title: Effect of the Bologna bachelor degree on considerations of medical students to interrupt or terminate their medical training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The bachelor-master system potentially enables medical students to stop or temporary interrupt their training after obtaining a bachelor degree. A survey at the time of introduction of this two-cycle model in Dutch medical education showed little interest among students in these possibilities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate students' considerations to stop or pause now that this model is well established.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires were sent to 314 second year and 348 third year bachelor students and 256 first year master students at University Medical Center Utrecht.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Response rates were 33.4% for the second year and 42.0% for the third year bachelor students and 48.8% for the master students. Of all these students, one to three percent seriously considered a permanent stop. Of the bachelor students, about one quarter seriously considered a temporary stop after finishing the bachelor program. Of the master students, one in seven indicated that they did take a break at that opportunity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Awarding the bachelor degree does not particularly encourage students to discontinue their medical study. Our results are comparable to the results of the survey at the time of the introduction of the bachelor-master system, which supports our previous conclusion.
authors.affiliation: UMC Utrecht Medical School , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sjoukje
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van den Broek
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ten Cate
authors.forename: Marjo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wijnen-Meijer
authors.forename: Marijke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Dijk
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D003657:Decision Making; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires