The evolution of medical students’ preparedness for clinical practice during the transition of graduation: a longitudinal study from the undergraduate to postgraduate periods

BMC Medical Education

Shou-De Ma¹  Ji-Tseng Fang²  Shiuan-Ruey Yu³  Ming-Ju Hsieh⁴  Yu-Che Chang⁵  Chung-Hsien Chaou⁵  Hsu-Min Tseng⁶ 

[1] Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Department of Nephrology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Chang-Gung Medical Education Research Centre, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan;Chang-Gung Medical Education Research Centre, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan;Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan;Chang-Gung Medical Education Research Centre, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan;Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Chang-Gung Medical Education Research Centre, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan;Department of Health Care Management, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan;

关键词: Preparedness for practice;    Undergraduate medical education;    Professional identity;    Longitudinal study;    Questionnaire study;    Transition;    Clinical placement;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12909-021-02679-8

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundGraduating from medical school and beginning independent practice appears to be a major transition for medical students across the world. It is often reported that medical graduates are underprepared for independent practice. Most previous studies on undergraduates’ preparedness are cross-sectional. This study aimed to characterize the development and trend of medical students’ preparedness and its association with other objective and subjective indicators from the undergraduate to postgraduate periods.MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study. The participants were recruited and followed from two years before graduation to the postgraduate period. The preparedness for independent practice, professional identity, and teamwork experience were biannually measured using previously validated questionnaires. The participants’ basic demographic information, clinical learning marks from the last two years, and national board exam scores were also collected.ResultsA total of 85 participants completed 403 measurements in the 5 sequential surveys. The mean age at recruitment was 23.6, and 58 % of participants were male. The overall total preparedness score gradually increased from 157.3 (SD=21.2) at the first measurement to 175.5 (SD=25.6) at the fifth measurement. The serial individual preparedness scores revealed both temporal differences within the same learner and individual differences across learners. Despite the variations, a clear, steady increase in the overall average score was observed. Participants were least prepared in the domain of patient management at first, but the score increased in the subsequent measurements. The participants with better final preparedness had better professional identity (p<0.01), better teamwork experience (p < 0.01), and higher average clinical rotation marks (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe preparedness for practice of medical students from the undergraduate to postgraduate periods is associated with their professional identity, teamwork experience, and objective clinical rotation endpoint. Although preparedness generally increases over time, educators must understand that there are temporal fluctuations and individual differences in learners’ preparedness.

【 授权许可】

CC BY