Students' perceptions of values emphasized in three medical schools

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Humanities in Medicine
• Medical Ethics

Background:

• Medical schools balance scientific rigor with humanistic values.
• Understanding student perceptions is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess medical students' views on scientific vs. humanistic values in their education.
• To investigate how training level and personal factors influence these perceptions.

Main Methods:

• A 1979 mail questionnaire survey was administered to 713 medical students (freshmen, juniors, graduates).
• Data were collected from three U.S. medical schools, with an 82.2% response rate.

Main Results:

• Student perceptions of school values showed minimal variation based on personal characteristics.
• Significant differences emerged in how students perceived values emphasized at different institutions.
• Clinical students rated humanistic values lower than preclinical students in two schools.

Conclusions:

• Personal background has limited impact on medical students' perceptions of school values.
• Institutional differences significantly shape student perceptions of emphasized values.
• A potential decline in perceived humanistic value importance during clinical training warrants attention.