Building individual expertise in doctoral studies - the significance of everyday experiences and changing contexts

Abstract

High expectations for skiils are directed at doctors and doctoral students in the fast changing global time. Innovative soiutions to the genuine problems of society are expected of the new doctors. The expectations for skills that accumuIate through the evcryday experiences and difflrent contexts, and the requirements for experts in working life are experienced as partially conllicting by the doctoral students themselves. The expertise of doctoral students is individual — it forms in the long term in difkrent everyday contexts and is built from several individual elemenis. The experienccs and expertise of doctoral students forms diff’erentiy in diffirent contexts. The everyday experiences and contexts are significant for forming the expertise. especially for the female doctoraI students with a family.