Korean J Med Educ.  2017 Jun;29(2):111-116. 10.3946/kjme.2017.58.

Evaluation of an extracurricular program for students interested in rural and public health

• Kim DH
• An AR
• Kim EJ
• Lee JK
• Lee SH

• KMID: 2413867
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3946/kjme.2017.58

Abstract

PURPOSE
The problem regarding the geographic imbalance of the physician workforce has been a long-standing problem in South Korea. Additionally, rural medicine and public health have been marginalized across whole undergraduate curriculums. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an extracurricular program targeting medical students interested in rural and public health.
METHODS
A 2-day extracurricular program was held twice in 2015 and 2016. A total of 53 students were selected among eighty students who voluntarily applied to participate in the program. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by pre- and post-program surveys.
RESULTS
The overall satisfaction for the program was 5.35 out of 6. The participants showed a significant improvement in perception of the clerkship experience in a rural and public health care setting as well as the importance of rural medicine and public health in South Korea.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this study showed the acceptability of a short-term extracurricular program for medical students interested in rural and public health.

Keyword

Rural health; Public health; Medical students; Curriculum; Undergraduate medical education

MeSH Terms

Adult
*Career Choice
Curriculum
Education, Medical, Undergraduate/organization & administration
Female
Humans
Male
Medically Underserved Area
Professional Practice Location/*statistics & numerical data
Republic of Korea
Rural Health Services/*manpower
Schools, Medical/organization & administration
Students, Medical/*statistics & numerical data
Young Adult