scholarly journals It takes a community to train a future physician: social support experienced by medical students during a community-engaged longitudinal integrated clerkship

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e5-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy V. Dubé ◽  
Robert J. Schinke ◽  
Roger Strasser
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Rural Family ◽  
Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship ◽  
Conversational Interviews ◽  
Future Physician

Background:Social support may be beneficial for medical students who must develop adaptive strategies to respond to the demands and challenges during third-year clerkship.We provide a detailed description of the supportive behaviours experienced by third-year students during a longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) in the context of rural family medicine. Methods:Informed by a social constructivist research paradigm, we undertook a qualitative study to understand from the students’ perspectives the presence and characteristics of social support available during a LIC.Data were collected from conversational interviews at three points during the eight-month clerkship year, pre-, during, and post-clerkship, to explore how 12 medical students experienced social support. We employed an innovative methodological approach, the guided walk method, to gain the students’ stories in the contexts where they were taking place. Results: The participants described the relationships they developed with various sources of social support such as (a) preceptors, (b) peers, (c) family, (d) health professionals, and (e) community members.  Conclusion:Various individuals representing communities of practice such as the medical profession and community members were intimately related to the longitudinal aspects of the students’ experiences. The findings lend credence to the view that it really does take a community to train a future physician.

Association of severity of depressive symptoms with sleep quality, social support and stress among Pakistani medical and dental students: A cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-220
Author(s):  
Ahmed Waqas ◽  
Aqsa Iftikhar ◽  
Zahra Malik ◽  
Kapil Kiran Aedma ◽  
Hafsa Meraj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical And Dental Students

AbstractObjectivesThis study has been designed to elucidate the prevalence of stress, depression and poor sleep among medical students in a Pakistani medical school. There is a paucity of data on social support among medical students in Pakistan; an important predictor of depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study was also aimed to demonstrate the direct and indirect impact of social support in alleviating depressive symptoms in the study sample.MethodsThis observational cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore, Pakistan, where a total of 400 students at a medical school were approached between 1st January to 31st March 2018 to participate in the study. The study sample comprised of medical and dental students enrolled at a privately financed Pakistani medical and dental school. The participants responded to a self-administered survey comprising of five parts: a) demographics, b) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), c) Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), d) Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and e) Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4). All data were analysed using SPSS v. 20. Linear regression analysis was used to reveal the predictors of depression.ResultsIn total, 353 medical students participated, yielding a response rate of 88.25%. Overall, poor sleep quality was experienced by 205 (58.1%) students. Mild to severe depression was reported by 83% of the respondents: mild depression by 104 (29.5%), moderate depression by 104 (29.5%), moderately severe depression by 54 (15.3%) and severe depression by 31 (8.8%) respondents. Subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, daytime dysfunction and stress levels were significantly associated with depression symptoms. Social support was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms in the regression model (Beta = -0.08, P < 0.09); however, it acted as a significant mediator, reducing the strength of the relationship between depressive symptoms and sleep quality and stress.ConclusionsAccording to our study, a large proportion of healthcare (medical and dental) students were found to be suffering from mild to moderate depression and experienced poor sleep quality. It is concluded that social support is an important variable in predicting depressive symptomatology by ameliorating the effects of poor sleep quality and high stress levels.

Perceptions of Final Year Medical Students about Family Medicine as A Career Choice in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dur-e- Nishat
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Family Medicine ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Chi Square Test

Background: Family medicine is a field in which complete and detailed set of healthcare services are provided to the patients and their families. In developed countries, freshly graduated students choose family medicine as a priority for their career. However, in Pakistan it is not the case. The present study is undertaken to determine the perceptions of final year medical students’ about Family Medicine as a viable career. Methods: A total number of 504 students participated in the study. This was a cross-sectional study. The study participants were in their final year of medical college. Data was collected using a preapproved questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed via SPSS version 17 and Chi-Square test was used post-stratification. Results: Only 14.3% (n=72) medical students had heard about Family Medicine. Only 18% (n=92) would select family medicine as a profession. The most frequent rationale for choosing the field of Family Medicine was the variety of patients seen in general practice (55.4% n=51). Conclusion: There is a dire need to focus on increasing awareness about the field of family medicine among medical students. The students should be counseled on the advantages along with the disadvantages of choosing this field as a medical profession.

Philosophical and Cultural Aspects of Medical Profession: Philosophical and Conceptual Peculiarities

Cultura ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-174
Author(s):  
Iryna MELNYCHUK ◽  
Nadiya FEDCHYSHYN ◽  
Oleg PYLYPYSHYN ◽  
Anatolii VYKHRUSHCH
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Cultural Proximity ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Ecological Culture ◽  
High Level

The article analyzes the philosophical and cultural view of “doctor’s professional culture” as a result of centuries-old practice of human relations, which is characterized by constancy and passed from generation to generation. Medicine is a complex system in which an important role is played by: philosophical outlook of a doctor, philosophical culture, ecological culture, moral culture, aesthetic culture, artistic culture. We have found that within the system “doctor-patient” the degree of cultural proximity becomes a factor that influences the health or life of a patient. Thus, the following factors are important here: 1) communication that suppresses a sick person; 2) the balance of cultural and intellectual levels; 3) the cultural environment of a patient which has much more powerful impact on a patient than the medical one.At the present stage, the interdependence of professional and humanitarian training of future specialists is predominant, as a highly skilled specialist can not but become a subject of philosophizing. We outlined the sphere where the doctors present a genre variety of philosophizing (philosophical novels, apologies, dialogues, diaries, aphorisms, confessions, essays, etc.). This tradition represents the original variations in the formation of future doctor’s communicative competences, which are formed in the process of medical students’ professional training.A survey conducted among medical students made it possible to establish their professional values, which are indicators of the formation of philosophical and culturological competence. It was found out that 92% of respondents believed that a doctor should demonstrate a high level of health culture (avoid drinking and smoking habits, etc.)99% of respondents favoured a high level of personal qualities of a doctor which would allow methods and forms of medical practice to assert higher human ideals of truth, goodness and beauty that are the subject area of cultural studies and philosophy.

scholarly journals Working with community researchers to enhance rural community engagement around Private Water Supplies: an exploration of the benefits and challenges

2020 ◽  
pp. 146879412097888
Author(s):  
Rachel Creaney ◽  
Mags Currie ◽  
Paul Teedon ◽  
Karin Helwig
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Duty Of Care ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Employment Opportunities

This project employed community researchers as a means of improving community engagement around their Private Water Supplies (PWS) in rural Scotland. In this paper, we reflect on working with community researchers in terms of the benefits and challenges of the approach for future rural research that seeks to improve community engagement. The paper (1) critiques the involvement of community researchers for rural community engagement, drawing on the experiences in this project and (2) provides suggestions for good practice for working with community researchers in rural communities’ research. We offer some context in terms of the role of community members in research, the importance of PWS, our approach to community researchers, followed by the methodological approach and findings and our conclusions to highlight that community researchers can be beneficial for enhancing community engagement, employability, and social capital. Future community researcher approaches need to be fully funded to ensure core researchers can fulfil their duty of care, which should not stop when data collection is finished. Community researchers need to be supported in two main ways: as continuing faces of the project after the official project end date and to transfer their newly acquired skills to future employment opportunities.

The medical career choice motivations — Results from a Hungarian study

Open Medicine ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 502-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmond Girasek ◽  
Regina Molnár ◽  
Edit Eke ◽  
Miklós Szócska
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Career Choice ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Medical Doctor ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Medical Career ◽  
First Year Medical Students

AbstractSome decades ago being a medical doctor was characterized unambiguously as a profession that offers help and serves the patients’ needs during medical treatment. In today’s society, this image of the medical profession has been substantially changed. The present paper aims to examine medical career choice motivations and preferences of choosing speciality, in the light of current social and economic changes in Hungary. The study was carried out by using a voluntary, self-administrated, questionnaire among first-year medical students and resident doctors in four medical faculties in Hungary. The career choice motivations of the first-year medical students and resident doctors are similar and match to the traditional health profession career choice motivations. Nevertheless the first-year students consider high income as one of the most important factors. They appear more conscious and more ambitious regarding their future speciality choice. The Hungarian health care system and medical education must be prepared for the presence of students that are aware of the high market value of a medical diploma, have excellent language skills, and consider migration as one main factor in their motivation when choosing a medical profession.

scholarly journals Social support and common mental disorder among medical students

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Gonçalves Silva ◽  
Ana Teresa de Abreu Ramos Cerqueira ◽  
Maria Cristina Pereira Lima
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Common Mental Disorder ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Self Reporting Questionnaire

INTRODUCTION: Different kinds of psychological distress have been identified for students in the health field, especially in the medical school. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of mental suffering among medical students in the Southeastern Brazil and asses its association with social support. METHODS: It is a cross-sectional study. Structured questionnaires were applied for students from the 1st up to the 6th years of the medical school of Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", assessing demographic variables related to aspects of graduation and adaptation to the city. Psychological suffering was defined as a common mental disorder (CMD) assessed by the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Social support was assessed by the social support scale of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS). The association between the outcome and explanatory variables was assessed by the χ2 test and Logistic Regression, for the multivariate analyses, using p < 0.05. RESULTS: The response rate was of 80.7%, with no differences between sample and the population regarding gender (p = 0.78). The average age was 22 years old (standard deviation - SD = 2.2), mainly women (58.2%) and students who were living with friends (62%). The prevalence of CMD was 44.9% (95%CI 40.2 - 49.6). After the multivariate analyses, the explanatory variables that were associated with CMD were: feeling rejected in the past year (p < 0.001), thinking about leaving medical school (p < 0.001) and "interaction" in the MOS scale (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CMD among medical students was high and insufficient social support was an important risk factor. Our findings suggest that interventions to improve social interaction among those students could be beneficial, decreasing the prevalence of CMD in this group.

Online programs to strengthen mental health in medical students: a literature review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Ungar ◽  
Ann-Kathrin Schindler ◽  
Sabine Polujanski ◽  
Thomas Rotthoff
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Medical Faculties ◽  
Prevention Approach

BACKGROUND Medical students are at an increasing risk of depression and burnout during their study period. This trend among future physicians is a cause for concern, given the great responsibility that the medical profession entails. Medical faculties therefore play a significant role in supporting medical students in maintaining their mental health. Especially in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, support services that allow greater flexibility in their use become particularly relevant. Online programs can be accessed from anywhere and any time and can be used individually in a safe or well-known setting. From a preventive perspective, individual characteristics that have been shown to be protective of mental health should be addressed in such programs. Before conceptualizing an online program, reviewing existing online programs for medical students is a first relevant step. OBJECTIVE This review provides an overview of the current online programs for medical students to strengthen their mental health by addressing individual characteristics believed to be protective of mental health and addressable in medical curricula. METHODS PubMed, ERIC, Cochrane, and Web of Science were used for a systematic literature search. The programs had to be offered digitally and address medical students. Preventive individual characteristics for mental health were included in the search to provide information on their role in the studies. Publications also should include information on the effectiveness of the respective programs. RESULTS The literature search yielded 592 articles; of them, only nine met the study criteria. The programs found included elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness training, or peer support. Regarding the mental health outcomes, two studies showed a significant reduction in perceived stress and one study indicated a reduced level of burnout. One program had significant immediate effects on mindfulness, empathy, and resilience; two studies indicated strengthening coping strategies. Two programs were qualitatively assessed as helpful. One study is still ongoing. CONCLUSIONS Only a few studies have assessed the effectiveness of online programs to strengthen medical students’ mental health. The programs found mostly addressed preventive individual characteristics but were not developed on the basis of a survey of medical students’ demands. Furthermore, they were provided as add-on programs; integration of such programs into the curriculum may highlight the relevance of mental health. For the development of future online programs, the concrete needs of the respective target group should be surveyed and taken into account. Based on this, suitable online programs can be developed in a targeted way to strengthen mental health by addressing preventive individual characteristics. This needs-based prevention approach can support health-promoting education of future physicians.

scholarly journals Creative Legal Study among Undergraduate Medical Students: Sharing Technique from Mae Fah Luang University

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnon Jumlongkul
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Competency Assessment ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
End Of Life Decisions ◽  
Legal Study ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Medical Professions ◽  
Health Laws

In Thailand, the topic of medical ethics and laws related to medical professions has been one part of the national competency assessment criteria. The objective of this article was to design legal issues into the medical curriculum and to share experiences of creative legal study. Legal contents were inserted into 10 subjects and taught for year 1 to year 6 medical students. Students were divided into multi-groups or received individual tasks and then, shared their knowledge and idea for solving legal problems. The results showed they could interpret and create novel ideas for legal and ethical reconstruction, including the topic of the principle of laws, criminal laws, civil and commercial laws, public health laws, organ donation/transplantation, end of life decisions, and legal liability for the medical profession. Finally, the creative legal study can be used as a novel approach to support creativity among medical students.

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