Medical school culture: more positive than you think

Abstract

BACKGROUND: As students progress from junior to senior medical undergraduates, their development as doctors is influenced not only by the taught curriculum but also by the prevailing medical school culture which has been characterised in other studies as competitive, hierarchical and at times, abusive. This has implications on the development of the professional attitudes and behaviours expected of medical graduates. We aim to describe students’ perception of medical school culture in an Asian setting, conceptualised as the behaviours, attitudes, values and customs of the medical school and the people within it. SUMMARY OF WORK: This was a qualitative study of medical students in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong. Between June 2010 to January 2011, students were identified through random and quota sampling and 31 participated in individual semi-structured interviews. A grounded theory approach was used to determine common themes in students’ perceptions. SUMMARY OF RESULTS: Medical school culture was categorized into peer-related, student-teacher-related, and institutional-related themes. Most of the subthemes were positive with 27% of these referring to positive peer interactions such as cooperative learning, willingness to help and provision of emotional support. CONCLUSIONS: Positive peer behaviour and attitude were perceived as the predominant features of medical school culture. TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: The role of peers in defining medical school culture is significant and may exert a powerful influence on the developing doctor.