Would you do it again? A qualitative study of student and supervisor perceptions of an intercalated MBChB/PhD programme

Abstract

BackgroundSeveral studies have warned about the diminishing physician-scientist breed. Limited studies, however, have attempted to assess what factors (if any) enhanced or hindered the experience of trainee physician-scientists and their supervisors. Using Vroom’s expectancy theory as a conceptual framework, we explored the highlights, motivations and barriers of an intercalated MBChB/PhD programme as experienced by students of the programme and their supervisors.MethodsPrevious and current students of the MBChB/PhD programme at the University of Otago, and their supervisors, were invited to provide comments on the programme. Data were analysed using a general inductive approach which involved coding responses, and grouping codes into common themes via an iterative process. A deductive approach was used to interpret the themes and relate them to Vroom’s expectancy theory.ResultsA total of 22 students (88% response rate) and 36 supervisors (58.3% response rate) responded to our survey. Three themes were identified through the analysis of the students’ responses. These were: motives for undertaking the intercalated degree, effect on career development, and perceived barriers. Supervisors’ survey yielded two themes: characteristics of successful students, and optimising the intercalated programme.ConclusionsThe current study sheds light on the successes and challenges of an intercalated MBChB/PhD programme by considering the views of those most involved. Whereas the combined programme has its advantages for student research and career development, extending the research-time may be worthwhile. Further studies involving a larger cohort of intercalating students and their supervisors may allow for extrapolation of data to address these concerns.

Construction and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Laparoscopic Surgery Collaborative Training Platform: Taking Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy as an Example

“…Applying Vroom's Expectancy Theory to surgical education, it is crucial student needs to know that each practice counts and will add to their future career success. [12] Indeed, the skills gained through the surgical simulator can be translated into real-world surgical level improvement. [20] In our case, the C-STRD students' performance in the exploration mode did improve after the training.…”

“…Lack of a high-delity and high-freedom exploration mode fails to fully use immersive virtual space and Vroom's Expectation Theory. [12] To address the above issues, we constructed the prototype of an intelligent VR laparoscopic collaborative training platform combining VR technology with these educational theories. Then we assessed its effectiveness in surgical education for Chinese postgraduate students who were enrolled in the C-STRD program.…”