title: The coping strategies during medical education predict style of success in medical career: a 10-year longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The stress associated with the physician's work is generally acknowledged and is related to well-being and life satisfaction. The presented study was designed to extract the role of coping strategies in identifying differentiated styles of success in a medical career during medical education.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were examined when they applied to medical school and each subsequent academic year. The final study took place four years after graduation. The baseline questionnaire measured coping strategies. The follow-up questionnaire consisted of measures of: quality of life, work stress and burnout, satisfaction with medicine as a career, and professional competency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on coping strategies assessed during admission and preclinical years of medical study, some aspects of success in the participants' future medical career can be predicted. Students who take action and deal directly with a problem, neither accept resignation, nor reduce tension by expressing feelings would most probably resist future burnout. However, despite the fact that they obtain the highest quality of life or earn the highest income they would be, at the same time, the least satisfied with chosen career, as well as being more likely to be characterised by a low level of competence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessment of coping strategies at the beginning of medical education could be taken into consideration as an instrument to diagnose a specific trend in physicians' career development.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Tuwima 15 Street, 80-210, Gdańsk, Poland. mtartas@gumed.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tartas
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Tuwima 15 Street, 80-210, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Tuwima 15 Street, 80-210, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Budziński
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Tuwima 15 Street, 80-210, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Mikołaj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majkowicz
authors.affiliation: Polish Chamber of Physicians in Gdansk, Śniadeckich 33 Street, 80-204, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wójcikiewicz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Tuwima 15 Street, 80-210, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zdun-Ryżewska
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002055:Burnout, Professional; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Burnout; Coping; Job satisfaction; Longitudinal study; Medical doctors; Medical students; Professional success; Quality of life