Exploring the impact of education on preclinical medical students’ tolerance of uncertainty: a qualitative longitudinal study

Author(s):  
Georgina C. Stephens ◽  
Charlotte E. Rees ◽  
Michelle D. Lazarus
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Lwow ◽  
Laura Canetti ◽  
Mordechai Muszkat

Abstract Objective: Previous studies have suggested that Medical students' empathy declines during medical school, especially during the clinical studies. The aim of this study was to examine. changes in medical students' empathy during their first clinical experience, and to determine the impact of gender and humanities curriculum on empathy changes. Methods: In this prospective longitudinal study, 262 4th year students from three consecutive classes were assessed. Empathy was assessed before and at 4th-year-end, using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version (JSPE-S). The three classes differed in humanities curriculum [limited Medical Humanities (MH(lim)) vs. extended Medical Humanities (MH(ext))], and in admission system [Personal Interview (PI) vs. multiple mini interviews (MMI)]. Results: Overall, there was a small but significant decrease in JSPE-S during the fourth year (114.40±11.32 vs. 112.75±14.19, p= 0.034). Among men there was a statistically significant decline in JSPE-S during the fourth year, and the MH(ext) (but not the MH(lim)) was associated with the decline (t(35) = 2.38, p = 0.023). Women students showed no decline in empathy during the fourth-year of studies, regardless of type of humanities program. In addition, women who participated in MH(ext) had a higher JSPE-S scores during the 4th -year as compared to women who participated in MH(lim). Conclusion: Pre-clinical humanities program was associated with a decline in empathy among men medical students during the fourth-year of medical studies. Gender differences in response to medical humanities programs require further study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Lwow ◽  
Laura Canetti ◽  
Mordechai Muszkat

Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested that Medical students’ empathy declines during medical school, especially during the clinical studies. The aim of this study was to examine. Changes in medical students’ empathy during their first clinical experience, and to determine the impact of gender and humanities curriculum on empathy changes. Methods In this prospective longitudinal study, 262 4th year students from three consecutive classes were assessed. Empathy was assessed before and at 4th-year-end, using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version (JSPE-S). The three classes differed in humanities curriculum [limited Medical Humanities (MH(lim)) vs. extended Medical Humanities (MH(ext))], and in admission system [Personal Interview (PI) vs. multiple mini interviews (MMI)]. Results Overall, there was a small but significant decrease in JSPE-S during the fourth year (114.40 ± 11.32 vs. 112.75 ± 14.19, p = 0.034). Among men there was a statistically significant decline in JSPE-S during the fourth year, and the MH(ext) (but not the MH(lim)) was associated with the decline (t(35) = 2.38, p = 0.023). Women students showed no decline in empathy during the fourth-year of studies, regardless of type of humanities program. In addition, women who participated in MH(ext) had a higher JSPE-S scores during the 4th -year as compared to women who participated in MH(lim). Conclusion Pre-clinical humanities program was associated with a decline in empathy among men medical students during the fourth-year of medical studies. Gender differences in response to medical humanities programs require further study.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Lwow ◽  
Laura Canetti ◽  
Mordechai Muszkat

Abstract Background: Previous studies have suggested that Medical students' empathy declines during medical school, especially during the clinical studies. The aim of this study was to examine. changes in medical students' empathy during their first clinical experience, and to determine the impact of gender and humanities curriculum on empathy changes. Methods: In this prospective longitudinal study, 262 4th year students from three consecutive classes were assessed. Empathy was assessed before and at 4th-year-end, using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version (JSPE-S). The three classes differed in humanities curriculum [limited Medical Humanities (MH(lim)) vs. extended Medical Humanities (MH(ext))], and in admission system [Personal Interview (PI) vs. multiple mini interviews (MMI)]. Results: Overall, there was a small but significant decrease in JSPE-S during the fourth year (114.40±11.32 vs. 112.75±14.19, p= 0.034). Among men there was a statistically significant decline in JSPE-S during the fourth year, and the MH(ext) (but not the MH(lim)) was associated with the decline (t(35) = 2.38, p = 0.023). Women students showed no decline in empathy during the fourth-year of studies, regardless of type of humanities program. In addition, women who participated in MH(ext) had a higher JSPE-S scores during the 4th -year as compared to women who participated in MH(lim). Conclusion: Pre-clinical humanities program was associated with a decline in empathy among men medical students during the fourth-year of medical studies. Gender differences in response to medical humanities programs require further study.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e053070
Author(s):  
Alexandre Berney ◽  
Valerie Carrard ◽  
Sylvie Berney ◽  
Katja Schlegel ◽  
Jacques Gaume ◽  
...  

IntroductionPhysician interpersonal competence is crucial for patient care. How interpersonal competence develops during undergraduate medical education is thus a key issue. Literature on the topic consists predominantly of studies on empathy showing a trend of decline over the course of medical school. However, most existing studies have focused on narrow measures of empathy. The first aim of this project is to study medical students’ interpersonal competence with a comprehensive framework of empathy that includes self-reported cognitive and affective empathy, performance-based assessments of emotion recognition accuracy, and a behavioural dimension of empathy. The second aim of the present project is to investigate the evolution of mental health during medical school and its putative link to the studied components of interpersonal competence. Indeed, studies documented a high prevalence of mental health issues among medical students that could potentially impact their interpersonal competence. Finally, this project will enable to test the impact of mental health and interpersonal competence on clinical skills as evaluated by experts and simulated patients.Methods and analysisThis project consists of an observational longitudinal study with an open cohort design. Each year during the four consecutive years of the project, every medical student (curriculum years 1–6) of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland will be asked to complete an online questionnaire including several interpersonal competence and mental health measures. Clinical skills assessments from examinations and training courses with simulated patients will also be included. Linear mixed models will be used to explore the longitudinal evolutions of the studied components of interpersonal competence and mental health as well as their reciprocal relationship and their link to clinical skills.Ethics and disseminationThe project has received ethical approval from the competent authorities. Findings will be disseminated through internal, regional, national and international conferences, news and peer-reviewed journals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Huang ◽  
Angela Pei-Chen Fan ◽  
Na Su ◽  
Jessica Thai ◽  
Russell Olive Kosik ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Critical thinking (CT) is an essential competency for medical students. This study’s aim was to evaluate Chinese medical students’ disposition for CT and to explore the impact of current trends in medical education on students’ CT development. Methods We used multistage stratified cluster sampling to recruit a total of 1241 medical students among five different years of training and from three medical institutions in China. The Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory-Chinese Version (CTDI-CV) and self-reported information were used to collect cross-sectional data. Based on the data from the CTDI-CV, 112 medical students in clinical course training from a single institution continued one-year follow-up. Their one-year CTDI-CV score changes were collected regarding various medical education variables. Results The mean CTDI-CV score of the 1241 medical students was 287.04 with 729 (58.7%) students receiving a score of 280 or higher. There were statistically significant differences in schools attended(F = 3.84, P < 0.05), year of school attended(F = 10.32, P < 0.001), GPA(F = 6.32, P < 0.01), weekly time spent learning after class(F = 14.14, P < 0.001), attitude toward medicine(F = 28.93, P < 0.001), desire to be a doctor after graduation(t = − 3.35, P < 0.001), familiarity with CT(F = 20.40, P < 0.001), and perception of importance of CT(F = 22.25, P < 0.001). The participants scored the highest on the CTDI-CV subscales of “inquisitiveness” and the lowest on “truth seeking.” The 112 students in the longitudinal study had significantly lower total CT scores after one academic year follow-up. Conclusions Chinese medical students generally exhibited positive CT dispositions. The cross-sectional survey and one-year longitudinal study indicated that students’ CT disposition diminished as they progressed through traditional medical training. Our study contributes to understanding the status of Chinese medical education of and influential factors on medical students’ CT disposition.


2018 ◽  
Vol 08 (02) ◽  
pp. e64-e67
Author(s):  
Sarah Dotters-Katz ◽  
Alexis Panzer ◽  
Matthew Givens ◽  
Marcela Smid ◽  
Alice Chuang

Objective We sought to determine the impact of preclinical exposure (shadowing) to labor and delivery (L&D) on medical students' perceptions of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN). Study Design We administered a written survey to rising third-year medical students at a single center prior to any clerkship. We described motivation/deterrents for shadowing among students, and experiences/perceptions of those students who shadowed. Results In total, 119/136 (86%) students completed the survey. Of those, 29% participated in shadowing on L&D. Participating students were more likely to be female (79 vs. 21%; p < 0.01) and in their first year (85%). Ninety-one percent participated because they wanted more exposure to OB/GYN, whereas only 53% they were interested in OB/GYN. Students who did not shadow indicated not having enough time as the main reason. After participation, 82% had more perspective on OB/GYN than prior to shadowing. Ninety-seven percent felt that the experience was worthwhile; 62% stated based on their experience that they were likely to consider a career in OB/GYN. All students who participated stated that they would opt to shadow again if given the opportunity. Conclusion Students who have L&D shadowing exposure report very positive experiences and express desire for increased opportunities. OB/GYN departments may consider increasing availability of L&D shadowing opportunities for preclinical medical students.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1163-1172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makbule Neslisah Tan ◽  
Vildan Mevsim ◽  
Merve Pozlu Cifci ◽  
Huseyin Sayan ◽  
Anıl Emre Ercan ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-187
Author(s):  
Maciej Walkiewicz ◽  
Małgorzata Tartas

The goal of the paper is to describe the extent to which medical students and professionals are vulnerable to extreme stress. A select review of existing literature on this area has been undertaken, using the English-language online databases EBSCO, Medline and PubMed. The search has identified 36 citations relating to 6324 medical students and 28,285 medical staff (physicians, residents, nurses). The review indicates that merely beginning medical studies is a risk factor for stress, and that medical professionals, who are vulnerable to extreme work stress, say that they do not receive enough support from their co-workers. They are also often notably impulsive, introverted, neurotic and perfectionist, with low emotional intelligence and agreeableness, as well as low and external locus of control. Additionally, from longitudinal studies we have been able to identify psychological factors underpinning admission to a medical university that may be useful for predicting future stress in medical career. The results of this study may be taken into account when organizing psychological intervention programs targeted at educating future medical professionals. It seems that early identification of people at risk could reduce the impact of stress related to medical career and enhance the somatic and mental health of medical professionals.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document