Early clinical exposure improves medical students' recognition of the need for professionalism and interprofessional collaboration

Impact of group work on the hidden curriculum that induces students' unprofessional behavior toward faculty

BACKGROUND

Hidden curriculum (HC) can limit the effects of professionalism education. However, the research on how HC triggers unprofessional behavior among medical students is scant. Furthermore, there is no established approach for how faculty members may create a context, such as an educational environment and education system, that prevents students' unprofessional behavior. This study aimed to develop an educational approach to prevent unprofessional behavior and clarify how faculty members consider HC that triggers students' unprofessional behavior.

METHODS

The study sample comprised 44 faculty members and eight medical students from the Chiba University School of Medicine. The participants were divided into groups and asked the following question: "What attitudes, statements, and behaviors of senior students, physicians, and faculty members trigger medical students' unprofessional behavior?" The responses were collected using the affinity diagram method. The group members discussed the causes and countermeasures for the selected attitudes, statements, and behaviors of senior students, physicians, and faculty members based on the affinity diagram. The impact of the group work on the faculty members was surveyed using questionnaires immediately after its completion and six months later. Furthermore, the cards in the group work were analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS

The responses to the questionnaire on group work indicated that some faculty members (43.8%) improved HC, while others suggested conducting group work with more participants. The content analysis revealed six categories - inappropriate attitude/behavior, behavior encouraging unprofessional behavior, lack of compliance with regulations, harassment of other medical staff, inappropriate educational environment/supervisor, and inappropriate self-control - and 46 subcategories.

CONCLUSIONS

The HC that triggers students' unprofessional behavior includes the words and actions of the educator, organizational culture, and educational environment. Group work makes faculty members aware of the HC that triggers unprofessional behavior, and induces behavioral change for HC improvement in the educational activities. Educators should refrain from using words and actions that encourage unprofessional behavior, such as personal anecdotes, as they reduce students' learning motivation.

The relationship between the sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity: mediation by medical students' attention to COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of COVID-19 highlights the shortage of human medical resources, and improving medical students' professional identity is crucial to improving this situation. The sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and medical students' attention to COVID-19 were significant factors affecting their professional identity. However, no study has investigated the mediating role of medical students' attention to COVID-19 in their relationship. This study investigates the relationship between these three factors in three medical university students in Hunan Province.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey study that used convenience sampling method was conducted on 2775 medical students from three universities in the Hunan Province of China from March 15 to April 19, 2020. An intermediary model was established to evaluate the role of medical students' attention to COVID-19 in the sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity.

RESULTS

The sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19, medical students' attention to national crisis events, and the improvement of medical students' professional identity was positively associated with each other (β = 0.328 ~ 0.464, P < 0.001). The mediating effect accounted for 23.3% of the total effect and 30.4% of the direct effect. Medical students' attention to COVID-19 partially mediates the relationship between the sources of confidence to overcome COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that the sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and medical students' attention to national crisis events have a significant predictive effect on the improvement of medical students' professional identity. Medical students' attention to COVID-19 mediated the relationship between the sources of confidence to overcome COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity. The findings have emphasized the theoretical and practical significance of professional identity education for medical students.

Effects of early clinical and basic laboratory exposure program on premedical students: a questionnaire survey

BACKGRUOUND

Because premed students do not take courses related to medicine during their first 2 years, they cannot establish their identity as students at medical schools, making it difficult for them to set goals as future doctors. We conducted an early clinical and basic laboratory exposure program for premed students and studied the effects of the program and student satisfaction levels.

METHODS

We performed an early clinical and basic laboratory exposure program for premed students for 2 days and evaluated the effects of the program and student satisfaction with it. The program consisted of two types: type 1, where two to four students formed a group, which was assigned to a particular department to participate and make observations during ward rounds, outpatient clinics, examinations, procedures, and surgeries (in the case of basic laboratory work, the students partook in experimental observations); and type 2, where one student followed a medical school professor to observe the professor's day. After the program ended, an online survey was conducted to investigate the effects on students, their thoughts, and satisfaction levels.

RESULTS

In total, 114 students (91.2%) responded to the survey. Approximately 94% of them were satisfied with the program. They found that the program would be useful for deciding on future career paths, gaining knowledge about a department of interest, studying for a medical program after premedical studies, and befriending residents and professors in certain departments.

CONCLUSION

Early clinical and basic laboratory exposure programs are recommended for premedical students.