Feeling the Shift: Emotional Intelligence Transformation Through Clinical Internship at Tehran University

Background Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a pivotal role in healthcare professionals’ ability to cope with stress, communicate effectively, and make sound clinical decisions. Medical education increasingly emphasizes the development of non-cognitive competencies, including EI. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a structured clinical internship on the emotional intelligence of undergraduate medical students. Methods A longitudinal prospective panel study was conducted among 150 fifth-year medical students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Students completed the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) before and after two semesters of clinical internship. The internship consisted of regular patient interactions across various hospital wards, five days per week over six months. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and Pearson correlation using SPSS version 10. Results No statistically significant difference was found in the total EI score before and after the internship (P > 0.05). However, a significant increase was observed in intrapersonal relationship components (P < 0.001), while general mood significantly decreased (P < 0.001). A strong positive correlation was found between pre-internship EI and students’ preclinical academic performance (r = 0.77, P < 0.01). A negative correlation was observed between academic GPA and the amount of EI change post-internship (r = -0.29, P < 0.05). Conclusion While clinical internships did not significantly alter the overall emotional intelligence of medical students, specific components such as interpersonal relationships improved, and mood levels declined. These findings suggest a nuanced impact of clinical exposure and highlight the importance of supporting students emotionally during early clinical training.