A National Sample Survey of Medical Students about Their Perception and Evaluation on Medical Study, Career Plan, and Medical Care System: Part 3. Student's View on Merits and Demerits of Being Physician, Patients and Diseases, Medical Practice, and Medical Care System

Park, Jung Han; Kim, Kyung Hwan; Jun, Hae Ri; Park, Soon Woo

Abstract

A national sample survey of medical students about their perception and evaluation on medical study, career plan, and medical care system was conducted in December 1997 through January 1998. About 10% of all the medical students in 32 medical schools that had students from freshman to senior in November 1997 were systematically sampled for a questionnaire survey. Out of 1,386 students, 1,233(89.0%) had responded and 12 of them were excluded from the analysis because of incomplete response. This report is the third part of the study regarding students' view on merits and demerits of being physician, patients and diseases, medical practice, and medical care system. Respondents indicated that the merits of being a physician are humanitarian nature of work(30.0%) and autonomy of work(28.0%) and the demerits are too busy to enjoy peronal life(56.5%) and too much stress from work(41.2%). Social status of physicians was assessed by the students in four dimensions, i.e. social prestige, social influence, power, and income. Students were found to think that the current social status of physicians is lower than it should be ideally in all of four dimensions. Ninety percent of student agreed that physician is a noble occupation that deals with human life but only two-thirds of students agreed that physician is economically secured and socially well recognized occupation. Students regarded the medical insurance system as instigating increase of general hospital and withering of private clinics and hindering medical development by reducing investment capacity. Major problems in medical care system indicated by the students are irrational medical insurance system, concentration of physicians in large cities, and irrational health care delivery system. Medical students regarded the role of nurses as not merely assisting physicians(40.7%) but have to participate more actively in patient care(49.8%). Regarding medical study's effect on views of patients and diseases, 60.4% of them indicated that they became to view patients more as entities of diseases and this was a significant increase from 28.9% in 1983 study. For criteria of death, 73.5% agreed with brain-death. Regarding organ transplantation, 79.2% agreed to encourage it but only 46.9% agreed to encourage artificial fertilization in vitro. In case of accidental death, 73.5% agreed to donate their organs for transplantation. To a statement related with medical malpractice reading "Physicians should be treated generously for their mistakes in medical practice so long as the mistakes are not due to negligence", 71.6% of the students agreed to the statement. To another statement reading "Physicians should be thoroughly investigated and duly penalized for mistakes made by them in their medical practice", only 31.8% agreed to it. These findings suggested that medical students are well aware of the problems in the health care system and social status of physicians. Changes were noticed in the sense of responsibility for medical malpractice and physician's attitude toward patients since 1983 study.