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Paper short abstract

Our study aims at initiation rites among medical students during medical career in the course of which they undergo experiences that transform their continuously gathered knowledge from 'quantitative' into a 'qualitative' change. We also took note of 'exitiations', by reason of many of them leave their profession.

Paper long abstract

During their professional training medical students undergo several enculturation processes into the world of medicine that can be termed "initiation rites". My paper, based on anthropology’s longstanding tradition in analyzing the functions of initiation rites, identifies such rites of transition for medical students and investigates and analyzes their key elements. During such initiation rites medical students undergo experiences that transform - many times unnoticed - their continuously gathered medical knowledge. My research unveiled a startling counter-phenomenon, which I call in the lack of a better expression "exitiation". My paper studies this phenomenon in the medical career that is the exact opposite of a normal "initiation", in that it results in medical students stopping professional training as medical doctors. I further present findings pertaining to the factors encouraging that phenomenon.