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Medicine in prospect—the first‐year student's view
Author(s) -
EWAN CHRISTINE E.,
BENNETT M. J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1981.tb02490.x
Subject(s) - medical education , medical school , psychology , baccalaureate degree , higher education , medicine , political science , law
Summary A sample of first‐year medical students from the University of New South Wales was interviewed to determine the students’ reasons for studying Medicine, their career aspirations and their views, in prospect, of the medical course and medical practice. There were some differences, in general responses, between men and women. In general the interviews revealed that at this stage of their careers the students were motivated to a high degree by humanitarian concerns. Recent criticisms of the outcomes of medical education have featured concerns that graduating doctors do not demonstrate sufficient ability to relate to patients on a personal level or to take a holistic approach to care. Some medical educators and community spokesmen have attributed this to the selection system which, based solely on academic merit, chooses students with high academic ability and according to some critics, low social abilities and awareness. The results of this study indicate that such assumptions are false and that undesirable attitudes said to be present in graduating doctors do not appear to be present in the early stages of medical education.