AMEE Berlin 2002 Programme

In the UK there have recently been significant changes
in Postgraduate Surgical training. The RCS has been
instrumental in developing new courses for surgical
trainees. In 1999 a Committee of breast surgeons set
out to plan and develop a Distance Learning course
for breast trainees. The aims of the course were to
present breast disease as an interesting specialty area,
provide basic knowledge but stimulate learning ‘on the
job’, and ultimately to encourage more trainees into
breast surgery. The curriculum was planned together
with a distance learning study guide and 3 study days
to teach practical skills and to discuss what has been
learnt from the study guide and the clinical situation.
The course has run from October 2000 to April 2001,
and it is currently being evaluated from participant
feedback. The rationale, curriculum and evaluation of
the course will be presented. It is proposed that this
course will be a model for further courses to be
organised by the RCS.
8E5 Attitude change in neonatologistsin-training
by participation in the
neuropediatric follow-up of former
premature infants
J B Hentschel
Department of Neonatology, Universitaets-Frauenklinik des
Inselspitals, Schanzeneckstr 1, CH 3012 Bern, SWITZERLAND
Attitudes among neonatologists towards resuscitation
of premature infants at the limit of viability (range 22-
26 weeks gestation) differ. Many families of immature
infants are burdened by varying degrees of disability
of their child. Participation in neuropediatric followup
of premature infants is part of neonatology training,
but not every neonatologist-in-training is exposed to
such a program. It is unknown whether changes in
attitude occur in neonatologists exposed to outcomes
of prematures; the hypothesis is that active participation
in a follow-up program is likely to influence attitudes
indicated by an opinion change regarding resuscitation
of infants at the limits of viability. A research design is
proposed containing a pre- and post-training
questionnaire administered to pediatric residents in
neonatology training before and after participation in
a neuropediatric follow-up program of prematures,
compared to questionnaire results in residents who do
not participate in such a follow-up.
Wednesday 5 September
Session 8F Teaching and learning
8F1 Impact of peer tutoring on the
patient-centered interviewing skills
of first-year medical students
D Nestel* and J Kidd
Imperial College School of Medicine, Connaught House,
Apartment 17, Davies Street, London W1K 3DA, UK
- 4.90 -
8E6 Factors that influence the career
choice of medical specialization
M B M Soethout* and G van der Wal
Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre, Department of Social
Medicine, EMGO-Institute, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081
BT. Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
To identify factors that influence the career choice for
medical specialization, a review of the literature was
carried out, based on a qualitative and quantitative study
design. Altogether 24 studies were analyzed. The results
showed that most studies were of good quality. A
quantitative assessment showed that many factors, like
‘hours and working conditions’, ‘domestic
circumstances’ and ‘enthusiasm for specialty’ played a
role in the medical career choice. Nowadays more
women than men study medicine. The majority of
doctors with a first choice of general practice at the
time of qualification achieved this. Women, who
wanted a clinical specialization, could not accomplish
or continue this career sufficiently. Social Medicine
was not very popular for qualified doctors, but some
years after qualification a substantial amount of doctors,
especially women, worked in this field. The method of
this review and the results will be presented.
8E7 Personality differences in doctors
affect the factors associated with
their medical specialty choice
Gillian B Clack*, Derek Cooper and John O Head
51 Burbage Road, Herne Hill, London SE24 9HB, UK
Attention has been drawn in the literature to the change
in focus over the years on factors associated with
medical specialty choice, ranging from personality,
attitudes and values, socio-economic factors, the effect
of medical education, to the influence of debt, expected
earning and anticipated working conditions. 313 out
of 464 doctors surveyed (68% response rate) completed
a questionnaire, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI), which measures normal personality
differences. They also gave details of factors which
most influenced them in their choice of medical
specialty from 30 options, e.g. experience on the course,
opportunities for research, need for security, etc.
Analysis of this data resulted in significant differences
being found between the factors which were most
important to the different personality types. These
results will be presented which will be of interest to
those involved in recruitment to the different
specialities.
In medical education, peer tutoring is most frequently
used for knowledge-based subjects. There are no
published accounts of peer tutoring in relation to the
acquisition of patient-centred interviewing skills. At
Imperial College, 23 third-year medical students
participated in a project in which they facilitated
sessions for their first-year colleagues in the skills of