Impostor phenomenon in medicine

Abstract

The impostor phenomenon (IP) is widely experienced among students, physicians, physician–scientists, and faculty members, including those who are well advanced in their career. Those with impostor feelings, either episodically or more frequently, feel incompetent, question their success, and feel like a fraud. Medicine is predominantly a White, male profession in the United States or North America, especially in higher ranks of position and power. This chapter reviews extant research on IP in medicine. It presents an overview of the demographic characteristics of medicine, especially in the United States or North American context. The chapter examines popular scales used to measure IP in medicine. It discusses IP among students (medical, graduate, and MD-PhD), professionals (residents, physicians, physician assistants, and veterinarians), and mixed samples. Lastly, the chapter points to evidence-based strategies to manage or overcome IP as well as several directions of future research.