Students’ perceptions of general medicine following community‐based medical education in rural Japan

Abstract

Background Japan's population is rapidly aging, and at the same time, the number of medical students interested in general or family medicine is declining. Community‐based medical education (CBME) programs may be used to promote interest and competencies in general medicine among medical students. Method This mixed‐method study investigated the perceptions of fifth‐ and sixth year undergraduate medical students who completed a two week CBME course in Unnan, a small city in rural Japan. The participants completed two survey questionnaires: (a) The achievement questionnaire administered pre‐ and posttraining, and (b) the curriculum content questionnaire administered posttraining. To understand the students’ perceptions about general medicine further, semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant post‐CBME training. Results The participants’ ratings on the achievement survey improved significantly from pre‐ to posttraining. The average ratings for the curriculum content survey indicated that the educational objectives were met in all but one area. A qualitative analysis of the interview data revealed that the participants had little exposure to general medicine at their university hospital, and there was a lack of understanding in other medical professionals regarding the roles of general medicine physicians. Conclusion This study demonstrates that there are educational gaps between medical universities and community hospitals regarding general medicine. Increased exposure, early exposure, and a clarification of the competencies were noted as areas to improve the students’ understanding of general medicine. Undergraduates should be exposed to general medicine more frequently and from early training stages through effective collaborations between universities and hospitals.

Fostering student motivation towards community healthcare: a qualitative study

“…40 41 These positive emotions also promote intrinsic regulation, related to students' strong interests. 30 In previous studies, broad practice scope, [42][43][44][45] general practice, 46 specialty, 42 44 clinical skill, 46 role models, 43 44 47 48 work satisfaction, 42 49 lifestyle, 43 44 46 50 exposure to different places, 49 rural rotation, 49 patient interaction 46 and social network 47 have been listed as factors that increase the medical students' primary care and/or rural healthcare motivations. Our study's findings are consistent with these previous findings.…”

Challenging the uncertainty of COVID-19 in rural community based medical education for family medicine: A thematic analysis

“…The participants were rural CBME stakeholders at a Japanese rural community hospital that educates more than 40 trainees in family medicine every year. 18 Participants included physicians (the dean, the director of the hospital, and medical educators), nurses (the director of nursing, deputy directors, head nurses), clerks, and citizens collaborating in the CBME.…”

“…To promote their learning, the participants re ected on their performance through 10-to 15-minute-long discussions with their teachers at the end of each day. 18…”

Long-term impact of undergraduate community-based clinical training on community healthcare practice in Japan: a cross-sectional study

“…The model core curriculum for medical education in Japan was formulated in 2001, and the CBME section was introduced in the revised edition that came out in 2007 [ 13 ]. A few Japanese reports have addressed the educational effects of CBME, and only the short-term effects of the previous reports have been observed [ 14 – 16 ]. However, Japanese medical universities have traditionally provided some medical students with the opportunity to practice at community hospitals and clinics.…”