Purpose: This study aims to explore which coping strategies medical students use more often, and how coping styles account for medical students' subjective well-being.Methods: Subjects included 249 medical students from undergraduate and Graduate Entry Programme of a medical school in Seoul, Korea.Coping style was measured using the Ways of Coping Checklist.Subjective well-being was measured with Positive / Negative Affect Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale.Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare four coping strategies, and stepwise multiple regression was used to analyze the accountability of each of the coping strategy for subjective well-being.Results: Medical students used avoidance and problem-focused coping strategy more often than they used emotion-focused coping strategy and seeking social support.Graduate Entry Programme students used avoidance less often and seeking social support more often than undergraduate students.Among subscales of subjective well-being, positive affect can be accounted for by problem-focused coping and seeking social support, and negative affect can be accounted for by problem-focused coping and avoidance.Life satisfaction can be accounted for by problem-focused coping as well. Conclusion:The results of this study showed that medical students had high adaptability as well as strong anxiety toward stressful situations in medical school.Moreover, three among the four coping strategies accounted for medical students' subjective well-being.These findings should be considered as a baseline for future research looking into additional variables affecting medical students' well-being.
Purpose:The "standardization" of standardized patients (SP) is one of the most crucial factors for a successful clinical performance examination (CPX).This study aimed to examine the inter-rater reliability among SPs who portrayed the same case during a CPX. Methods:The context was a CPX conducted under the supervision of CPX Seoul-Gyeonggi Consortium in K medical school in August 2007.K medical school ran 12 stations consisting of duplicated sets of 6 cases.In total, thirty SPs participated with 5 SPs acting each of the 6 cases.The SPs evaluated the student's performances in addition to portraying the cases.ANCOVA (analysis of covariance) was used to compare scores rated by the different SPs.The dependent variables were the case scores and the 4 subcomponent (history taking, physical examination, Clinical courtesy, and Patient-physician interaction) scores for each case; the independent variable was the SPs; and the covariate was the CPX total score. Results:The Headache and Cough stations showed an acceptable level of reliability.Otherwise, Weight Loss and Facial Flushing failed to show consistent scores in all 4 subcomponents.Diarrhea and Lt. hemiparesis showed partial consistency.In terms of the subcomponents, the physical exam scores were most consistent and the patient-physician interaction scores were most inconsistent. Conclusion:This study tested the level of "standardization" of one set of CPX cases with mixed results.The authors hope that our results will contribute to quality assurance of CPX.
The purpose of the study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to evaluate medical students' knowledge of, attitude towards and practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM).The participants of the study were 418 medical students enrolled in the Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, Korea. To examine construct validity of the questionnaire, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed with 118 participants; a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with the remaining 281 participants. We developed 41 items with a 4-point Likert scale. An EFA was performed to verify the emergence of four dimensions of EBM competencies. The principal axis factoring method and the direct oblimin rotation method were used. To confirm construct validity, a CFA was conducted with the remaining 281 participants. To evaluate model fitness, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and comparative fit index (CFI) were used as fit indices. We conducted ANOVA with Scheffe as discriminant validation, and calculated Cronbach's alpha of 4 subscales as reliability checkup.After refinement procedure, factor analysis of the 32 items in therevised questionnaire yielded 4 factors. The Scree plot supported a 4 factor solution explaining 53.5% of the variance. The 4 components derived were: factor 1_knowledge on EBM (11 items; Cronbach's alpha=0.92); factor 2_ pursuit towards EBM (10; 0.88); factor 3_reluctance on EBM (7; 0.78); factor 4_practice of EBM (4; 0.75). The questionnaire could discriminate competence differences among 1-3 yr students. Satisfactory Cronbach's alpha scores were noted for each factor as well.The EBM competency questionnaire was validated.
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