Introduction
Methods
Results
Characteristic | Survey Respondents Number (%) | All US Residents %a
|
---|---|---|
Sex
| ||
Male | 1116 (48.8) | 50.2 |
Female | 1155 (50.5) | 42.7 |
Not reported | 16 (0.7) | 7.1 |
Post-graduate level of training
| ||
PGY-1 | 624 (27.3) | 36.6 |
PGY-2 | 489 (21.4) | 28.4 |
PGY-3 | 482 (21.1) | 25.2 |
PGY-4 | 319 (13.9) | 7.6 |
PGY-5 | 191 (8.4) | 2.0 |
PGY-6 | 105 (4.6) | 0.2 |
PGY-7 or greater | 65 (2.8) | 0.1 |
Not reported | 12 (0.5) | – |
Type of allopathic medical school
| ||
Academic medical centre | 2030 (88.8) | – |
Community based | 244 (10.7) | – |
Not reported | 13 (0.6) | – |
Post-graduate level of training
| ||
Anaesthesiology | 97 (4.2) | 5.6 |
Dermatology | 44 (1.9) | 1.2 |
Emergency medicine | 198 (8.7) | 4.7 |
Family medicine | 213 (9.3) | 9.0 |
General surgery | 170 (7.4) | 7.3 |
Internal medicine | 408 (17.8) | 28 |
Neurology | 59 (2.6) | 2.3 |
Obstetrics/Gynaecology | 98 (4.3) | 4.3 |
Pathology | 58 (2.5) | 2.1 |
Paediatrics | 247 (10.8) | 9.9 |
Psychiatry | 118 (5.2) | 5.3 |
Radiology | 126 (5.5) | 5.3 |
Surgery or surgical subspeciality | 243 (10.6) | 15.9 |
Transitional | 22 (1.0) | 1.1 |
Other | 173 (7.6) | 5.3 |
Not reported | 13 (0.6) | – |
Not at all | A little | Somewhat | Very well | Mostly | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
How well did medical school prepare you for the following skills?
| |||||
Consulting resources e.g., published articles, textbooks | 1.6 | 6.2 | 23.3 | 32.0 | 36.9 |
Addressing medical-legal issues | 8.5 | 26.0 | 34.2 | 8.9 | 22.4 |
Addressing social or cultural issues in providing care | 1.2 | 6.2 | 21.3 | 35.7 | 35.5 |
Considering cost-effectiveness | 13.3 | 26.5 | 31.5 | 9.8 | 18.8 |
Practising preventative medicine | 2.1 | 10.4 | 28.0 | 21.4 | 38.1 |
Providing end-of-life care | 7.0 | 19.5 | 31.8 | 15.4 | 26.3 |
How well did medical school prepare you for the practical application of the following knowledge or skills?
| |||||
Anatomy | 1.5 | 10.6 | 22.8 | 27.3 | 37.8 |
Collecting a history | 0.3 | 1.4 | 6.0 | 64.6 | 27.7 |
Laboratory diagnosis | 1.2 | 7.5 | 23.2 | 22.6 | 45.4 |
Pathophysiology | 0.3 | 2.9 | 15.2 | 34.4 | 47.2 |
Pharmacology | 2.4 | 13.1 | 28.6 | 17.3 | 38.6 |
Physical diagnosis | 0.7 | 4.7 | 19.3 | 29.8 | 45.4 |
Presenting a history and physical | 0.6 | 3.9 | 9.5 | 53.6 | 32.5 |
How well did medical school prepare you for:
| |||||
Dealing with an angry patient | 7.3 | 21.1 | 30.4 | 13.4 | 27.8 |
Dealing with patient death | 6.6 | 15.1 | 32.0 | 18.5 | 27.9 |
Debt and financial management | 16.3 | 25.8 | 30.2 | 8.2 | 19.4 |
Developing a rapport with patients | 1.1 | 3.6 | 15.9 | 43.8 | 35.6 |
Fatigue management | 12.5 | 21.4 | 32.0 | 10.7 | 23.4 |
Time management | 4.4 | 11.7 | 27.7 | 21.5 | 34.6 |
On most days, how satisfied are you with:
| |||||
Your choice of speciality | 1.1 | 2.5 | 7.2 | 32.2 | 57.0 |
Your choice to become a physician | 1.7 | 5.1 | 12.5 | 37.6 | 43.2 |
Your lifestyle outside of work | 5.8 | 13.2 | 27.1 | 17.7 | 36.2 |
Control of your personal time | 11.0 | 19.5 | 29.1 | 11.8 | 28.6 |
Your income | 13.0 | 19.5 | 29.6 | 9.5 | 28.5 |
Your overall quality of life | 3.6 | 9.0 | 23.8 | 17.3 | 46.3 |
Your day-to-day happiness | 3.5 | 8.0 | 21.3 | 20.2 | 47.0 |
Disagree
|
Neutral
|
Agree
| |||
Please indicate your level of agreement:
| |||||
Medical school prepared me to be an excellent resident | 9.8 | 36.4 | 53.8 |
Discussion
Limitations
Conclusion
-
Medical school serves as a critical bridge between college and residency, preparing residents to function in their unique roles as both doctors and trainees.
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Only a few small studies have attempted to assess how prepared medical students and graduates feel for their experience as residents, and the findings of these studies were generally negative.
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Through a national survey of US residents, we found that medical school graduates generally feel well prepared for residency, but feel less prepared in certain important psychosocial, cultural and professional aspects.
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A greater emphasis on skills and psychosocial experience in medical school may yield graduates who feel better prepared for today’s residency challenges.