disempowered individuals or groups based on identities. RESULTS: Forty-nine trainees (31 medical students and 18 senior residents from multiple specialties) participated in interviews; 17 identified as a race/ethnicity underrepresented in medicine and 15 as people of color not underrepresented in medicine. Their stories, especially those of participants underrepresented in medicine, identified professionalism as an oppressive, homogenizing force that sometimes encoded racism through various mechanisms. These mechanisms included conflating differences with unprofessionalism, enforcing double standards of professionalism, and creating institutional policies that regulated appearance or hindered advocacy. Participants described deleterious consequences of professionalism on their learning and mental health. However, participants also described useful aspects of professionalism as a means of advocating for marginalized groups. Additionally, participants described how they reconceived professionalism to include their own identities and values. CONCLUSIONS: Trainees, especially those from historically marginalized groups, experience professionalism as a restrictive, assimilative force while also finding value in and constructive adaptations for professionalism. Understanding both the destructive and empowering aspects of professionalism on individual and institutional levels can help improve the framing of professionalism in medical education.

Associations of TNFR1 with kidney function outcomes by age, gender, and baseline kidney function status: Data from the Heart and Soul Study.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1 (TNFR1) is associated with kidney disease and mortality risk in various populations [1], [2]. We evaluated associations of TNFR1 with mortality and mediators of this relationship in doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.05.021. Whether or not these associations are influenced by age, gender, or baseline kidney function are not known. We evaluated associations of TNFR1 levels with measures of kidney function stratifying by these variables. Our outcomes included estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) >30 mg/g, and rapid kidney function loss, defined as a change in eGFR of greater than 3% per year.

Associations of tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor type 1 with kidney function decline, cardiovascular events, and mortality risk in persons with coronary artery disease: Data from the Heart and Soul Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1 (TNFR1) is associated with kidney disease and mortality risk in various populations. Whether or not kidney function mediates mortality risk is unknown. We evaluated associations of TNFR1 levels with measures of kidney function, cardiovascular events, and mortality in a population of veterans with stable ischemic heart disease. METHODS: TNFR1 was measured from baseline serum samples in the Heart and Soul Study; elevated levels were defined by the highest quartile (Q4, >3.4 ng/ml). We evaluated associations of high TNFR1 with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) and with longitudinal changes in eGFR (rapid loss), as well as with incident myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure hospitalizations (HF), and mortality over a median follow-up time of 8.9 years. Covariates included demographics and comorbid conditions. RESULTS: Among 985 participants who had TNFR1 measurements, median TNFR1 was 2.33 ng/ml (IQR 1.8-3.1). Relative to Q1, Q4 had higher risk of eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (RR 11.71 [95% CI 5.46, 25.11]); ACR ≥ 30 mg/g (2.44 [1.15, 5.19]); and rapid loss in kidney function (2.10 [1.12, 3.92]). Although TNFR1 Q4 was associated with MI, HF, and mortality after demographic adjustment, there were no associations in fully-adjusted models (1.04 [0.44, 2.49]; 1.02 [0.48, 2.15]; 1.42 [0.88, 2.28], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Levels of TNFR1 are associated longitudinally with kidney function decline but not with MI, HF or mortality risk after adjustment. Kidney disease may mediate the risk of MI, HF, and mortality associated with TNFR1.