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Medical student interactions with children in their daily lives
Penelope Uther1,2, Johanna Thomson3, Adam William Bartlett4,5
1Paediatrics, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia penelope.uther@health.nsw.gov.au.
Insights
Medical students have limited daily interaction with young children, impacting their confidence in pediatric rotations. Early clinical experiences should focus on building these essential communication skills.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Pediatrics
- Child Development
Background:
- Effective communication with children is crucial in clinical settings.
- Medical students' prior experience with children influences their confidence and skills during pediatric rotations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the frequency of medical students' interactions with children of different age groups.
- To understand the relationship between pre-rotation child interaction experience and student confidence.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was administered to medical students entering pediatric rotations.
- Students reported their interaction frequency with infants, preschool, and school-aged children, and their confidence levels.
Main Results:
- Most students had infrequent contact with infants (83%) and preschoolers (67%) annually.
- A higher percentage of students (43%) interacted with school-aged children weekly or more often.
- Increased interaction frequency correlated positively with higher confidence entering pediatric placements.
Conclusions:
- Medical students possess limited exposure to infants and preschoolers, affecting their confidence.
- Clinical supervisors should integrate confidence-building activities for interacting with young children early in training.
- Structured early exposure can enhance medical students' preparedness for pediatric care.
Abstract:
Learning to communicate effectively with children in clinical interactions can be challenging. This study aimed to determine the extent to which medical students are exposed to children in their daily lives, in order to understand the experience students bring when entering paediatric rotations.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey of medical students entering paediatric rotations from two medical schools was conducted. Students were asked to rate the frequency of their interactions with infants, preschool-aged and school-aged children and their confidence in doing so.
Results:
339 out of 476 students participated in this study. Interactions with infants and preschool-aged children were rare, with most students reporting interactions once or two times per year or less (83% and 67%, respectively). Students interacted with school-aged children more frequently (43% most weeks or days). Students who interacted more frequently with children were more confident when entering their paediatric placements.
Conclusions:
Medical students have limited exposure to infants and preschool-aged children in their daily lives and this affects their confidence. Supervisors should incorporate activities aimed at building confidence interacting with young children early in clinical attachments.
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