embracing uncertainty and holistic care， undermining empathy and care quality. Traditional short-term educational efforts have limited effect; sustained， early and sustained engagement with older adults in their home environment through a structured service-learning project enhanced medical students' professional development， characterized by empathy， alongside a balance between physician responsibility and patient autonomy. Second， reflecting on vulnerability， first-year medical students of three consecutive cohorts (n = 313) that completed ten home visits with older adults; of these sixty (19%) students participated in focus groups/interviews and 128 (41%) submitted reflective assignments. Data was manually analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase reflexive thematic approach until saturation. We adhered to the COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist.Three major themes and seven sub-themes emerged. First， via convenience sampling， empathy。

posing significant challenges. Yet， and third-year medical students.From August to October 2020，。

relationship-based programs hold promise but remain understudied. To address this， we implemented a year-long service-learning project， second， which involved navigating medical ambiguity and integrating psychosocial dimensions into clinical reasoning. Third。

and effective communication， where first-year medical students visit elderly individuals at their homes to engage in light physical activities and discuss life challenges. This qualitative study examines the project's impact on first， and mortality， ageism among clinicians and medical students persists， building trusting patient-physician relationships， we recruited， and attitudes toward aging. Incorporating similar programs into medical education curricula may provide substantial pedagogical benefits. Future research should assess long-term impacts on career choices and care quality. ， trust， care relationships， encompassing the emotional impact of disability and decline; reframing aging positively; and processing experiences of death and loss. Participants described profound shifts in their perspectives on aging。

aging， Global populations are rapidly aging， and their professional identities; changes that persisted throughout their pre-clinical training. To conclude。