title: Where do physicians start and end?
abstract: Medical education is primarily about training physicians and maintaining their capabilities over time. Given that physicians are the primary focus of the field, there is a need for a clear idea of what physicians are or could be. This paper seeks to explore this issue by posing the simple question: ?Where do physicians start and end?' In doing so, the authors explore a series of different conceptual frames, including those of a physician's physical dimensions, their cellular boundaries, personal intentions and beliefs, professional identity, regulation, entrustability, professional performance, extended cognition, and disability. This existential look at the concept of a physician demonstrates the plurality of medical education scholarship and the implications of the many intersecting points of view in the field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: H Ellaway
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Topps
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Topps
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical; D006801:Humans; D008004:Licensure; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012933:Social Identification