Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Educational Impact of Exposure to Clinical Psychiatry Early in an Undergraduate Medical Curriculum

  • Empirical Report
  • Published:
Academic Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

The medical school at Swansea University provides compulsory early exposure to clinical education through short learning opportunities in the clinical setting (LOCS). These are 3–4-h sessions chosen by students from a list of over 900. Students are required to complete ten LOCS in each of their first 2 years of medical school, with at least one per year being in psychiatry. The objective of this study was to evaluate the educational experience of students undertaking LOCS in psychiatry, in part to understand whether this experience affects student understanding of psychiatry and the likelihood that they will pursue it as a career.

Methods

A mixed methods approach was used. Qualitative focus group discussions were conducted with medical students to explore perceptions of psychiatry and experiences of psychiatry LOCS. Findings informed the development of a structured quantitative survey aimed at a larger sample of students.

Results

Six qualitative themes emerged: (1) limited exposure to psychiatry, (2) organizational issues, (3) positive LOCS experiences, (4) stigma, (5) anticipated emotional burden, (6) psychiatry at odds with current understanding of medicine. Questionnaire data showed that psychiatry is not a popular future career choice when compared to other specialties. Psychiatry LOCS are extremely popular with students and have a positive effect on their understanding of the specialty but did little to influence their stated likelihood of pursuing psychiatry as a career.

Conclusions

Early exposure to clinical psychiatry through LOCS gives students positive experiences, which improve understanding and awareness of psychiatry. They do not, however, affect stated career intentions for psychiatry as a profession.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  1. Farooq K, Lydall GJ, Bhugra D. What attracts medical students towards psychiatry? A review of factors before and during medical school. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2013;25(4):371–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. A. Hill and social affairs correspondent, Mental health services in crisis over staff shortages, The Guardian. 2011.

  3. Nutt K. Psychiatrist shortage looms as training posts are unfilled’, Herald Scotland. [Online]. Available: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/health/psychiatrist-shortage-looms-as-training-posts-are-unfilled.24685600. Accessed 04-Dec-2014.

  4. Brockington I, Mumford D. Recruitment into psychiatry. Br J Psychiatry J Ment Sci. 2002;180:307–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rajagopal S, Rehill KS, Godfrey E. Psychiatry as a career choice compared with other specialties: a survey of medical students. Psychiatr Bull. 2004;28(12):444–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Goldacre MJ, Turner G, Fazel S, Lambert T. Career choices for psychiatry: national surveys of graduates of 1974–2000 from UK medical schools. Br J Psychiatry J Ment Sci. 2005;186:158–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Cutler JL, Alspector SL, Harding KJ, Wright LL, Graham MJ. Medical students’ perceptions of psychiatry as a career choice. Acad Psychiatry. 2006;30(2):144–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Budd S, Kelley R, Day R, Variend H, Dogra N. Student attitudes to psychiatry and their clinical placements. Med Teach. 2011;33(11):e586–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Furnham AF. Medical students’ beliefs about nine different specialties. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1986;293(6562):1607–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Yellowlees P, Vizard T, Eden J. Australian medical students’ attitudes towards specialties and specialists. Med J Aust. 1990; 152(11), 587–588, 591–592.

  11. The student physician: introductory studies in the sociology of medical education, vol. xii. Oxford, England: Harvard Univer. Press; 1957.

  12. Medical Student Attitudes toward Four Medical Specialties : Academic Medicine. [Online]. Available: http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/1964/01000/Medical_Student_Attitudes_toward_Four_Medical.6.aspx. Accessed: 27-Mar-2014.

  13. Dein K, Livingston G, Bench C. “Why did I become a psychiatrist?”: survey of consultant psychiatrists. Psychiatr Bull. 2007;31(6):227–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. McParland M, Noble LM, Livingston G, McManus C. The effect of a psychiatric attachment on students’ attitudes to and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career. Med Educ. 2003;37(5):447–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Brook P. Who’s for psychiatry? United Kingdom medical schools and career choice of psychiatry 1961–75. Br J Psychiatry J Ment Sci. 1983;142:361–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Eagle PF, Marcos LR. Factors in medical students’ choice of psychiatry. Am J Psychiatry. 1980;137(4):423–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Shelley RK, Webb MG. Does clinical clerkship alter students’ attitudes to a career choice of psychiatry? Med Educ. 1986;20(4):330–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Galletly CA, Schrader GD, Chesterman HM, Tsourtos G. Medical student attitudes to psychiatry: lack of effect of psychiatric hospital experience. Med Educ. 1995;29(6):449–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Maric NP, Stojiljkovic D, Milekic B, Milanov M, Bijelic J. Change of students interest in psychiatry over the years at school of medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2011;48(1):42–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Storer D. Recruiting and retaining psychiatrists. Br J Psychiatry J Ment Sci. 2002;180:296–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3(2):77–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Lambert TW, Goldacre MJ, Turner G. Career choices of United Kingdom medical graduates of 1999 and 2000: questionnaire surveys. BMJ. 2003;326(7382):194–5.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Sierles FS, Vergare MJ, Hojat M, Gonnella JS. Academic performance of psychiatrists compared to other specialists before, during, and after medical school. Am J Psychiatry. 2004;161(8):1477–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Noor S, Batra S, Byrne A. Learning Opportunities in the Clinical Setting (LOCS) for medical students: a novel approach. Med Teach. 2011;33(4):e193–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The St David’s Medical Foundation contributed £250 toward the study.

Disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Entry Medicine Programme, College of Medicine, Swansea University, Wales, UK

    Menna Brown, Jacob Barnes, Katie Silver, Nicholas Williams & Philip M. Newton

Authors
  1. Menna Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jacob Barnes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Katie Silver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nicholas Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Philip M. Newton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philip M. Newton.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Brown, M., Barnes, J., Silver, K. et al. The Educational Impact of Exposure to Clinical Psychiatry Early in an Undergraduate Medical Curriculum. Acad Psychiatry 40, 274–281 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-015-0358-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-015-0358-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation