Easing the transition from student to doctor: how can medical schools help  prepare their graduates for starting work?
BACKGROUND
In 2000/1, a survey found that 42% of newly qualified UK doctors felt their medical training had not prepared them well for starting work.


OBJECTIVE
To determine factors associated with preparedness.


METHODS
A questionnaire to all 5143 newly qualified doctors in May 2005.


RESULTS
The response rate was 2062/4784 = 43.1%. 15% of respondents felt poorly prepared by medical school for starting work. There were no associations between gender or graduate entry status and preparedness. The personality traits of conscientiousness (r=0.14; p < 0.001) and extraversion (r=0.15; p < 0.001) were associated with high preparedness. Neuroticism was associated with low preparedness (r= -0.16; p < 0.001).Respondents who had done shadowing attachments were more likely to feel prepared (58.6% vs 48.5% felt prepared; 2=4.0; p=0.05), as were graduates of problem based learning courses (61.3% vs 56.1%; 2=5.0; p=0.03). Preparedness correlated with agreement with the statements 'My teaching was relevant to real life as a doctor' (rho=0.36; p < 0.001), and 'As a house officer I found it easy to get help when I needed it' (rho=0.29; p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Improvements in the preparedness of UK medical school graduates may be due to increased relevance of undergraduate teaching to life as a junior doctor and increased support in the workplace.
Cave
Judith
J
Academic Centre for Medical Education, UCL Division of Medical Education, RFUCMS Archway Campus, University College London, Highgate Hill, London, UK. judith.cave@nhs.net
Woolf
Katharine
K
Jones
Alison
A
Dacre
Jane
J
D002983:Clinical Competence; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom