The paradigm shift in healthcare from "sick care" to a disease prevention model is driven by the need to address health inequities. The new paradigm requires a change from the current "distant yet concerned" attitude to patient-relationship-centered approaches. Two questions drive this study: (a) How we can prepare physicians during residency to practice under the new model, and (b) What role can digital stories play in the process?The results of this hermeneutic phenomenological study offer a view into the lived experiences of eight medical residents (family medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and emergency medicine), each participating in three interviews. The content of the conversations leads to an appreciation and understanding of their perspectives on patient centeredness, factors influencing patient encounters, and their emerging professional identities. The substance of these conversations result in an unanticipated switch in the role of digital stories from an "experience" to a tool or catalyst encouraging the residents to reflect on their path to medicine, clinical practice, and professional identities. The digital stories, coupled with the study design, provide the residents with an opportunity to assess their sources of inspiration, capacity, and resilience to be empathetic and engage in advocacy. The study results have implications for the use of digital stories in health education professional training, as well as integrating hermeneutic phenomenology to promote reflection and self-assessment at critical junctures in medical residency. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]