Developing a broad perspective of future work and career in medical students through field trips to a disaster area: a qualitative study.

Publisher: Biomed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101462768 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1756-0500 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17560500 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Res Notes Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Biomed Central, 2008.

Students, Medical* ; Disasters* ; Education, Medical*; Humans ; Qualitative Research ; Consensus

Objective: Field trips to disaster-affected areas (FTDAs) without a specific purpose, such as medical cooperation, are widely used in medical education. However, what medical students gain from FTDAs remains unclear. The present study aimed to clarify what medical students gain from FTDAs. Five medical students who had visited the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan participated in a semi-structured group interview to ask what they gained from such a visit. The narratives were analysed using open coding.
Results: The following four themes emerged: "Spirit of scientific inquiry", "Foundation for lifelong education and personal growth", "Broadened understanding of the medical profession", and "Importance of practicing medicine in the community setting". The ambiguity of medical students' specific roles in the field trip compared to the fieldwork may have encouraged them to make sense of the experience from their perspective. As a result, students may have gained a broader perspective of their future work and career through the FTDA. If medical educators can gain consensus from the residents of a disaster site, different disaster-affected areas can be potential sites for medical education using FTDAs.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

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Keywords: Career choice; Fukushima nuclear accidents; Group interview; Human development; Qualitative research; Social medicine; Undergraduate medical education

Date Created: 20240304 Date Completed: 20240306 Latest Revision: 20240307

20240307

PMC10913628

10.1186/s13104-024-06724-9

38439090