Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provision
Abstract Background Challenges in recruiting and retaining medical staff in preventive medical specialties have recently been the subject of numerous studies. To improve selection procedures, it is important to understand the career preferences and incentives of students in preventive medicine (PM),...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2017-08-01
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| Series: | BMC Research Notes |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-017-2706-6 |
| _version_ | 1818493361911234560 |
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| author | Van Anh Thi Nguyen Karen D. Könings Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier Pamela Wright Hoat Ngoc Luu Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer |
| author_facet | Van Anh Thi Nguyen Karen D. Könings Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier Pamela Wright Hoat Ngoc Luu Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer |
| author_sort | Van Anh Thi Nguyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Challenges in recruiting and retaining medical staff in preventive medical specialties have recently been the subject of numerous studies. To improve selection procedures, it is important to understand the career preferences and incentives of students in preventive medicine (PM), who initially marked the program as either their first choice or second choice. 1386 PM students in four Vietnamese medical schools participated in a survey using a structured, written questionnaire. Students were asked about their reasons for entering medical school and studying PM, their perceptions of PM during the academic course, and their expected career path following graduation. Results First-choice PM students (group 1) more often had siblings working as a preventive doctor, while second-choice PM students’ siblings (group 2) were more often medical students or clinical doctors. Group 1 had gathered more information about PM by consulting their high-school teachers and the national career guide. They were mainly drawn to the PM program by the newness of the profession, the prospect of a high-income job, its low entry criteria and low study burden compared to general medicine, their desire to uphold their family tradition, and to fulfill their family’s wish of having a doctor in the family. Group 2 chose to study PM because they wanted to pursue their dream of becoming a doctor. Compared to the first group, their perception of PM more frequently changed during the later years of the curriculum and they more frequently envisioned becoming a clinical doctor following graduation. Conclusions Interest in and motivation for PM may be cultivated among prospective or current students by improving information provision, diffusing knowledge, and otherwise acquainting students better with the PM specialty before and during the program. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:54:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fdf67f04ed5f4062a18169f79a3a5350 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1756-0500 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:54:14Z |
| publishDate | 2017-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Research Notes |
| spelling | doaj.art-fdf67f04ed5f4062a18169f79a3a53502022-12-22T01:39:00ZengBMCBMC Research Notes1756-05002017-08-011011810.1186/s13104-017-2706-6Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provisionVan Anh Thi Nguyen0Karen D. Könings1Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier2Pamela Wright3Hoat Ngoc Luu4Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer5Department of Medical Education and Skills Laboratory, Hanoi Medical UniversitySchool of Health Professions Education (SHE), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht UniversitySchool of Health Professions Education (SHE), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht UniversityGeneral Director of Medical Committee Netherlands VietnamBiostatistics and Medical Informatics Department, Institute of Training for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical UniversitySchool of Health Professions Education (SHE), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht UniversityAbstract Background Challenges in recruiting and retaining medical staff in preventive medical specialties have recently been the subject of numerous studies. To improve selection procedures, it is important to understand the career preferences and incentives of students in preventive medicine (PM), who initially marked the program as either their first choice or second choice. 1386 PM students in four Vietnamese medical schools participated in a survey using a structured, written questionnaire. Students were asked about their reasons for entering medical school and studying PM, their perceptions of PM during the academic course, and their expected career path following graduation. Results First-choice PM students (group 1) more often had siblings working as a preventive doctor, while second-choice PM students’ siblings (group 2) were more often medical students or clinical doctors. Group 1 had gathered more information about PM by consulting their high-school teachers and the national career guide. They were mainly drawn to the PM program by the newness of the profession, the prospect of a high-income job, its low entry criteria and low study burden compared to general medicine, their desire to uphold their family tradition, and to fulfill their family’s wish of having a doctor in the family. Group 2 chose to study PM because they wanted to pursue their dream of becoming a doctor. Compared to the first group, their perception of PM more frequently changed during the later years of the curriculum and they more frequently envisioned becoming a clinical doctor following graduation. Conclusions Interest in and motivation for PM may be cultivated among prospective or current students by improving information provision, diffusing knowledge, and otherwise acquainting students better with the PM specialty before and during the program.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-017-2706-6Career choiceMotivationPreventive medicineFirst choiceSecond choice |
| spellingShingle | Van Anh Thi Nguyen Karen D. Könings Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier Pamela Wright Hoat Ngoc Luu Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provision BMC Research Notes Career choice Motivation Preventive medicine First choice Second choice |
| title | Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provision |
| title_full | Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provision |
| title_fullStr | Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provision |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provision |
| title_short | Preventive medicine as a first- or second-choice course: a cross-sectional survey into students’ motivational differences and implications for information provision |
| title_sort | preventive medicine as a first or second choice course a cross sectional survey into students motivational differences and implications for information provision |
| topic | Career choice Motivation Preventive medicine First choice Second choice |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-017-2706-6 |
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