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Pre-clinical Years (pre-clinical + year)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Medical students' personality characteristics and academic performance: a five-factor model perspective

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 11 2002
Filip Lievens
Objectives, This study investigates: (1) which personality traits are typical of medical students as compared to other students, and (2) which personality traits predict medical student performance in pre-clinical years. Design, This paper reports a cross-sectional inventory study of students in nine academic majors and a prospective longitudinal study of one cohort of medical students assessed by inventory during their first preclinical year and by university examination at the end of each pre-clinical year. Subjects and methods In 1997, a combined total of 785 students entered medical studies courses in five Flemish universities. Of these, 631 (80·4%) completed the NEO-PI-R (i.e. a measure of the Five-Factor Model of Personality). This was also completed by 914 Year 1 students of seven other academic majors at Ghent University. Year end scores for medical students were obtained for 607 students in Year 1, for 413 in Year 2, and for 341 in Year 3. Results, Medical studies falls into the group of majors where students score highest on extraversion and agreeableness. Conscientiousness (i.e. self-achievement and self-discipline) significantly predicts final scores in each pre-clinical year. Medical students who score low on conscientiousness and high on gregariousness and excitement-seeking are significantly less likely to sit examinations successfully. Conclusions, The higher scores for extraversion and agreeableness, two dimensions defining the interpersonal dynamic, may be beneficial for doctors' collaboration and communication skills in future professional practice. Because conscientiousness affects examination results and can be reliably assessed at the start of a medical study career, personality assessment may be a useful tool in student counselling and guidance. [source]

Faculty opinions about a revised pre-clinical curriculum

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2002
Daryoush Tavanaiepour
Introduction Medical schools having innovative curricula have been encouraged to ascertain the levels of satisfaction of faculty members with the curriculum. Faculty at schools that employ problem-based learning (PBL) have been shown to have positive perceptions, but not all schools are in a position to adopt PBL on a large scale. This study sought to determine faculty members' opinions about a new curriculum that is less ambitious than one utilizing true PBL. Context and setting Since 1997, the University of Otago Medical School (Dunedin, New Zealand) has had an integrated, modular pre-clinical curriculum that emphasizes clinical relevance. It has proved popular with students. This study focused on faculty members' impressions. Methods We surveyed faculty members' opinions with a questionnaire identical to one used in studies at PBL schools. Faculty compared the students and their own levels of satisfaction in the old and new curricula on 7 to 10 items. The overall response rate was 85·4% (152 of 178). Results Perceptions of the new curriculum were positive among teachers who taught during the pre-clinical years and those who taught the students only after they reached the clinical years. Results for individual questions were in the same direction and generally similar in magnitude to those reported on identical items for PBL. Conclusion We conclude that a hybrid curriculum that is more acceptable to many traditional teachers and students than is PBL has almost as great a positive effect on faculty members' perceptions of students' abilities and of the curriculum as does PBL. [source]

Influences on medical students' decisions to study at a rural clinical school

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 5 2008
Ryan J. Spencer
Abstract Objective:,To identify factors that influenced medical students at Monash University to undertake their first year of clinical training (third year of the medical course) at a rural clinical school (RCS). Design:,Third-year Monash University medical students undertaking clinical placements at a RCS were surveyed in 2005. A semistructured questionnaire was used to ask students to rate the influence of a list of factors on their decision to undertake their year-long placement at a RCS. Results:,Under half (48%) of students studying at an RCS reported that they were of rural background. All surveyed items were identified as having had a positive influence. Greater clinical experience, learning opportunities and patient access were identified as having the greatest positive influence followed closely by free accommodation and other financial and supportive incentives. Future rural career intention was eight times more likely to be a positive influence in rural compared with urban background students. Conclusion:,The most important positive influence on Monash third-year medical students' decision to study at an RCS is the perception of high-quality clinical experiences and education. This perception arises from rural exposure during pre-clinical years. [source]