The 'new' medical student: another view

In this paper the authors examine some evidence concerning admission of a "new" type of student to medical school. Such students have been described as more socially concerned and committed to reform of the health care system than students of the 1950s. The hypothesis was that the new type of student was a temporary phenomenon, influenced by transitory sociopolitical events which had little impact on the institutionalized processes of medical education. Data consisted of responses to selected attitude statements by successive entering classes of medical students in one school of medicine from 1970 to 1975. Data were collected a second time from graduating seniors in 1974 and 1975 (entering classes of 1970 and 1971). The same information was collected from physician preceptors in 1975. Results suggest partial support for the hypothesis of decreasing liberalism among entering freshman after 1973, increasing conservatism among graduating seniors, and a high level of conservatism among physicians. Some exceptions to these trends are noted.