Medical education: assessment of a regent scheme

As part of a project concerned to identify the emotional and psychological problems experienced by medical students in the Medical School of Aberdeen University and to evaluate the services organized to respond to these, the present study is an assessment of one of these services, the regent scheme. The results of a questionnaire issued to current regents and to students in the second and third years of their course, show discrepancies in the views of the members of the two groups about selection of regents, the matching of regents and regentees, guidance offered about the use of the scheme, assessibility of regents and payment to regents. Comments from both groups indicate dissatisfaction with the scheme and also the wish to see it continue. This study explores some of the reasons for these opinions and for the use of the scheme by only a minority of students; and shows the need for a revision of the scheme.