Decline of medical student idealism in the first and second year of medical school: a survey of pre-clinical medical students at one institution

dc.creator	Christopher P. Morley
dc.creator	Carrie Roseamelia
dc.creator	Jordan A. Smith
dc.creator	Ana L. Villarreal
dc.date	2013-08-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T22:15:00Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T22:15:00Z
dc.identifier	10.3402/meo.v18i0.21194
dc.identifier	1087-2981
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/ce00a1ddbb2f4e0fb82723b9e245db46
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/17296
dc.description	Background: Idealism declines in medical students over the course of training, with some studies identifying the beginning of the decline in year 3 of US curricula. Purposes: This study tested the hypothesis that a decline in medical student idealism is detectable in the first two years of medical school. Methods: We sought to identify differences in survey responses between first-year (MS1) and second-year (MS2) medical students at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of academic year 2010 on three proxies for idealism, including items asking about: (a) motivations for pursuing a medical career; (b) specialty choice; and (c) attitudes toward primary care. Principle component analysis was used to extract linear composite variables (LCVs) from responses to each group of questions; linear regression was then used to test the effect of on each LCV, controlling for race, ethnicity, rural or urban origins, gender, and marital status. Results: MS2s placed more emphasis on status/income concerns (β=0.153, p<0.001), and much less emphasis on idealism as a motivator (β=−0.081, p=0.054), in pursuing a medical career; more likely to consider lifestyle and family considerations (β=0.098, p=0.023), and less likely to consider idealistic motivations (β=−0.066, p=NS); and were more likely to endorse both negative/antagonistic (β=0.122, p=0.004) and negative/sympathetic (β=0.126, p=0.004) attitudes toward primary care. Conclusions: The results are suggestive that idealism decline begins earlier than noted in other studies, implying a need for curricular interventions in the first two years of medical school.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Co-Action
dc.relation	www.med-ed-online.net/index.php/meo/article/download/21194/pdf_1
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1087-2981
dc.rights	CC BY
dc.source	Medical Education Online, Vol 18, Iss 0, Pp 1-10 (2013)
dc.subject	medical students
dc.subject	idealism
dc.subject	surveys
dc.subject	career choice
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	DOAJ:Medicine (General)
dc.subject	DOAJ:Health Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	DOAJ:Medicine (General)
dc.subject	DOAJ:Health Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.title	Decline of medical student idealism in the first and second year of medical school: a survey of pre-clinical medical students at one institution
dc.type	article