scholarly journals Association of professional pre-qualifications, study success in medical school and the eligibility for becoming a physician: A scoping review

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0258941
Author(s):  
Rebecca Erschens ◽  
Anne Herrmann-Werner ◽  
Tim Fabian Schaffland ◽  
Augustin Kelava ◽  
David Ambiel ◽  
...  

Background Literature, individual experiences and common considerations suggest that prior professional qualification can be an advantage for later career development. For instance, in Germany, professional pre-qualification has been honored by medical faculties in selection procedures for several years. However, a systematic evaluation of this relationship lacks. This scoping review summarizes existing literature and addresses the role of prior professional pre-qualifications on objective or subjective study success and the choice of a specialization. Methods The scoping review was performed oriented on the PRISMA guidelines. PsycINFO and PubMed databases were searched for relevant studies that included data of medical students with and without professional pre-qualifications. To answer the underlying research questions, this scoping review also includes studies that examine professional pre-qualifications in association with non-cognitive "soft" criteria. Results and further directions 1055 items were identified and reviewed by two independent reviewers with final 11 studies were included for this scoping review. The results of identified studies that report possible effects of prior pre-professional qualifications are inconclusive but suggest that prior professional qualifications tend not to have rather an advantage on study success. Medical school success for students with prior professional qualifications tended to be below average in the preclinical setting, and there were no differences in the clinical setting compared with students without prior professional qualifications. The influence of professional pre-qualifications has not yet been adequately studied without the moderator variable “waiting time” and “A-levels grade”. The scoping review indicates insufficient number of articles stating a co-relation of prior pre-qualifications and subjective data. Again, the results found are not sufficient to state a clear relationship between professional pre-qualifications and the choice of a specific speciality preference. However, professional pre-qualifications, both in medicine and as "practical experience in rural areas", tend to be beneficial for the choice of becoming a rural physician. Large-scale cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the influence of professional pre-qualifications on different study trajectory parameters.

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Nishat Shaikh ◽  
R Harshitha ◽  
Madhavi Bhargava

Background: Sarcopenia is a condition common in the elderly characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength leading to poor quality of life. According to a working definition proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), the criteria for a diagnosis of sarcopenia is based on documentation of low muscle mass with either poor muscle strength or low physical performance. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in the rural elderly population of South India. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 240 elderly people, 60 years and above, 118 men and 122 women, in rural areas of Dakshina Kannada district. We measured their height, weight, gait speed (using an 8-feet walk test) and muscle strength (using a handgrip dynamometer). Appendicular skeletal mass was calculated using height and weight adjusted for sex and Asian people using the Lee formula. Results: Sarcopenia was found in 34 (14.2%) participants. Of all those having sarcopenia, 27 (79.4%) were ≤75 years, 30 (88.2%) were women, 27 (79.4%) were married, 23 (67.6%) had below poverty line status. Conclusions: The prevalence of sarcopenia found in the present study was 14.2% in an elderly population more than 60 years of age and was found to be more in women. Large-scale multi-centric community-based surveys will help determine the actual burden of sarcopenia in India.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Rossetti Portela Alves ◽  
Marcelo Grossi Araújo ◽  
Maria Mônica Freitas Ribeiro ◽  
Elza Machado Melo

ABSTRACT Objectives To evaluate teaching on leprosy at a public medical school located in a metropolis in southeastern Brazil with a low leprosy prevalence rate. Results An analysis performed by means of a comparative cross-sectional study on two parallel groups of students (freshmen and interns) demonstrated that most students began the medical course with some knowledge of the signs and symptoms of the disease. The interns were shown to have more theoretical knowledge and more favorable attitudes toward the disease compared to the freshmen. Most of the interns stated that the topic had been addressed during the course but that practical teaching was insufficient. Students who had had the opportunity for practical experience with patients were more confident in their ability to attend to similar cases. Conclusion Although from a statistical point of view the results may seem very favorable, the same cannot be said when assessing the situation from the perspective of education and public health, since a large number of final-year medical students have not been provided with basic information on the disease.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. e019418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Matsumoto ◽  
Keisuke Takeuchi ◽  
Tetsuhiro Owaki ◽  
Seitaro Iguchi ◽  
Kazuo Inoue ◽  
...  

ObjectivesResponding to the serious shortage of physicians in rural areas, the Japanese government has aggressively increased the number of entrants to medical schools since 2008, mostly as achiikiwaku, entrants filling a regional quota. The quota has spread to most medical schools, and these entrants occupied 16% of all medical school seats in 2016. Most of these entrants were admitted to medical school with a scholarship with the understanding that after graduation they will practise in designated areas of their home prefectures for several years. The quota and scholarship programmes will be revised by the government starting in 2018. This study evaluates the intermediate outcomes of these programmes.DesignCross-sectional survey to all prefectural governments and medical schools every year from 2014 to 2017 to obtain data on medical graduates.SettingsNationwide.ParticipantsAll quota and non-quota graduates with prefecture scholarship in each prefecture, and all the quota graduates without scholarship in each medical school.Primary outcome measuresPassing rate of the National License Examination for Physicians and the percentage of graduates who have not bought out the scholarship contract after graduation.ResultsMost prefectures and medical schools in Japan participated in this study (97.8%–100%). Quota graduates with scholarship were significantly more likely to pass the National License Examination for Physicians than the other medical graduates in Japan at all the years (97.9%, 96.7%, 97.4% and 94.7% vs 93.9%, 94.5%, 94.3% and 91.8%, respectively). The percentage of quota graduates with scholarship who remained in the scholarship contract 3 years after graduation was 92.2% and 89.9% for non-quota graduates with scholarship.ConclusionsQuota entrants showed better academic performance than their peers. Most of the quota graduates remained in the contractual workforce. The imminent revision of the national policy regarding quota and scholarship programmes needs to be based on this evidence.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 661
Author(s):  
Jovana Stojanovic ◽  
Vincent G. Boucher ◽  
Myriam Gagne ◽  
Samir Gupta ◽  
Keven Joyal-Desmarais ◽  
...  

The success of large-scale COVID-19 vaccination campaigns is contingent upon people being willing to receive the vaccine. Our study explored COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its correlates in eight different countries around the globe. We analyzed convenience sample data collected between March 2020 and January 2021 as part of the iCARE cross-sectional study. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted to explore the correlates of vaccine hesitancy. We included 32,028 participants from eight countries, and observed that 27% of the participants exhibited vaccine hesitancy, with increases over time. France reported the highest level of hesitancy (47.3%) and Brazil reported the lowest (9.6%). Women, younger individuals (≤29 years), people living in rural areas, and those with a lower perceived income were more likely to be hesitant. People who previously received an influenza vaccine were 70% less likely to report COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. We observed that people reporting greater COVID-19 health concerns were less likely to be hesitant, whereas people with higher personal financial concerns were more likely to be hesitant. Our findings indicate that there is substantial vaccine hesitancy in several countries, with cross-national differences in the magnitude and direction of the trend. Vaccination communication initiatives should target hesitant individuals (women, younger adults, people with lower incomes and those living in rural areas), and should highlight the immediate health, social and economic benefits of vaccination across these settings. Country-level analyses are warranted to understand the complex psychological, socio-environmental, and cultural factors associated with vaccine hesitancy.


2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1445-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander A Kalimbira ◽  
Carolyn MacDonald ◽  
Janis Randall Simpson

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the impact of an integrated community-based micronutrient and health (MICAH) programme on anaemia (Hb < 120 g/l) among non-pregnant rural Malawian women aged 15–49 years from communities that participated in the 1996–2005 MICAH programme.DesignProspective study of two large-scale cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2000 and 2004 as part of programme evaluation in MICAH and Comparison areas.SettingRural areas across Malawi. The MICAH programme implemented a comprehensive package of interventions to reduce anaemia, based on a broad range on direct and indirect causes in Malawi. The project approaches included: Fe supplementation; dietary diversification and modification; food fortification; and strengthening primary health care.ParticipantsNon-pregnant women of childbearing age (15–49 years old, n 5422), from randomly selected households that responded to a household questionnaire, had their Hb measured from finger-prick blood samples using the HemoCue®.ResultsIn 2000, there was no significant difference in Hb concentration between MICAH and Comparison areas (mean (se): 117·4 (0·4) v. 116·8 (0·5) g/l, P > 0·05) and the corresponding prevalence of anaemia (53·5 % v. 52·9 %, P > 0·05). By 2004, Hb concentration had increased significantly in MICAH but not in Comparison areas (mean (se): 121·0 (0·4) v. 115·7 (0·6) g/l, P < 0·001), and the prevalence of anaemia had declined significantly in MICAH areas (53·5 % to 44·1 %, χ2 = 28·2, P < 0·0001) but not in Comparison areas (52·8 % to 54·0 %, χ2 = 0·3, P = 0·6).ConclusionsThe MICAH programme was an effective public health nutrition programme that was associated with significant reductions in the prevalence of anaemia among non-pregnant rural Malawian women.


1976 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 236-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisue Pickering ◽  
William R. Dopheide

This report deals with an effort to begin the process of effectively identifying children in rural areas with speech and language problems using existing school personnel. A two-day competency-based workshop for the purpose of training aides to conduct a large-scale screening of speech and language problems in elementary-school-age children is described. Training strategies, implementation, and evaluation procedures are discussed.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Andrew Jackson

One scenario put forward by researchers, political commentators and journalists for the collapse of North Korea has been a People’s Power (or popular) rebellion. This paper analyses why no popular rebellion has occurred in the DPRK under Kim Jong Un. It challenges the assumption that popular rebellion would happen because of widespread anger caused by a greater awareness of superior economic conditions outside the DPRK. Using Jack Goldstone’s theoretical expla-nations for the outbreak of popular rebellion, and comparisons with the 1989 Romanian and 2010–11 Tunisian transitions, this paper argues that marketi-zation has led to a loosening of state ideological control and to an influx of infor-mation about conditions in the outside world. However, unlike the Tunisian transitions—in which a new information context shaped by social media, the Al-Jazeera network and an experience of protest helped create a sense of pan-Arab solidarity amongst Tunisians resisting their government—there has been no similar ideology unifying North Koreans against their regime. There is evidence of discontent in market unrest in the DPRK, although protests between 2011 and the present have mostly been in defense of the right of people to support themselves through private trade. North Koreans believe this right has been guaranteed, or at least tacitly condoned, by the Kim Jong Un government. There has not been any large-scale explosion of popular anger because the state has not attempted to crush market activities outright under Kim Jong Un. There are other reasons why no popular rebellion has occurred in the North. Unlike Tunisia, the DPRK lacks a dissident political elite capable of leading an opposition movement, and unlike Romania, the DPRK authorities have shown some flexibility in their anti-dissent strategies, taking a more tolerant approach to protests against economic issues. Reduced levels of violence during periods of unrest and an effective system of information control may have helped restrict the expansion of unrest beyond rural areas.


Diabetes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 2393-PUB
Author(s):  
KENICHIRO TAKAHASHI ◽  
MINORI SHINODA ◽  
RIKA SAKAMOTO ◽  
JUN SUZUKI ◽  
TADASHI YAMAKAWA ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabeta Seeiso ◽  
Mamutle M. Todd-Maja

Antenatal care (ANC) literacy is particularly important for pregnant women who need to make appropriate decisions for care during their pregnancy and childbirth. The link between inadequate health literacy on the educational components of ANC and maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is undisputable. Yet, little is known about the ANC literacy of pregnant women in SSA, with most studies inadequately assessing the four critical components of ANC literacy recommended by the World Health Organization, namely danger signs in pregnancy; true signs of labour; nutrition; and preparedness for childbirth. Lesotho, a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in SSA, is also underexplored in this research area. This cross-sectional study explored the levels of ANC literacy and the associated factors in 451 purposively sampled women in two districts in Lesotho using a structured questionnaire, making recourse to statistical principles. Overall, 16.4 per cent of the participants had grossly inadequate ANC literacy, while 79.8 per cent had marginal levels of such knowledge. The geographic location and level of education were the most significant predictors of ANC literacy, with the latter variable further subjected to post hoc margins test with the Bonferroni correction. The participants had the lowest scores on knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy and true signs of labour. Adequate ANC literacy is critical to reducing maternal mortality in Lesotho. Improving access to ANC education, particularly in rural areas, is recommended. This study also provides important recommendations critical to informing the national midwifery curriculum.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 847-851
Author(s):  
Nithyanandham Masilamani ◽  
Dhanraj Ganapathy

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) induced by new ß coronavirus MERS-(CoV) had first been described in Saudi Arabia in September 2012. MERS-CoV communication inside the population is often identified with clustered households and cramped communal spaces. The purpose of the study is to assess the knowledge and awareness of MERS-CoV among dental students in India. This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of 100 dental college students in Chennai. The self-designed questionnaires contained ten questions focused on the knowledge and awareness of MERS-CoV amongst dental college students. Questionnaires were circulated through an online website survey planet. After the responses were received from 100 participants, data were collected and analyzed, .87% are aware of MERS-CoV through media 13% from professional channels. 84%are aware of the clinical manifestation of MERS-CoV. 81%Are aware of the mode of transmission of MERS-CoV. 76%are aware of the preventive measures against MERS -CoV.68%. Are aware of the incubation period of MERS-CoV. 74%aware of PCR as a diagnostic test for MERS-CoV. This study concluded that dental students had strong awareness and knowledge of MERS. Also, there are a few differences in information and behaviours that require change. Large-scale health educational programs on MERS also should be facilitated by professional organizations to expand their reach and to strengthen knowledge to have a positive impact on their behaviour.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document