Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the attitude of South Korean medical school students towards psychiatry and to analyze how lectures and clinical clerkship in psychiatry effect changes in students' attitudes. A total of 100 medical school students were recruited as subjects in the study, 86 of whom completed psychiatry lectures and underwent psychiatry clerkship from March 2015 to August 2018. The participating students completed a survey, which included demographic data, specialty choice, and attitude towards psychiatry. Subjects who completed lectures and clinical clerkship in psychiatry showed positive changes in attitude towards psychiatry in the following items: "Among mental health professionals, psychiatrists have the most authority and influence" (p=0.002), "Psychiatrists frequently abuse their legal power to hospitalize patients against their will" (p<0.001), and "Many people who could not obtain a residency position in other specialties eventually enter psychiatry" (p=0.028). However, negative changes in attitude towards psychiatry were shown in the following item: "On average, psychiatrists make as much money as most other doctors" (p=0.008). Also, specific medical school factors scored positively overall. Although it was not statistically significant, the questionnaire item "During my psychiatry rotation, psychiatry residents were good role models" was more positively observed by students after completion of psychiatry lectures and clerkship. After each curriculum, certain attitudes toward psychiatry were positively changed, but others either remained unchanged or were negatively changed. By using these study results to revise the current curriculum, medical school students' attitude towards psychiatry can be improved.
Highlights
Psychiatry is a relatively unpopular specialty among medical school students; many studies have focused on finding ways to encourage an increasing number of talented students to choose psychiatry as their specialty [1,2,3,4,5]
Negative changes in attitude towards psychiatry were shown in the following item: “On average, psychiatrists make as much money as most other doctors” (p=0.008)
Better psychiatry curriculums should be steadily maintained independent of medical specialty preference, domestic studies on this issue have remained uncommon to date
Summary
Psychiatry is a relatively unpopular specialty among medical school students; many studies have focused on finding ways to encourage an increasing number of talented students to choose psychiatry as their specialty [1,2,3,4,5]. In their study of medical school students in Daegu, Kang et al [6] found psychiatry to be the most popular specialty. Wasserman [13] reported that 50% of medical school students changed their medical specialty choice while attending medical school, and a recent large study found that “Psychiatry clerkship rated excellent” was the most important factor for choosing psychiatry as a specialty at graduation [5]. Hong et al [14] reported that after completing psychiatry clerkships, medical school students’ perceptions of mental illness changed positively, with increases in patient-centered attitudes and decreases in authoritarian tendencies. The purpose of this study was to identify the attitude of South Korean medical school students towards psychiatry and to analyze how lectures and clinical clerkship in psychiatry effect changes in students’ attitudes
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