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Students' opinions about their preparation for clinical practice
Katinka J A H Prince1, Henny P A Boshuizen, Cees P M van der Vleuten
1Skillslab, Faculty of Medicine, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. K.Prince@sk.unimaas.nl
Medical Education
|June 18, 2005
Summary
Medical students struggle with the transition to clinical training, facing increased workload and uncertainty about expectations. Addressing these challenges requires better preparation and integration of pre-clinical and clinical education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Clinical Training Transition
Background:
- Medical students often report feeling unprepared for clinical clerkships.
- The transition from pre-clinical to clinical training presents significant challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively verify qualitative findings on medical student challenges during clinical training.
- To assess student perceptions of workload, knowledge, skills, and learning during the transition.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to all Year 4 medical students at Maastricht Medical School.
- Data collected at the commencement of the clinical phase.
- Assessed impact on workload, knowledge, skills, and learning.
Main Results:
- High workload and insufficient study time reported by students.
- Students felt moderately prepared in knowledge but satisfactory in physical exam skills.
- Difficulties applying theoretical knowledge and perceived gaps in basic sciences were noted.
- Students felt a need to alter learning strategies.
Conclusions:
- Study confirms prior findings on student difficulties in clinical training.
- Key issues include professional socialization, workload management, and knowledge organization.
- Recommendations include enhanced clerkship introductions, gradual workload increases, and better pre-clinical/clinical integration.