scholarly journals A Phenomenological Approach to Understand the Challenges Faced by Medical Students

Author(s):  
R. Deepa ◽  
Anuja Panicker

Life in a medical school is more challenging, when compared to other disciplines like arts and engineering. The innate nature of the medical curriculum and the demands of the profession have created extensive pressure on its students, leading to the prevalence of high stress levels and stress related disorders in them. The mental health of future doctors is very important for quality patient care. Hence it is high time for medical institutions to design interventions to mitigate this situation. A significant amount of research has gone into identifying the predominant stressors of medical education and the prevailing stress levels amongst medical students. However, there is dearth in research efforts that explicitly explain: the manifestation of stressors in different stages of medical education; coping strategies of students; and the kind of support required by the students to cope up with these challenges. Hence this study uses a phenomenological approach to understand the phenomenon of stress amongst medical students of a private medical college in South India. The study found that academic pressure, homesickness, faculty and institution related factors challenge the students. It was also found that the students require support to handle these challenges. These findings have interesting and important implications for institutions and policy makers, with respect to designing interventions to provide a congenial learning environment for our future doctors.

Author(s):  
Shaikh Arshiya Kaiser Husain ◽  
Anwaya R. Magare ◽  
Purushottam A. Giri ◽  
Vijaykumar S. Jadhav

Background: The aim of medical education is to produce competent, physically and mentally strong health professionals, as they are going to be the pillars of the future health care system. Stress is one of the most common and process-oriented obstacles in medical education. It often exerts a negative effect on the academic performance, physical health, and psychological well-being of the students. Dealing with overloaded medical curriculum, competing with peers, being away from home and meeting high expectations imposed by parents and society to excel is among the common stressful transitions at this stage.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out amongst 352 undergraduate medical students of a private medical college in a rural area of Maharashtra during April to October 2019. The structured questionnaire was used to record the data. Collected data was used to assess the severity of mental health issues among medical students.Results: Majority 194 (55.11%) students were in the age of 18 to 20 years followed by 141 (40.06%) were in 21 to 23 years. There were 196 (55.68%) girl students and 156 (44.32%) boys. According to the various categories, 80 (22.73%) of the students had low stress scores, followed by 76 (21.59%) in minimal. A highly significant difference in stress scores was seen between boys and girls, which was more in boys.Conclusions: Study concluded that undergraduate medical students perceive minimal to very high stress presented as various systems that vary with the year of study and gender wise too. There is a further need to look into the various causes of stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 113-122
Author(s):  
Syed Muhammad Ashraf Jahangeer ◽  
Nimra Hasnain ◽  
Muhammad Taha Tariq ◽  
Ammara Jamil ◽  
Syeda Yamna Zia ◽  
...  

Introduction: This study aimed at determining the frequency and association of stress levels with modes of transportation and was likely to reveal the contributing transportation-related factors for stress in medical students. Methods: This was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study that included undergraduate medical students of a public sector medical university in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 573 students participated voluntarily, of which 300 were provided a manual questionnaire and 273 filled it online. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha at 0.791. The collected data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 21.0. Results: Out of 573 participants, 99.3% (n = 298) of students filled the questionnaire manually, whereas 100% of students filled the questionnaire online. Almost two-thirds of students used university transport; more than 90% lived more than 5 km from the university and 56% had a traveling time of more than an hour. Approximately 15.4% of students reported physical trauma and some form of harassment. Sheldon Cohen’s stress scale surprisingly revealed 90% of students to be within the moderate-to-high stress category. Risk factors were associated with stress levels and significant associations were observed with noise exposure (P = 0.023) and sleep quality (P = 0.001). The most common reported stressors associated with commuting included overcrowding, long travel, and air and noise pollution. Noise pollution was the main predictor of stress among commuters. Conclusion: Poor transportation has adverse effects on health and academic performance. Administration in their respective jurisdictions is needed to investigate this matter to make commuting a routine rather than a hassle.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (04) ◽  
pp. 493-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhil D. Goel ◽  
Sulbha V. Akarte ◽  
Sumita P. Agrawal ◽  
Vikas Yadav

ABSTRACT Background: Medical students can and do suffer from mental disorders is a concept yet to get wide acceptance. There are few studies comprehensively evaluating depression, stress, and burnout in medical students, especially in a longitudinal way in India. The current study aims to assess the impact of medical education on the development of psychological morbidities and the role of personality. Materials and Methods: First-year medical students of a leading medical college of India were enrolled on admission and given anonymized, validated, self-administered questionnaires assessing depression, stress, burnout, and personality. This was repeated at the end of 1st year. Data were analyzed independently as questionnaires were anonymized. Results: We found that 1st year of medical college showed a significantly increasing depression (P < 0.01) and stress (P < 0.01). Overall burnout did not increase significantly. However, only disengagement dimension of burnout increased significantly. Personalities with weak capacity to adjust had a significant positive correlation with depression (r = 0.277, P< 0.001) and stress scores (r = 0.210, P = 0.008). However, burnout did not correlate with any of the personality dimensions. Conclusion: Right from the 1st year of medical education students perceive high-stress levels and have a high risk of depression. Burnout starts to creep in at least in the form of disengagement. This study provides a sound groundwork for planning interventions to reduce student’s mental morbidity and avoid burnout.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal ◽  
Abdul Haseeb ◽  
Aleena Zehra Merchant ◽  
Muhammad Ahad Sher Khan ◽  
Arsalan Majeed Adam ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: While there have been a number of studies on DM, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, an instrument which assesses knowledge based on all three conditions has neither been established nor authorized in Pakistan. Hence, the focus of this study was to establish a pre- tested extensive questionnaire to evaluate medical students’ understanding of DM, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and their medications for use.METHODS: A pre-validated and pre-tested DHL instrument was employed on 250 students of Dow Medical and Sindh Medical College and on 45 physicians working in a leading teaching hospital of Karachi. The DHL knowledge instrument was then distributed a second time to the very same set of students, after a period of 2 months, at the end of the foundation module, once they had received some basic formal medical education including diabetes and CVS diseases.RESULTS: The overall internal consistency for the DHL instrument failed to comply with the set standard of more than or equal to 0.7 as our results yielded Cronbach’s α of 0.6. Overall the average difficulty factor of 28 questions is 0.41, which highlighted that the instrument was moderately tough. The mean scores for all domains were substantially lower in the students section in comparison to that of the professional section, which had remarkable impact on the overall mean(SD) knowledge score (40.58 ± 14.63 vs. 63.49 ± 06.67 ; p value = 0.00).CONCLUSION: The instrument can be used to recognize people who require educational programs and keep an account of the changes with the passage of time as it could help in differentiating the knowledge levels among its participants based on their educational status.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-58
Author(s):  
Gul Muhammad Shaikh ◽  
Rabia Khan ◽  
Rehan Khan ◽  
Rahila Yasmeen

Background: Academic failure adds extra pressure to emotional intelligence of students and this may lead to psychological disturbance. The objective of this study was to explore perception of students and teachers regarding academic failure of undergraduate medical students in Lahore, Pakistan. Materials & Methods: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted at Department of Medical Education, University College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore, Pakistan from January 2018 to October 2018. Sample included nine MBBS students who took their last examination in year 2017 and five teachers, all from University College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore. Sampling was purposive. These nine students included five who graduated without failure and four who experienced two/more failures. Medical students were interviewed via two focus groups, whereas face to face semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews were done for teachers. Interview questionnaires were designed on basis of attribution theory. The fundamental question of study was “What are the reasons behind undergraduate medical students’ failure in annual examination?” with five more questions. The interviews were transcribed in English and sent back to participants for member checking. The interviews were organized in ATLAS.ti software for thematic analysis based on Weiner’s Attribution Theory. Open coding was done after familiarization of data, leading to formation of categories, sub-themes and themes related to our conceptual framework. Results: 160 open codes were condensed to 35 axial codes leading to two themes. Main reasons for students’ failure in examinations perceived by both students and teachers were lack of ability, lack of effort and lack of motivation. Additionally, the students attributed bad luck to academic failure. Other factors included were teachers’ related factors, curriculum related factors and negative students’ attitude. Conclusion: Medical institutions must take into account reasons for academic failure among medical students and address those issues to improve their performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33
Author(s):  
Ayla Kurkcuoglu ◽  
Can Pelin ◽  
Ragiba Zagyapan ◽  
Ersin Ogus

Objetivos: La estandarización de la educación médica y programas centrados en la salida se han vuelto más importantes en los últimos años. Sin embargo, todavía no hay consenso sobre el lugar de las ciencias básicas en el mencionado concepto. A pesar que la importancia de la anatomía en la educación médica es  indiscutible, su lugar en el currículo médico todavía se está discutiendo ampliamente. Varios estudios y observaciones se han publicado hasta hoy sobre la educación anatómica básica. La mayoría de ellos reflejan las opiniones de los médicos clínicos o tutores médicos. El número de estudios de evaluación de la educación en anatomía en el pregrado, desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes de medicina, es limitado. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar las opiniones de los estudiantes de medicina en las clases de anatomía. Material y métodos: En este estudio, a 102 estudiantes de medicina que completaron la fase II de la educación en la Universidad de Baskent se les dio un cuestionario con 32 preguntas de tipo Likert preparados por los Departamentos de Anatomía y Medicina de la Educación, entre diciembre de 2012 y mayo de 2013. Las preguntas fueron dadas a los estudiantes en junio, justo antes de terminar el período de educación relacionado. Resultados y Conclusiones: Los estudiantes de medicina enfatizaron que entendían la importancia de la anatomía mucho después de haber terminado la educación de fase I cuando estaban tomando los cursos clínicos y mencionaron que el aporte de sus conocimientos de anatomía básica para su práctica clínica era débil. Los resultados del estudio indicaron que los estudiantes prefieren una educación integrada verticalmente, con orientación clínica e interactiva, y dieron más valor a la práctica de laboratorio en lugar de las conferencias clínicas. Objectives: Standardization of medical education and output-focused core programs has become more important in the recent years. However, still there is no consensus on the place of basic sciences in the aforementioned concept. Even though the importance of anatomy for a qualified medical education is indisputable, its place in medical curriculum is still being widely discussed. Several studies and comments have been published up to date on basic anatomy education. Most of these reflect the opinions of clinical doctors or medical tutors. The number of studies evaluating undergraduate anatomy education from the perspective of medical students is limited. The present study aims to evaluate the opinions of medical students on anatomy classes in medical education. Material and Methods: In this study, 102 medical students who completed phase II education in Baskent University were given a questionnaire containing 32 Likert’s type questions prepared by the Departments of Anatomy and Medical Education between December 2012 and May 2013.The questioner was given to the students in June just before the education of the related term was completed. Results and Conclusion: The medical students emphasized that they understood the importance of anatomy long after they had completed phase I education while they were taking the clinical courses, and they mentioned that the contribution of their basic anatomy knowledge to their clinical practice was weak. The results of the study indicated that students preferred a vertically integrated, clinically oriented and interactive education, and gave more value to laboratory practice rather than the clinical lectures. 


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1950 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-695
Author(s):  
JOHN MCK. MITCHELL

THE position of science in the modern world has been aptly compared to that of the church in medieval times. Just as the manifestos of the church were then accepted without question, today the pronouncement that "it has been scientifically proved" is sufficient authority for the general public. In somewhat similar vein, a statement to the effect that medical education has not kept pace with the rapid changes in medical practice is accepted without critical analysis by many physicians and taken to mean that a sweeping revision of the entire medical curriculum is indicated. Is this position justifiable? Should we choose a new site, lay a new foundation and erect a new edifice to house medical education? Or is the old building structurally so sound that it would be better to modernize it from within? Can additions be made without spoiling the "lines" which are of such symmetry that they have been admired throughout the world? This is a question of great importance to which I will not attempt to give a categorical answer. On the other hand, there is no doubt that the present building is in urgent need of a thorough house cleaning, and that some remodeling is in order. It is the objective of this paper to offer suggestions for certain simple changes and additions which are needed now. Student Body We must face the fact that there is a wide variation in the level of instruction among the approximately 800 approved colleges in the United States. This is clearly attested by the great difference in the mean scores of students from the different colleges on the Medical College Admission Test.


2017 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 007-011
Author(s):  
Sanjay Kini ◽  
Muthukumar R. ◽  
Rakesh G. Maiya ◽  
Nishanth Krishna K. ◽  
N. Udaya Kiran

Abstract Introduction: Research experience gained by medical students during their under graduate tenure plays a significant role in their future endeavours in the field of medical research. The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted to know the attitudes and perceptions towards research among final year medical students in a private medical college. Methods: A total of 220 students participated in the study. Results: The majority of the students agreed that research is important in the medical field (88.6%, 195/220). The majority also believed that research methodology to be part of medical curriculum (72.7%, 160/220). 31.8% (70/220) felt that Research methodology will be helpful to enter competitive exams (USMLE, PLAB). The barriers for conducting research as believed by students were: Lack of interest (32.7%, 72/220), Lack of time (31.4%, 135/220), Inadequate knowledge about research methodology (51.4%, 113/230), Lack of guidance by faculties (27.7%, 61/220), Lack of research curriculum (34.1%, 75/230) Inadequate facilities for research (35.5%, 78/220), Inadequate financial support (30.9%, 68/220) and others 2.9% (6/220). Of the participating students, 23.2% (51/220) participated in research during medical school, while 76.8% (179/220) did not. Conclusion: Medical colleges should emphasize more on research among the undergraduate students. There is a need to reform the medical curriculum with more weightage towards research methodology.


1970 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Hossain ◽  
KM Shamim ◽  
N Shahana ◽  
MA Habib ◽  
A Rahman

Introduction: The students of a country like Bangladesh, where language of medical education is completely English, suffer from a lot of problems in grasping English and also Latin and Greek terms used in English.Objective: This study was aimed to estimate the extents and to identify the nature of the problems faced by the undergraduate students in different aspects of English used in Anatomy.Methods: The study was conducted on 191 third year medical students, who had just passed the Anatomy portion of their undergraduate course from two renowned government medical colleges and one private medical college of Bangladesh. A written assessment test of students' performance was designed using two sets of questions as the instrument of the test. Each student was graded, according to the percentage frequency of correct responses, as having Grade IV difficulty (up to 20%), Grade III difficulty (20.01% to 40%), Grade II difficulty (40.01% to 60%), Grade I difficulty (60.01% to 80%) and Grade 0 with 'no difficulty' (above 80.01%). Comments were also collected from the students regarding their problems with English used in Anatomy.Results: An average of only about 48.2% responses on 'English used in Anatomy' was correct, ranging from about 20 to 70%. An arbitrary grading of difficulty level showed that 75% of the students were suffering from Grade II to Grade III difficulties. Performance of the students showed that the undergraduate medical students of Bangladesh were facing varying but noticeable amounts of difficulty with most of the areas of 'English used in Anatomy'.Conclusion: Organized, regular ways of dealing with these problems should be devised taking into consideration the specific aspects showing weakness and based on principles of terminology and English rather than on individual terms or words. Key words: English used in Anatomy; difficulty; undergraduate medical student DOI: 10.3329/jafmc.v6i2.7272JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 6, No 2 (December) 2010 pp.32-36


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