The Paradox of Resilience: A Mixed-Methods Study of Dual-Identity Navigation in Military Medical Education

The formation of a professional identity is a critical challenge for military medical cadets, who must navigate the often-conflicting cultures of medicine and the military. While this challenge is recognized globally, the lived, developmental experience of cadets, particularly in non-Western contexts, remains significantly under-researched. This study addresses this gap by exploring how cadets at Myanmar’s Defence Services Medical Academy experience and manage this dual-identity journey.