Negotiating the dual role of performer and learner: Medical students’ impression management in the clinical learning environment

The research reveals diverse ways in which medical students present themselves and their activities to others. Engineering convincing and desired impressions is an affective and cognitive task for students, in their dual position of actor-performers and learners. Our findings indicate that certain personal fronts punctuate learning, and we advocate for clinical workplaces to incorporate participatory learning opportunities, given their empowering benefits. Robust induction and allowing students to be authentically contributory in the CLE should ensure that diverse learners thrive in unfamiliar cultural spaces.