A Survey of Medical Students’ Attitudes Concerning Career Decisions

Abstract Background There is currently a chronic shortage of surgeons, particularly cardiac surgeons, in Japan and worldwide. Additionally, the number of female medical students has been increasing worldwide; half of our university’s medical students are females. We assessed the attitudes of medical students regarding preferred lifestyles and specialties, aiming to identify strategies for increasing the number of surgeons in Japan. Methods We conducted a questionnaire survey among second- and fifth-year medical students at Aichi Medical University, to assess their career priorities and ideal lifestyles when choosing specialties. In total, 71 second-year (male:female, 36:35) and 55 fifth-year (male:female, 27:28) students were surveyed. Differences were compared between school year and sex. Results Few students considered becoming general surgeons (19%) or cardiac surgeons (14%). Most students were more interested in how interesting (92%) and rewarding a particular field (88%) would be, rather than in dedication to work (7%) or career advancement (6%), regardless of school year or sex. Females were particularly concerned about a heavy workload (79% vs 68%) and were less likely to prefer surgery (9% vs 27%) compared with males. The importance of acquiring useful skills (77% vs 95%) and wanting to train in the neighboring Tokai area tended to increase (21% vs 60%) with increasing grade. Conclusions Most students had decided their ideal career path in the lower grades and desired controlled lifestyle. To increase the number of surgeons, it is necessary to improve surgeons’ lifestyles, reduce their workloads, develop medical students’ interest in surgery, and ensure development of useful skills.

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Second-Year Italian Medical Students' Attitudes toward Care of the Dying Patient: an Exploratory Study

Journal of Cancer Education ◽

10.1007/s13187-012-0382-8 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 759-763 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Paolo Leombruni ◽

Marco Miniotti ◽

Andrea Bovero ◽

Lorys Castelli ◽

Riccardo G. V. Torta

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Second Year ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Dying Patient ◽

Care Of The Dying

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The impact of medical knowledge on attitudes towards the use of OTC drugs

Polish Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1515/pjph-2015-0041 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 125 (3) ◽

pp. 137-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Barbara Kołłątaj ◽

Magda Sowa ◽

Witold Kołłątaj ◽

Piotr Książek ◽

Justyna Szakuła

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Medical Knowledge ◽

Symptomatic Treatment ◽

Self Medication ◽

Otc Drugs ◽

Maximum Period ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Medicine Analysis ◽

Medical University ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction. In many countries, the concept of OTC drugs, among others, is defined in advance by the assumed maximum period of their use – usually 3-5 days. In fact, many patients often benefit from these opportunities too often, use medication for longer than 3-5 days and prefer symptomatic treatment rather than causal. OTC drugs give people a sense of freedom and subjectivity. Numerous doctors claim that too much freedom in this case can prove dangerous. Aim. The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in attitudes towards the use of OTC drugs in medicine students as they acquire knowledge and medical experience. Material and methods. The study looked at 178 students of the Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin (89 – 1 and 2 year students as well 89 – 5 and 6 year ones). A diagnostic survey was used as a tool for obtaining responses from the participants. The survey was conducted between October 2014 and November 2014. Results. Almost 90% of medical students use OTC drugs for self-medication, while only 11% of them have never used such medicine. Analysis of students’ attitudes indicate that acquired medical knowledge has no effect on the frequency using this type of treatment. Overall, students tend to use such drugs occasionally. Only some 14-23% of them use the OTC drugs on a regular basis. The motivations for the use such drugs include: convenience, the previous experiences implying the efficacy of drugs, less frequent are other reasons. Some 28% of the students participating in the study and at least 13% of graduating medical students accept prolonged use of OTC drugs. As the consequence acquisition of medical knowledge, the students are less likely to consult their self-medication attitudes with doctors, families and friends, more often and accurately read the leaflets for drugs, and are more and more reluctant to proposals for extending the assortment of available OTC drugs. Conclusions. 1. Almost 90% of medical students use OTC drugs for self-treatment. 2. 28% of polled 1-2 year medical students and at least 13% of graduating ones may have tendencies to abuse drugs. 3. Over the subsequent years of study, medical students more often read medicine leaflets, they become less reliant on the advice they receive from their family or friends regarding self-treatment or they are less willing to extend the range of available OTC drugs.

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Female second-year undergraduate medical students’ attitudes towards research at the College of Medicine, Alfaisal University: a Saudi Arabian perspective

Perspectives on Medical Education ◽

10.1007/s40037-013-0093-9 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 50-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ahmed Abu-Zaid ◽

Asma Alnajjar

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Saudi Arabian ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Second Year ◽

Students Attitudes

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Does team-based learning (TBL) format and administration influence second year medical students' attitudes toward this teaching modality?

HAPS Educator ◽

10.21692/haps.2015.015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 10-18

Author(s):

Valerie O'Loughlin ◽

Jane Waggoner ◽

Mark Braun ◽

Sarah Tieman

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Team Based Learning ◽

Second Year ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Teaching Modality

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‘Difficult Conversations with Patients’—A Modified Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience for Medical Students

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18115772 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 5772

Author(s):

Piotr Przymuszała ◽

Patrycja Marciniak-Stępak ◽

Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska ◽

Martyna Borowczyk ◽

Katarzyna Cieślak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Clinical Experience ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Effective Learning ◽

Difficult Conversations ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Almost All ◽

Medical University ◽

Motivation Score

This study presents a modified Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience (GOSCE) focused on difficult conversations, in which, due to limited time and financial resources, only some students could actively participate in scenarios. We aimed to evaluate the intervention, including differences between them and observers. The intervention was organized for sixth-year medical students at a Polish medical university. The study protocol assumed a pre-post analysis of students’ attitudes and self-efficacy of communication skills and their opinions about the intervention. Complete questionnaire pairs were returned by 126 students. The pre-post analysis revealed a significant improvement in their self-efficacy levels of almost all skills as well as their affective attitudes and belief in outcomes of communication learning. The improvement was significant among both the active participants and observers. It also showed a decrease in the motivation score, significant only in females. Regardless of their roles, students had positive opinions about the course and its particular aspects. The modified GOSCE may be an enjoyable and effective learning experience for students, especially in the light of limited resources. However, changes in their motivation score suggest the necessity to increase the importance of communication learning in the curriculum.

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Who is a tired student? Fatigue and its predictors from a gender perspective

Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice ◽

10.53761/1.18.6.10 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 139-154

Author(s):

Agata Zdun-Ryzewska ◽

◽

Natalia Nadrowska ◽

Krzysztof Basinski ◽

Maciej Walkiewicz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Health Condition ◽

Female Students ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Male And Female ◽

Second Year ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Medical University ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

Intensity Stress

The level of fatigue among medical students is increasing. Exhaustion is an essential symptom of burnout, which may occur even while a student. Our exploratory study sought to identify the characteristics of tired students and to describe factors determining fatigue among medical students. The studied group consisted of second-year medical students (N=193) from a Polish medical university. Statistically significant differences in fatigue appeared between male and female students. We obtained positive correlations between intensity of fatigue and sleepiness, pain intensity, stress, anxiety, depression and negative health conditions, life satisfaction, emotional stability, conscientiousness, and self-efficacy. Predictors relevant for female fatigue were sleepiness, health condition, depression, and conscientiousness (the whole model explains 46% of variance in fatigue). Predictors relevant for male fatigue were sleepiness, health condition, anxiety, and agreeableness (the whole model explains 55% of variance in fatigue). We did not observe differences in fatigue between sleepless, overloaded, or stressed people. Explaining the differences between male and female predictors and levels of fatigue in terms of personality traits through the prism of defined stereotypical social roles is worth considering.

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Nutrient Composition of the Diet of Junior Students of a Medical University

ЗДОРОВЬЕ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ И СРЕДА ОБИТАНИЯ - ЗНиСО / PUBLIC HEALTH AND LIFE ENVIRONMENT ◽

10.35627/2219-5238/2020-323-2-16-20 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 16-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

N.V. Chudinin ◽

I.S. Rakitina ◽

A.A. Dementyev

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Statistical Processing ◽

Beta Carotene ◽

Male Students ◽

Energy Deficiency ◽

Statistical Hypotheses ◽

Second Year ◽

Medical University ◽

Junior Students ◽

Statistical Criteria

Our objective was to analyze compliance of macro- and micronutrient contents of the diet of modern first- and second-year medical students with physiological and hygienic recommendations. Materials and methods. We conducted a hygienic study of nutrition enumerating 87 junior students of the Ryazan State Medical University who signed an informed consent to participate in the research. Nutrition and physical activity of the students were monitored during 7 days in March-April 2019 and we analyzed the total of 1,729 meals and 532 daily chronograms. Statistical processing of collected data was conducted in order to check a number of statistical hypotheses; at this, the conditions necessary for the application of selected statistical criteria were observed. Results. According to our data, the median energy deficiency in the diet of a modern first- or second-year medical student was 31.3 (12.6:47.7)%. This was mainly related to the deficiency of carbohydrates (48%) caused by low consumption of polysaccharides. Lack of proteins and fats was 10% and 13.3%, respectively. We revealed imbalance of the diet in vitamin composition, which was characterized by the greatest deficiency of vitamins D, K and beta-carotene (less than 15% of the daily requirement). The diets of female and male students were significantly different in the contents of vitamins A, B1, B2, B9 and niacin (p<0.05). Conclusion. The diet of the junior medical students was imbalanced in macro-and micronutrient composition.

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Medical students' attitudes to psychiatry

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700050194 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 185-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

D. G. Wilkinson ◽

S. Greeer ◽

B. K. Toone

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Psychiatric Patients ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

General Attitude ◽

Before And After ◽

Students First ◽

Mixed Feelings ◽

Second Year ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Psychiatric Clerkship

SynopsisA questionnaire was developed to elicit medical students' attitudes to psychiatry. All 94 second year clinical students at a London teaching hospital completed the instrument before and after an 8-week psychiatric clerkship. Although two-thirds of the sample had mixed feelings about psychiatry initially, by the end of the clerkship the students' general attitude to psychiatry had changed significantly in a favourable direction. Analysis of 18 specific attitudes to psychiatry revealed that the students' first responses showed anticipatory bias and lack of uniformity. Later, however, only two specific attitudes had changed significantly: more students agreed that ‘problems presented by psychiatric patients are often particularly interesting and challenging’, and more of them disagreed with the statement that ‘psychiatric patients, generally speaking, are not easy to like’. The sexes differed on one attitude; more males than females agreed that “psychiatry is too inexact; it seems to lack a proper scientific basis”. Finally, the proportion of students who considered the possibility of specializing in psychiatry rose from 6 to 17% during the clerkship. The students' reasons for or against such a career are discussed.

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Odds Ratio Estimation of Medical Students’ Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18136815 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (13) ◽

pp. 6815

Author(s):

Miroslava Sovicova ◽

Jana Zibolenova ◽

Viera Svihrova ◽

Henrieta Hudeckova

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccination Rate ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Anonymous Questionnaire ◽

Medical Faculties ◽

Second Year ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Second Wave

This study investigated the attitudes of Slovak medical students to COVID-19 vaccination. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 10 March 2021 and 24 March 2021, as the second wave of coronavirus spread in Slovakia. It was performed in four medical faculties with students in years 1–6. An online anonymous questionnaire was distributed through official university platforms. The survey was completed by 1228 of 5374 medical students. The vaccinated group of students had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The study was conducted on 1228 students, of which 880 (71.7%) were vaccinated and 348 unvaccinated (28.3%). The median age was 22 years (range 18–33 years), and 70.6% were women. The lowest vaccination rate was among first (32.7%) and second-year students (61.6%), students living at home with their family (63.8%) and students living in urban areas (69.8%). Only 22.4% of medical students were concerned about serious side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, and 38.8% were concerned that the COVID-19 vaccine may not be effective. This study provides key information related to medical student vaccination in Slovakia and education about COVID-19 vaccination.

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