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PubMed1985

Course work and grades of premedical students at two liberal arts colleges.

Choices of courses and academic performances of premedical students were investigated at two liberal arts colleges. Four hypotheses tested related to the areas of science concentration in the students' overall academic programs, breadth of the programs, depth of study in subjects outside science, and the grades achieved in all areas. Altogether, 345 students from the classes of 1982 and 1983 were studied. Premedical students were compared with nonpremedical students studying biology and chemistry and with all other students. Premedical students and other students majoring in biology, chemistry, or other health-related subjects had similar distributions of course credits by academic division and studied a greater breadth of subject matter than did other students. In contrast, the other students tended to study one subject outside their major in greater depth than the premedical students and other students majoring in biology and chemistry, and these subjects were usually in an academic division that did not include their major departments. The students from the two colleges who were admitted to medical schools achieved higher grades than either rejected applicants or nonapplicants from the colleges.

Education, Premedical↗
PubMed1988

A national survey concerning the ethical aspects of informed consent and role of medical students.

The authors surveyed a national random sample of medical students (10 percent of the graduating class of 1985) to identify the ways in which the students obtained informed consent from their patients and to learn the students' views of certain issues concerning informed consent. The results showed that the students introduced themselves to patients using methods that the authors grouped by levels of forthrightness. Those students who introduced themselves as medical students differed in their views on selected informed consent issues from students who introduced themselves as physicians. In general, all the students were less forthright about their status when given the opportunity to perform invasive procedures. Student gender, type of patient, and type of hospital were statistically associated with the students' behavior, according to bivariate analysis. After multivariate regression analysis, however, only the actions of the students' role models (residents and attending physicians) remained significantly associated with the students' behavior. The authors conclude that because some aspects of student behavior are at odds with the requirements of informed consent, medical educators must scrutinize the ethical dimensions of the policies they establish.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1994

Cheating by students: findings, reflections, and remedies.

Cheating among students is surprisingly frequent and may be increasing. The 1991 study reported herein was prompted by an episode of cheating involving three second-year medical students at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM SOM) and was undertaken (1) to elicit the opinions of faculty members and students at that institution about whether selected descriptions of students' behaviors were unethical; (2) to document possible discrepancies between the opinions of the two groups concerning these behaviors; (3) to define the prevalence of unethical behavior among current students as estimated by faculty and students; and (4) to determine how best to approach future instances of unethical behavior. Questionnaires were distributed to all faculty and students. The first two parts, sent to both groups, concerned reactions to a series of described physician and student behaviors. For each described behavior, respondents were asked whether or not it was unethical and, for the described student behaviors, whether they had personal knowledge of such behavior by local medical students. The third portion of the questionnaire concerned faculty perceptions regarding students' behaviors over time. With the exception of the class involved in the cheating incident, faculty and students were surprisingly similar in their opinions regarding the ethical nature of the described behaviors. According to both faculty and students, there was a significant incidence ( > or = to 10% of the respondents) of unethical behavior at the school of medicine, most commonly in relation to cheating on examinations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Attitude↗
PubMed1997

Assessment at one school of students' abilities and confidence in diabetic patients' education.

PURPOSE: To determine medical students' experiences in working with diabetic patients, their cognitive competence and their confidence in meeting diabetic patients' educational needs, and changes in their expertise with advancing education. METHOD: The study was conducted in March 1994 at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where students work with ambulatory patients in a longitudinal primary care experience from their second year through graduation. A combined questionnaire and objective quiz was developed and distributed to 138 second-, third-, and fourth-year students. The students were asked whether they had had experience in seeing a newly diagnosed diabetic patient, in what setting, and whether they felt confident in educating such patients on various common topics. They were also asked about their interests in and preferences for learning about diabetic patients' education. A 50-item objective quiz on the management of diabetes followed the questionnaire. Data were analyzed with several statistical methods. RESULTS: In all, 65 of the students (47%) responded; the majority were third- or fourth-year students. The percentages of students who felt confident ranged from 83% who felt confident about counseling about exercise to only 16% who felt confident about pre-conception counseling. All of the students but one felt that diabetic patients' education was an important topic, and all but two were interested in it. The students' quiz scores showed no significant difference by year of training; for all the students the average score was 39.6% correct, with no increase in score for increased training. Also, the students who were more confident about their abilities to provide patient education on a certain topic were no more likely to have accurate information about that topic than were those who were not confident. CONCLUSION: Although they were clearly interested in diabetic patients' education, the students did not feel confident in providing it, nor did they have the cognitive competence to do so. Medical schools have a responsibility to students and to their patients to formally address the issues of patient education.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1997

Role models' perceptions of themselves and their influence on students' specialty choices.

PURPOSE: To examine the perceptions of faculty role models to learn whether their perceptions of role models' behaviors are congruent with those of their students. METHOD: In 1996 a survey was mailed to 210 student-identified faculty role models at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The nominees were asked to rate to what extent each of 32 student-identified role model characteristics was representative of their behavior. They were then asked to rank order the characteristics they felt were most important to model for students. The role models were also asked to rate how much influence they perceived themselves to have on their students' specialty choices. A final, open-ended question inquired about the single characteristics they modeled to students that most influenced the students' specialty choices. The role models' specialties were grouped as either primary care (PC) or non-primary care (NPC). Data were analyzed with several statistical methods. RESULTS: Of the 210 mailed surveys, a total of 177 were returned, for a response rate of 84%. The role models perceived their behaviors much like their students did; the role models' self-ratings were generally high for all of the student-defined characteristics. Although clinical reasoning was considered the most important characteristic to model for students, the role models also believed that enthusiasm and love for their work were the characteristics that most influenced their students' specialty choices. Few differences were found between the PC and the NPC role models. CONCLUSION: The role models in this study agreed with their students about what is important to model. They did not intentionally try to recruit students to join their specialties but felt that demonstrating enthusiasm and a sincere love for what they did has a strong influence toward this end.

Career Choice↗
PubMed2001

Understanding the relationship between market competition and students' ratings of the managed care content of their undergraduate medical education.

PURPOSE: The increase in managed care has led to questions about the inadequacy of instruction undergraduate medical students receive in curricular areas related to managed care. This study examined (1) the percentages of graduating medical students who felt they had received inadequate instruction in six curricular content areas (CCAs): primary care, care of ambulatory patients, health promotion and disease prevention, medical care cost control, teamwork with other health professionals, and cost-effective medical practice; and (2) whether the market competitiveness of these students' medical schools affected their reports of inadequacy of instruction in these CCAs. METHOD: Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges' Graduation Questionnaires (GQs) from 1994 to 1997 were analyzed. The GQ asked graduating students to rate the adequacy of instruction they had received in the six CCAs. Students' ratings were collapsed into the dichotomous variables "inadequate" and "not inadequate." The market competitiveness of medical schools was determined using the four-stage Market Evolution Model developed by the University HealthSystem Consortium. Only responses from students graduating from medical schools that could be staged for all four years of the study were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed to determine trends for each CCA by year, across the entire study period, by market stage, and by market stage across the entire study period. RESULTS: A total of 39,136 respondents from 86 medical schools were used in the study. The percentages of graduating medical students who reported inadequate instruction decreased over the study period for five of the six CCAs: primary care (27.6% in 1994 to 13.7% in 1997), ambulatory care (37.4% to 23. 9%), medical care cost control (62.9% to 52.9%) cost-effectiveness of medical practice (62.7% to 53.9%), and health promotion and disease prevention (44.4% to 23.7%); all at p <0.001. The responses for inadequacy of instruction for teamwork with other health professionals remained steady from 1994 to 1996 (10.2% to 10.6%), then increased 21.8% in 1997. Over the course of the study, students graduating from schools in more competitive markets (Stage 3 or Stage 4) were more likely to report inadequate instruction in three CCAs, primary care, ambulatory care, and health promotion and disease prevention, than were those graduating from schools in less competitive markets (Stage 1 and Stage 2). Conversely, students graduating from schools in the more competitive health care markets were less likely to report inadequate instruction in cost-effectiveness and cost control than were students from schools in less competitive markets. CONCLUSION: Graduating students' reports of inadequacy of instruction decreased over the study period for five of the six CCAs, increasing only for teamwork with other professionals. Findings were mixed with regard to the relationship of medical schools' market competitiveness and graduating students' reports of inadequacy of instruction. More research is needed to confirm graduating students' perceptions of the inadequacy of their instruction in CCAs related to managed care, particularly once they have gained experience treating patients in managed care environments.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2001

Early detection and evaluation of professionalism deficiencies in medical students: one school's approach.

Since 1995, the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine has monitored students' professional behaviors in their third and fourth years. The authors recognized that several students with professionalism deficiencies during their clerkships had manifested problematic behaviors earlier in medical school. They also observed behaviors of concern--such as inappropriate behavior in small groups--in some first- and second-year students who could have been helped by early remediation. The authors describe the modifications to the evaluation system to bring professionalism issues to a student's attention in a new, earlier, and heightened way. In this new system for first- and second-year students, the course director of a student who has professionalism deficiencies submits a Physicianship Evaluation Form to the associate dean for student affairs, who then meets with the student to identify the problematic issues, to counsel, and to remediate. The student's behavior is monitored throughout the academic years. If the student receives two or more forms during the first two years and a subsequent form in the third or fourth year, this indicates a persistent pattern of inappropriate behavior. Then the physicianship problem is described in the dean's letter of recommendation for residency and the student is placed on academic probation. The student may be eligible for academic dismissal from school even if he or she has passing grades in all courses. The authors describe their experience with this system, discuss lessons learned, and review future plans to expand the system to deal with residents' mistreatment of students.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

An analysis of students' clinical experiences in an integrated primary care clerkship.

PURPOSE: Combining complementary clinical content into an integrated clerkship curriculum should enhance students' abilities to develop skills relevant to multiple disciplines, but how educational opportunities in primary care ambulatory settings complement each other is unknown. The authors conducted an observational analytic study to explore where opportunities exist to apply clinical skills during a 16-week integrated primary care clerkship (eight weeks of family medicine, four weeks of ambulatory pediatrics, and four weeks of ambulatory internal medicine). METHOD: Using handheld computers, students recorded common problems, symptoms, and diagnoses they saw. The students also recorded information about the educational process of the clerkship. Two data files were created from the database. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the students' clerkship experiences, and ANOVA was used to evaluate differences among these blocks within the clerkship. RESULTS: Students encountered different frequencies of presenting symptoms, the majority of which occurred in pediatrics (23.2 per student per week versus 16.3 in medicine and 16.8 in family medicine; p =.01). Students provided more behavioral change counseling in family medicine (5.2 episodes per student per week versus 4.2 and 2.0 in internal medicine and pediatrics, respectively; p =.01), and they performed more clinical procedures in family medicine (1.9 per student per week versus 0.6 and 1.1 in pediatrics and internal medicine, respectively; p =.001). Students were more likely to encounter specific conditions in internal medicine (35.3 per student per week versus 30.0 and 21.4 in family medicine and pediatrics, respectively; p =.01). Elements of the teaching and learning processes also differed by clerkship. CONCLUSIONS: Very little overlap was found in symptoms, conditions, procedures, and other educational opportunities in the ambulatory pediatrics, internal medicine, and family medicine blocks that constitute the integrated primary care clerkship. The blocks provided different and complementary learning opportunities for students. These findings will assist in clerkship planning and in guiding students to seek opportunities that will ensure educational excellence.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2002

Early assessment of medical students' clinical skills.

OBJECTIVE: To provide first-year medical students with a non-threatening, standardized, clinical-skills assessment at the end of the first year (M1CSA), and provide resources to help them build on their strengths and address any weaknesses before starting the second year. DESCRIPTION: Implemented for the first time in April 2001, the M1CSA was designed to help first-year students identify strengths and weaknesses in their developing repertoire of clinical skills. It was composed of five stations (abdominal exam, cardiovascular exam, lung exam, informed consent, social history) and a self-assessment. Each station involved working with a standardized patient (SP), and all SP encounters were videotaped so students could review their work during the self-assessment. The M1CSA was truly formative in nature; there was no passing or failing mark. To help students prepare for the abdominal, cardiovascular, and lung examinations, we distributed via Blackboard(R) an electronic copy of the same exam-skills checklists that the SPs would be using in the exam stations. To facilitate preparation for the social history and informed consent stations, we used Blackboard to provide the scenarios in advance. While students were not allowed to bring these checklists or scenario descriptions into the stations, they did know exactly what was expected. Immediately after each student encounter, SPs completed skills checklists and entered evaluative comments via computer workstations. Upon completing all five stations, students were provided with printouts of the checklists and comments, and proceeded to review their videotapes and write self-assessments indicating specific areas for improvement. Faculty members were available on-site to review portions of the videotapes, answer questions, and offer suggestions. Students also received a resource sheet, which listed faculty members and clinics where they could obtain help developing their clinical skills over the summer months. The M1CSA was designed by a clinical-skills assessment committee and refined through discussion with students. The committee was composed of all four of the first-and second-year clinical skills unit directors, as well as the Patient, Physician & Society course coordinator, the associate dean for medical informatics and computer-assisted learning, the two staff members of Northwestern's Clinical Education and Evaluation Center, the office of medical education's director of evaluation, and the associate dean for education (ex-officio). Students evaluated this first iteration of the M1CSA very positively, and provided useful feedback for making specific improvements. DISCUSSION: The primary motivation for implementing the M1CSA was the fact that, over the past several years, many students reported starting the second year with considerable uncertainty about their clinical skills. The M1CSA was designed to offer a standardized inventory of students' proficiencies, and to encourage continued development in anticipation of working with real patients in the second year. The content reflects a broad view of clinical skills, encompassing communication and ethics, as well as the physical examination. The formative nature of the M1CSA complements the long-standing M2CSA, which is summative (i.e., students must demonstrate proficiency before beginning clerkships).

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2002

Preparing medical students to teach.

OBJECTIVE: Residents do a significant amount of teaching. Therefore, as medical students prepare for the clinical aspects of their residency, it is also important for them to prepare for their role of physician as teacher. With the goal of offering fourth-year students an opportunity to enhance their teaching skills, an elective was designed that presented them with an opportunity to expand their knowledge base in education, and then apply and practice this new set of knowledge. A week-long elective, Physician as Teacher, was designed to encompass core educational information such as needs assessment of learners, establishing goals and objectives, teaching methods, and evaluation and feedback. This core information was then applied and enriched during an end-of-course teaching presentation. Aside from this course, there is no forum during their undergraduate medical training for the students to acquire knowledge and skills about how to be teachers. DESCRIPTION: The course was developed with the appreciation that application of knowledge is a rich source of learning. The course began with interactive classroom teaching sessions designed to facilitate acquisition of core educational knowledge. Sessions topics included assessment of learner needs, methods of teaching, learning styles, microprecepting, and feedback. Also incorporated were sessions on facilitating small groups, and teaching and learning how to use technology. Those classroom sessions were then enhanced by a complement of sessions that asked the students to apply their new knowledge to clinical situations. Those more application-based sessions included observation and follow-up discussion of clinical teaching and small-group teaching sessions with the goal of developing the students' skills with respect to the teaching and learning process. An end-of-course teaching presentation by each student provided them with a capstone experience of applying the knowledge and skills learned throughout the week. The topic of the teaching presentation was of their choosing, and could incorporate technology. Each student's teaching presentation was videotaped, immediately viewed by the student, and discussed using a structured format of facilitated feedback. DISCUSSION: Students reported that the end-of-course teaching presentation was a rich source of their learning, and an important vehicle for helping them apply and synthesize the new knowledge. Fifteen percent of fourth-year students enrolled in and completed the elective. Seventy-one percent of those students "strongly agreed" and 29% "agreed" that the course provided useful knowledge and skills. Seventy-nine percent "strongly agreed" and 21% "agreed" that their teaching would be better because of the course. Based on comments, the students appeared to feel that the experience of presenting a teaching session at the end of the course was a rich source of their learning, and helped them to apply and synthesize the new knowledge. Students noted, "the teaching project was an excellent idea to see how much we have learned; I never realized what a responsibility we have as residents to teach our peers; I have been enlightened this past week and will now consciously make an effort to share what little information I currently have; I will be a better teacher because I have been given the appropriate tools."

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMed2003

Examination room presentations in general internal medicine clinic: patients' and students' perceptions.

PURPOSE: To determine if patients are more satisfied with their health care when medical students present in the exam room to both the attending physician and patient than they are when medical students present outside the exam room to only the attending. To determine medical students' preference for location of presentation and the reasons for their preference. To determine if exam-room presentations promote the education of medical students to a greater degree than presentations outside of the exam room. METHOD: In 2001, 108 patients and 142 fourth-year medical students at internal medicine (IM) clinics affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine were asked to complete an 11-point ordinal scale questionnaire on their attitudes toward medical student presentations. RESULTS: One hundred patients (93%) and 68 medical students (48%) responded. Patients with in-room presentations enjoyed working with the medical student more than did patients with out-of-room presentations. Both groups expressed a preference for in-room presentations on future visits and a high level of comfort with student and physician discussing their health. Medical students reported a slight preference for presenting out of the room. When presenting in the room, students reported learning more about physical diagnosis and bedside manner and less about mechanism of disease than when presenting out-of-room. CONCLUSIONS: Patients preferred in-room case presentations and were comfortable with medical students and physicians discussing their health in their presence. In-room presentations also foster instruction on bedside manner and physical diagnosis. These data suggest that both patients and students would benefit from participating in more in-room presentations.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

Attitudes of preclinical and clinical medical students toward interactions with the pharmaceutical industry.

PURPOSE: Medical school is a critical time for physicians in training to learn the professional norms of interacting with the pharmaceutical industry, yet little is known about how students' attitudes vary during the course of training. This study sought to determine students' opinions about pharmaceutical industry interactions with medical students and whether these opinions differ between preclinical and clinical students. METHOD: The authors surveyed medical students at Harvard Medical School (HMS) from November 2003 through January 2004 using a six-question survey. The authors then analyzed how responses differed among the classes. RESULTS: Out of 723 questionnaires, 418 were returned--an overall response rate of 58%. A total of 107 (26%) students believed that it is appropriate for medical students to accept gifts from pharmaceutical companies, and 76 (18%) agreed that the medical school curriculum should include events sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. Many students--253 (61%)--reported that they do not feel adequately educated about pharmaceutical industry-medical professionals' interactions. Preclinical and clinical students had similar opinions for the majority of their responses. Finally, students who reported feeling better educated about pharmaceutical industry interactions tended to be less skeptical of the industry and more likely to view interactions with the industry as appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Students' opinions about interactions with the pharmaceutical industry were similar between preclinical and clinical students, suggesting that the current medical school experience may have limited impact on students' views about interactions with the pharmaceutical industry.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2007

A web-based system for students to document their experiences within six core competency domains during all clinical clerkships.

The authors describe the design and implementation of a new Web-based system that allows students to record important features of their clinical encounters during all 10 required clinical clerkships, document their learning experiences in six major competency domains, and generate detailed real-time reports for themselves and their clerkship directors. A new Web-based system, DMEDS (Dartmouth Medical Encounter Documentation System), accepts input from computers and PDAs. Its design permits students to describe their patients, learning sites, interactions with preceptors, and important aspects of their clinical encounters in all of our medical school's competency domains. Using a common format for all required clerkships, clerkship directors select specific items most relevant to their clerkships from a common menu and set learning targets for specific diagnoses and clinical skills. This new system was designed in the fall of 2003, tested in the spring of 2004, and implemented in all clerkships for the 2004 to 2005 academic year. During the first full academic year that DMEDS was used, students documented nearly 32,000 discrete student-patient-preceptor encounters, an average of between 21 and 120 clinical encounters per Year 3 clerkship. Highlights of the analysis of these initial data include the following: (1) insights into how educational targets are set, (2) the extent of site-to-site variation in clerkship experiences, (3) the epidemiology of patients' declining student involvement, and (4) student experiences in and understanding of the newer competency domains.DMEDS can be used in all clinical clerkships and can address student experiences in all competency domains. It provides substantial value to students, clerkship directors, preceptors, and medical school administrators. As secondary benefits, the authors found that DMEDS facilitates educational research and is readily adapted for use in residency and fellowship programs as well. Student feedback highlights the need to pay close attention to the time invested by students documenting their clinical encounters. Course directors must ensure that the benefits to students (such as knowledge of meeting learning targets and preceptors providing direct feedback to students) are transparent. Finally, for other schools contemplating the change to a competency-based curriculum with the use of a clinical encounter documentation system, the time required for both students and faculty to adopt and fully engage these major educational culture shifts seems to be at least several years.

Clinical Clerkship↗
PubMed2006

A comparison of interprofessional perceptions and working relationships among health and social care students: the results of a 3-year intervention.

A longitudinal quantitative study in an English faculty of health and social care explored the effects of a pre-qualifying interprofessional curriculum for students from 10 professional programmes. Students on the interprofessional curriculum completed questionnaires containing four attitude scales on entry to the faculty, during their second year and at the end of their final year. At qualification, 581 students (76.9% of those qualifying) completed scales concerning their communication and teamwork skills, their attitudes towards interprofessional learning, their perceptions of interaction between health and social care professionals, and their opinions about their own (inter)professional relationships. Questionnaires were completed at both entry and qualification by 526 students (69.8% of those qualifying), and at all three points by 468 students (61.9% of those qualifying). A comparison group of 250 students (67.6% of those qualifying) on the previous uniprofessional curricula also completed questionnaires at qualification. Students on the interprofessional curriculum showed no significant change in their self-assessment of their communication and teamwork skills between entering the faculty and qualification. However, there was a negative shift in their attitudes to interprofessional learning and interprofessional interaction. Nevertheless, most students were positive about their own professional relationships at qualification. Students with previous experience of higher education were comparatively positive about their communication and teamwork skills, as were female students about interprofessional learning. However, the strongest influence on students' attitudes at qualification appeared to be professional programme. This suggests that interprofessional education does not inhibit the development of profession-specific attitudes. Students who qualified on the interprofessional curriculum were more positive about their own professional relationships than those who qualified on the previous uniprofessional curricula. These data suggest that experiencing an interprofessional curriculum has an effect on students' attitudes at qualification, particularly with regard to their positive perception of their own professional relationships.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Medical student experience of London general practice teaching attachments.

Forty-eight students kept a log diary of activities during their central London general practice teaching attachments associated with the Department of Primary Health Care of University College and Middlesex School of Medicine. The students each saw on average 96 patients per week, of whom 69% were discussed by the general practitioner with the student after the consultation. Students spent an average of 21.5 hours a week sitting in with the general practitioner. While most of this time was as a passive observer, the students were also able to participate more actively, personally taking histories for a median of 1.25 hours a week and personally examining patients for a median of 1.7 hours a week. During these periods of active involvement each student personally took a mean of 10 short and 2.5 long histories per week and performed a mean of 25.5 short and 1.2 long examinations per week. General practitioners to whom the students were attached spent a mean of 4 hours a week on (patient-oriented) teaching. The tuition was highly rated by the students in terms of both usefulness and stimulation. Students also received a mean of 2.3 hours a week of teaching from other members of the primary health care team, which was somewhat less well received. Areas for improvement were: the relatively few home visits (median of 6 per week) per student; the limited time students spent on self-education (average of 65 minutes per week); and the few practical procedures performed by the students. Students could also be encouraged to play a more active role in examining and interviewing patients.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Computer awareness among medical students: a survey.

The objective of the study was to assess the attitude of Edinburgh University medical students towards computers and to evaluate the effects of changes in the curriculum and intercalated BSc towards computer knowledge. During March to November 1995 a questionnaire was distributed in lectures, seminars and tutorials to all Edinburgh University medical students. Overall, 65% of students returned the questionnaire, divided equally between both genders. Only 2% of students had not used a computer in the previous year. The most frequent application used was E-mail and the most frequent site, the Greenfield suite micro lab, within the medical school. The average score for self-perceived computer knowledge on a scale of 0-10 was 4.19. This score was significantly higher for the students who own a computer and who have an intercalated BSc honours degree as well as the pre-clinical students compared to the clinical students. There is also a strong correlation between computer use and doing a second year special option module. With regards to attitude towards computers, 86% of students agreed that computer skills will be beneficial to them in their future career and 62% of all students wanted a structured course in computer use as part of the MB ChB course. There has been a general increase in computer literacy amongst the medical students in Edinburgh. This is specially so for the pre-clinical students who have had the brunt of the changes in the curriculum. The tendency for both the lower knowledge and use by the clinical students can, in part, be due to the accessibility of computers to these students.

Attitude to Computers↗
PubMed2005

'Sorry, it's my first time!' Will patients consent to medical students learning procedures?

CONTEXT: The clinical teaching of medical students is essential to medicine; however, medical students often may not inform patients of their inexperience. Hence patients do not have the opportunity to consent specifically to the procedures being performed by medical students. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients, when informed of the inexperience of a medical student, would still consent to the procedure. METHODS: Adult emergency department patients (114) were enrolled if they required one of the following procedures: sutures, intravenous (i.v.) access or splinting. Patients were first surveyed about his or her perceptions of medical student performing procedures. The first-year medical student then informed the patient of their inexperience (the number of procedures they had performed successfully). Finally, the patient was asked to consent to the student performing the procedure (i.e. "this is my first/third time suturing, may I suture you?") The main outcome measure was patient consent to the student performing the procedure. RESULTS: Only 48% of participants knew they could be the first patient on whom a medical student might perform a procedure. A total of 66% thought they should be told if a student was performing his or her first procedure on them. The majority of patients (90%) consented (69/80 i.v., 20/20 splints, 13/14 sutures). For 7 of the 12 refusals, it was the student's first time performing the procedure. CONCLUSION: Most patients will allow medical students to perform minor procedures, even when informed of the student's inexperience.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Attitudes of medical students towards persons with mental disorders: a comparative study between Japan and Thailand.

This study was conducted at three universities, two in Japan and one in Thailand, in order to elucidate the effects of medical education, especially with regard to contact experience on medical students' attitudes toward persons with mental disorders. Questionnaires, which included the Attitudes Towards Disabled Persons Scale (ATDP) and the Contact with Disabled Persons Scale (CDP), were distributed to 1st year students prior to the commencement of their medicine/psychiatry studies and distributed to 6th (or 5th) year students who had completed their psychiatric curriculum. The ATDP scores were lower for 6th year students at all universities, suggesting that post-education students had a more unfavorable attitude than pre-education students. Thai students indicated more unfavorable attitudes than did the Japanese students. Three factors were extracted from the ATDP scale and termed: negation of character, negation of ability and affirmation of normality. Four factors from the CDP scale were extracted and labeled intimate contact experience, ordinary contact experience, unpleasant contact experience and pleasant contact experience. Greater negative attitudes of post-education students than pre-education students were thought to attribute mainly to an increase in factor score of negation of ability and this result was correlated with an increase in factor score of ordinary contact experience in post-education students. Of the three ATDP factor scores, the higher score of Thai students for negation of character contributed to their overall unfavorable attitude scores. The cross-national similarities and differences of students' attitudes towards and contact experience with mentally disordered persons were discussed from the viewpoint of medical education.

Attitude↗