Medical students ’ career decision-making stress during clinical clerkships

This study explores content, process, and context factors that may affect career decision-making stress.MethodsUsing cross-sectional survey data from medical master students (n = 507), we assessed content (future work self), process (choice irreversibility, time pressure, career decision-making self-efficacy), and context (supervisory support, medical school support, study load, competition) factors and their relationships with career decision-making stress. The hypot hesized relationships were tested with structural equation modelling.ResultsA  clearer future work self and higher career decision self-efficacy were associated with lower career decision-making stress, while experienced time pressure, competition, and study load were associated with higher career decision-making stress. Choice-irreversibility beliefs, supervisory support, a nd medical school support were unrelated to career decision-making stress. As students’ clerkships progressed, they gained a clearer future work self, but also experienced more time pressure.DiscussionClinical clerkships help students to form a  clearer future work self, which can diminish career decision-making stress. Yet, students also experience more time pressure as the period of clerkships lengthens, which can increase career decision-making stress. A school climate of high competition and study load seems to foster career decision -making stress, while school support hardly seems effective in diminishing this stress.
Source: Perspectives on Medical Education - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: research