The impact of family interview on the relationship between medical students and their silent mentor

Abstract

The gross anatomy laboratory course often triggers significant negative emotions in medical students during dissection. While various pedagogical interventions aim to alleviate psychological burden, the fundamental question of how students' perceptions of donors evolve throughout the course remains underexplored. In our program, students participate in family interviews with donors' family members, which provide a biographical context for the donor. This study investigated the processual nature of medical students' relationship formation with their “silent mentor” and the pivotal role of family interviews in this transformation. A qualitative study was conducted with 12 third-year medical students. Participants were interviewed at two critical time points: before family interviews (T1) and after course completion (T2). Semi-structured interviews explored students' perceptions of the silent mentor's body, the student–donor relationship, and the impact of family interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to trace the evolution of themes across the semester. Students' experiences unfolded in two distinct phases. Phase 1 was characterized by oscillation between viewing the silent mentor as “person” versus “object,” influenced by temporal boundaries and sensory dissonance. Phase 2 revealed the family interview as a transformative catalyst that initiated relationship formation, prompting students to reframe their connection with the silent mentor as teacher, bridge, or companion, while extending reflections to their relationships with living people. The family interview emerges not merely as a humanistic activity but as a critical pedagogical intervention that transforms students' professional identity and compassion through facilitating a profound process of relationship formation with their silent mentor.