The Failure Experiences of Medical School Students: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Purpose: In medical school, where high-scoring students are respected, a student who fails is regarded as a feckless individual who cannot survive in a competitive atmosphere. This study aims to analyze the experiences of failure inmedical school students using a qualitative approach. Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine medical students who had failed the program and became a repeater or failed to pass the Korean Medical Licensure Exam, and three former and present vice deans of Yonsei University between April 2007 and May 2007. Students were classified into two groups: those who attend medical school and those who had graduated but failed the Korean Medical Association (KMA) examination. Results: The structural factors of experiences with failure were competitive culture, restrictive professor-student relationships, and indifference toward students' quality of life. Students perceived the factors of their failure to be maladjusted learning patterns emotional problems, such as loss of confidence, feelings of inferiority, and depression physical and economic difficulties and poor time management. The results revealed that students felt their status decline and changed their self-concept and that their social network became restricted. Conclusion: Medical schools and faculty consider students who have failed as community members. In addition, to prevent student failure, medical schools must reestablish a rigid professor-student relationship, develop a learner-centered curriculum and teaching method, implement a better learning support system, and improve the students' quality of life.