First Year Of Medical Training Research Articles

Partnership in Cancer Research (PCAR) Program Increases Medical Student Knowledge and Confidence to Perform Cancer Research.

Arkansas has a high cancer burden, and a pressing need exists for more medical students to pursue oncology as a career. The Partnership in Cancer Research (PCAR) program provides a summer research experience at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for 12 medical students who have completed their first year of medical training. A majority of participants spend time pursuing cancer research in basic science, clinical, or community-based research. Students report on their research progress in an interactive "Live from the Lab!" series and assemble a final poster presentation describing their findings. Other activities include participation in a moderated, cancer-patient support group online, lecture series on cancer topics, medical simulations, palliative care clinic visit, "Death Over Dinner" event, and an entrepreneurship competition. Students completed surveys over PCAR's first 2 years in operation to evaluate all aspects of the program. Surveys reveal that students enthusiastically embraced the program in its entirety. This was especially true of the medical simulations which received the highest evaluations. Most significantly, surveys revealed that the program increased cancer knowledge and participant confidence to perform cancer research.

PERCEIVED STRESS IN UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL STUDENTS OF ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS – A COMPARATIVE STUD

Background: First year of medical training is a challenging period in the life of medical students. Adjusting to a demanding medical curriculum along with sudden transition to a medical college environment makes first year medical students vulnerable to stress. No studies have been reported so far on stress in medical students from the Andaman& Nicobar Islands. Aim: To evaluate the levels of perceived stress and explore its causes in first year medical students of Andaman Islands and compare it with non medical age matched students. 
 Materials & Methods: A comparative study was done on a total of 182 first year students (89 medical and 93 non-medicals) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. After obtaining informed consent, an anonymous self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the study participants. The questionnaire included their sociodemographic details & Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and stressors. The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 21.
 Results: The mean PSS score as measured by PSS-10 was 23.9+/- 6.15 SD in medical and 18.82 +/- 5.58 SD in non medical students. Independent sample t test demonstrated higher levels of perceived stress in medical students as compared to non medical students. Chi square test revealed association of higher PSS scores with the medical course of study. The most common stressors described by first year medical students belonged to the academic domain.
 Conclusion: Higher levels of perceived stress occurs in medical students which highlights need for implementation of appropriate stress management strategies to help students adjust to the demanding curriculum.
 Keywords: Stress, medical education, undergraduate, medical students, PSS-10

Evaluating mental health literacy in medical students in the United Kingdom

PurposeThere is urgent need to explore medical students’ understandings of mental illness to better support this high-risk group. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate mental health literacy in medical students using the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), and provide validation of the measure.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 251 participants were recruited from medical schools across the UK. Participants completed demographic details and the MHLS. This paper reports total MHLS scores and their relationships with demographics and experiences with mental illness.FindingsThe mean MHLS score was 127.69. MHL was significantly higher in females, and students in later years of study (p<0.05). Over 40 per cent of respondents reported having personal experience of mental illness. This, as well as having a close friend or family member with a mental illness, was associated with higher MHL (p<0.05).Originality/valueThis study is the first to use the MHLS and provide validation of this measure in medical students. Despite high rates of personal experience with mental health issues, medical students’ average MHLS scores were comparable to studies of non-medical student groups. Medical schools should aim to build students’ confidence in recognising and seeking help for mental health issues from the first year of medical training. MHL is a multi-faceted issue; further work is required to improve awareness of risk factors, to better understand why males demonstrate poorer MHL scores than females, and to work towards improving MHL in males.

All play and no work: skits and models in teaching skeletal muscle physiology.

All play and no work: skits and models in teaching skeletal muscle physiology.

Association of academic performance and absenteeism among medical students

Purpose : To determine association between academic performance and absenteeism in classroom among first year medical students. Methods : A one-year prospective study was conducted on 196 first year medical students. Academic performance was measured by examination scores at four examinations. Absenteeism score was measured by the cumulative number of absence in an academic session of each student recorded by academic office at the end of the first year of medical training. The academic performance was categorized into pass and fail for analysis purpose. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 20. Results : The independent-t analysis showed that, in all examinations, students who passed the examinations had significantly lower absenteeism scores than those who failed (p < 0.001). Conclusion : This study found significant associations between academic performances and absenteeism scores among first year medical students. Medical schools should pay more attention on this matter since it may result in poor academic performances.

The impact of medical education on psychological health of students: A cohort study

Many studies have shown that the prevalence of psychological distress among medical students during medical training is higher than that in general population. A few studies have shown that the prevalence of psychological distress among medical students before the onset of medical training was similar to general population. This study aimed to investigate psychological health of medical students before and during medical training. A one-year prospective study was done on successful applicants who undergo the first year of medical training for 2010/2011 academic session. The stress, anxiety and depression were measured by the DASS-21 at five intervals; during interview (Time 0), two months (Time 1), four months (Time 2), six months (Time 3) and final examination (Time 4) of the first year medical training. The prevalence of unfavourable stress, anxiety and depression before the onset of medical training was 4.1%, 55.6% and 1.8%, respectively. The prevalence of unfavourable stress during medical training ranged between 11.8% and 19.9%. The prevalence of anxiety during medical training ranged between 41.1% and 56.7%. The prevalence of depression during medical training ranged between 12% and 30%. Mean scores of stress and depression before (Time 0) and during medical training (Time 1–4) were significantly different (p < 0.001). The prevalence and level of unfavourable stress and depression during medical training were significantly higher than before the onset medical training. This study supports views that medical training is not an optimal environment to psychological health of medical students.

Implementation of Competencies for Anatomy in the First Year of Medical Training

To assess the outcome of students that underwent the exercises to implement certain competencies at the beginning level.It is quite a challenge to develop teaching and evaluation strategies for the implementation of competencies in a traditional medical school that accepts 1200 students yearly, used to the traditional systems, and grouped in classes of 40 students each with teacher having limited experience in competence based learning.We established three experimental and three control groups. We used three different exercises for a particular theme and tested before and after; compared the results of the experimental and control groups with T Student and Chi Square. The first strategy was to use a case history of cranial fracture, skulls to study in small groups, group discussion and evaluate written communication in a composition. The second strategy was to use body painting to identify the cervical triangles and their content. The third strategy was a case history of deafness and the study of an on line presentation of the ear, group discussion and the projection of ear implant techniques. The fourth strategy was a case history of rheumatic fever, the study of heart anatomy, group discussion.Results showed a marked improvement in grades achieved on all quizzes and examinations of the experimental groups.

Identity change and the human dissection experience over the first year of medical training

The aim of this study is to explore identity change in medical students over their first year of medical training, particularly in relation to their experience of human dissection. Each of our four participants completed two repertory grids at the end of term one and, again, towards the end of term three. One grid tapped their identity construction, and the other, their experience of human dissection. Our participants were optimistic about becoming similar to a doctor they admired and, towards the end of term three, began to develop a stable identity as a medical student. Their identity constructs involved three common themes: dedication, competence, and responsibility. However, the data also revealed negative reactions to the demands of training, such as feeling driven and stressed. Three major themes were apparent in their experience of human dissection: involvement, emotional coping, and ability. Our participants’ dedication to their studies was reflected in their appreciation of the need to become involved actively in the process of dissection but some experienced an erosion of their self-confidence and perceived some of their colleagues to have lost much of their enthusiasm for learning. Emotional coping could be an additional challenge within this context and their reaction tended to reflect distancing processes previously identified in the literature. In all, we see a development of a vulnerable sense of professionalism alongside a frustration of losing out potentially on wider aspects of personal development due to the high work demands.

PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS IN MEDICAL STUDENTS: A COMPARISON OF TWO VERY DIFFERENT UNIVERSITY COURSES

This study compared the psychological morbidity of medical students in their first year of medical training at two different medical schools. One medical school had a 5-year course: 2 years intensive preclinical training followed by 3 years clinical work. The second medical school had a 6-year course: a 3-year degree course in basic medical sciences followed by 3 years clinical work. Students on both courses were asked to complete the General Health Questionnaire, the Stress Incident Record and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The students on the first course reported significantly higher amounts of stress related to course work than the students on the second course (χ2=24.4, df=1, p<0.001), but there was no difference in the prevalence of psychological morbidity between the students on the two courses (z=−1.377, p=0.168). Psychological morbidity was most closely associated with thoughts of dropping out, stressful relationships with other medical students and stress related to dissection. The findings suggest that medical students have high rates of psychological disturbance during the first year of their training, which are not explained by marked differences in the type of training they receive. Reduction in psychological morbidity may be best achieved by targeting those students who are reporting psychological distress or thinking of dropping out.© 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Students’ perceptions of teaching innovations in medical school: Are things changing?

This research traces medical students’ perceptions of the first year of medical training in an experimental, problem‐based curriculum. The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether their learning experiences differ from what has been reported about perceptions in traditional training programs. A content analysis of structured student diaries revealed that their experiences follow closely the three‐phase model described by Becker, Geer, Strauss and Hughes (1961). The students shift from their initial perspective of “wanting to learn it all,” to a provisional perspective of “can't learn it all,” to a final perspective of “learn what the faculty wants.” We conclude that, without changing the institutional structure of the medical school, curricular reforms are not likely to change students’ perception of their socialization into medicine.

A premedical summer program for disadvantaged students.

In this paper five years of summer program experience with minority and disadvantaged students are examined and an attempt is made to provide an overview of the impact of summer programming on medical school admission and academic performance in the first year of medical training. A well-organized correlated academic curriculum of anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology, coupled with an intensive counseling program, has proved to be the basis of a sound reinforcement program for minority and disadvantaged students who are preparing for medical school.