title: What influences student experience of Graduate Entry Medicine? Qualitative findings from Swansea School of Medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Graduate Entry Programme (GEP) in Medicine delivered by Swansea University (currently in collaboration with Cardiff University) accepts students from a diverse range of academic backgrounds with no restriction in relation to the field of first degree. There is a growing body of literature, predominantly quantitative in nature, regarding the influence of academic background on student achievement but little published information on students' views.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine students' views regarding the extent to which previous higher education and wider life experience influence their student experience on the GEP course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recruitment from three student cohorts and group interview data followed by descriptive thematic analysis of anonymized data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data themes were: (1) previous study experience and its impact on present student experience; (2) the impact of life experience; (3) the impact of the present study on life experience; (4) skills, status and difference; (5) characteristics and expectations of the course; (6) finances and (7) next steps. Previous study experience had little impact on present student experience. However, previous life experience, with time between first degree and GEP, clearly enhances the learning experience. Added maturity and early clinical contact enables students to manage the challenges of the course and the NHS environment despite financial strain and heavy coursework.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analysing students' views is informative and provides richer insight into experience and expectations than that accessible from quantitative data alone.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Information, Research and Evaluation, CHIRAL, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, UK. f.l.rapport@swansea.ac.uk
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rapport
authors.forename: Gwen F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Favell
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manning
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sellars
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Aidan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cowell
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.forename: Rhys
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D004501:Education, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D014852:Wales