What is medicine and what is a doctor? Medical students’ perceptions and expectations of their academic and professional career (original) (raw)

Perceptions of medical students regarding educational

2013

Introduction: Medical and allied health educators around the globe agreed that an optimal educational climate is a vital aspect for effective learning to take place. Without a doubt, appraisal of the educational climate has been emphasized as a key to the delivery of high quality medical education. In addition, the appraisal provides useful feedback to particular institution to improve their curriculum. Objective: This study was employed as part of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) Universiti Sains Malaysia curriculum review process. It aimed to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the current medical curriculum thus could provide useful information to guide the curriculum review committee during the review process. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted on a total of 656 medical students from the first, third and fifth year of study. Purposive sampling method was applied. DREEM was administered to the medical students to evaluate the educational climate in the studied medical school. Result: A total of 511 (77.9%) medical students completely responded to the 50 statements of DREEM. The mean global score across phases of medical training was 128.36/200. The global scores for year 1, year 3 and year 5 were 138.94/200, 122.27/200 and 125.49/200 respectively. Results showed that; 1) the medical school had reasonably level of educational climates across phases of medical training; 2) the medical teachers were knowledgeable and well prepared for the teaching; 3) the students were overloaded with factual knowledge; 4) the medical teachers were quite harsh to students during teaching session especially in clinical phase; 5) students experienced a significant amount of stress that led to poor memory; 6) the learning process was inclined toward teacher-centered rather than student-centered learning; 7) students had a considerable healthy social relationships with peers as well as others; and 8) academic dishonesty became more apparent in the clinical phase. Conclusion: The medical school's educational environment across different phases of study was more positive than negative. However, there are plenty of rooms for improvement as perceived by the medical students. The medical school should address various important issues highlighted in this article during the curriculum review process.

Expectations of a medical student: the deficit between 'what is' and 'what should be

Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad : JAMC

Over past few decades, the expectations of medical students about their academics, extracurricular support from college and about their social life at campus have all been changed greatly. The relative scarcity of data about the expectations of Pakistani medical students has merited this study. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken at Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad at the in December, 2012 based on random sampling technique. Expectation questionnaire of University of Northumbria for Survey of Student Attitudes, Experiences and Expectations was used. One hundred and sixty-two students responded to the questionnaire with 93 (58.1%) males. Students had a fairly realistic picture of academic demands and college environment. There was major difference in the opinions of male and female students about physical environment of college with female having prior misconception about it. Forty-eight percent student found medical education challenging. About 63.3% students had realistic pictu...

Students’ conceptions of the medical profession; an interview study

Medical Teacher, 2005

Students' beliefs and attitudes towards the medical profession have been studied in relation to career choices, but most research has been restricted to either predetermined aspects or to a limited number of specialities. This study aimed at getting unprompted insight in the students' perceptions of their future profession in dimensions that may be determinants of study success and career choice. Undergraduate and graduated medical students were interviewed and asked to characterize the medical profession in general and four contrasting specialities in particular. Grounded Theory methodology was used to analyse the data. Participants were medical students at the start of their training (n ¼ 16), during clerkships (n ¼ 10) and after graduation (n ¼ 37). Beginning students perceive the medical profession in limited dimensions: the activities of a physician, their relationship to patients and the physician's knowledge, skills and personality. They do not see many differences between specialities, in contrast with students with clinical experience and graduate students. Undergraduate students' perception is focussed more on social aspects of the profession compared to graduates.

Comparative study of medical education as perceived by students at three Dutch universities

Advances in Health Sciences Education, 1997

Objective. The aim of the present study was to identify the differences that may exist in professional satisfaction and skills (clinical patient management and psychosocial skills) in students and graduates from two traditional medical schools and their counterparts from a problem-based medical school in the Netherlands. Also their satisfaction for their training was investigated. Method. Questionnaires were designed containing items reflecting the earlier mentioned differences between the students. Following an initial pilot study, the questionnaire used in this study was constructed accordingly. Sample. The questionnaires were sent to 180 near and recent graduates of these three schools. Results. A total of 127 questionnaires were returned (response rate of 70.5%). The students of the PBL curriculum felt better prepared in psychosocial and interpersonal skills. They felt more satisfied with their training, but were less enthusiastic with the profession. The results also suggest that in their own opinion students and graduates from the three schools do not differ in clinical patient management skills acquired in medical school. Conclusion. A limitation of this study lies in the fact that results are based on actual self-assessment of the students. One must be aware that self-assessment does not always provide for objective information. However, since this limitation applied equally to respondents of all three medical schools, the differences between the schools can be considered indicative of the effects resulting from the different curricula.

Qualities attributed to an ideal educator by medical students: should faculty take cognizance

Medical Teacher, 2001

Objective In January 2001, the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine in Durban, South Africa implemented Year 1 of a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. In attempting to comprehensively evaluate the first year, every aspect was investigated. Problembased learning requires that, in addition to skills competency and knowledge acquisition, students undergo personal development on their journey towards becoming reflective professionals. Suitable methods of evaluation are therefore necessary to measure some of the new objectives. This discussion appraises the possible use of student drawings as a qualitative evaluation tool.

Medicine in prospect-the first-year student's view

Medical Education, 1981

A sample of first-year medical students from the University of New South Wales was interviewed to determine the students' reasons for studying Medicine, their career aspirations and their views, in prospect, of the medical course and medical practice. There were some differences, in general responses, between men and women. In general the interviews revealed that at this stage of their careers the students were motivated to a high degree by humanitarian concerns. Recent criticisms of the outcomes of medical education have featured concerns that graduating doctors do not demonstrate sufficient ability to relate to patients on a personal level or to take a holistic approach to care. Some medical educators and community spokesmen have attributed this to the selection system which, based solely on academic merit, chooses students with high academic ability and according to some critics, low social abilities and awarensss. The results of this study indicate that such assumptions are false and that undesirable attitudes said to be present in graduating doctors do not appear to be present in the early stages of medical education.

What prospective doctors reflect about medical education: The client's perspective

Journal of Research in Medical Education & Ethics, 2014

Objectives: To document the views of the 'consumer', i.e. medical students, about the prevailing teaching methods and the role of teachers, and elicit their suggestions to make the process of learning better. Methodology: A cross-sectional study carried out among the interns of two selected medical colleges situated in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India. A self-administered semi-open-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: The total number of respondents was 191, including 77 .50/o males. A majority (109; 57 .l%) preferred the chalk and board method of theory teaching. Only 13 (6.8%) claimed to have attended more than 90o/o of tbe scheduled classes, while only 15 (7 .8%) claimed to have been attentive in more thar90oh of the classes they attended. The primary motive to attend theory lectures was 'to complete the attendance requirement' for 49.7o/o ofthe respondents. The majority ofthe students, i.e. 149 (79.7%), indicated that their aim of knowledge gain was fulfilled in 50% or less of the classes attended. A large majority (145 (15.9%)) agreed that replacing theory lectures by tutorials is a good idea. Amajority (76.a%) felt that attendance should not be mandatory in theory classes. The respondents suggested 'more practicals'and'bedside clinical learning'forteaching medicine. Conclusion: The interns provided some valuabie inputs on the effectiveness of the curent modalities of teaching theory in medical undergraduate education. Medical teaching should try to address students'preferences so that they are taught in an environment most conducive for their learning.