It is important to note that these attributes often develop with more experience , which often comes with being older and having more experiences to draw upon and learn from . On top of that , the clinical environment is extremely team oriented to avoid errors and deliver optimal care to patients [ 20 – 22 ]. Much of the teamwork focuses on proper communication rather than clinical knowledge [ 22 , 23 ]. As a result , experiences in a work or professional setting can serve students well when faced with the challenges of being part of a healthcare team .
We also found that nontraditional students felt previous work experience and age had more of an influence on their specialty choice than traditional students . However , both groups of students chose similar types of specialties to pursue , with internal medicine being the most common , followed by obstetrics / gynecology and emergency medicine . This finding suggests that older students rely more on their age and experience to help them make this career choice , but ultimately these factors don ’ t play as much of a role as they believe . The choices may be due more to the nature of the specialties than student self-perception . For example , often more residency positions are available in internal medicine than in any other field . Additionally , internal medicine offers more options further down the road for fellowship and subspecialization , which is often appealing to students [ 24 ]. It has been suggested that older students tend to choose specialties with fewer years of training [ 15 ], as well as more generalized medicine such as primary care [ 25 , 26 ]. At the same time , many premedical students in the US feel that primary care lacks financial incentives and prestige and can be “ uninteresting ” compared to other specialties [ 27 ]. This idea indicates that age and experience shape students ’ perception of a specialty and the choice of specialty to pursue as a career .
The study was limited by the nature of response timing . Students are divided among different rotations , and the specific rotation the student was on could have shaped his or her perspective and survey response . For instance , being on a rotation a student was less interested in or found difficult may have affected the response . Additionally , a survey opens the door for implicit biases based on the nature of questions asked and the topics presented .
Students can only rely on their own perceptions and experiences , and thus it can be difficult to interpret the meaning of some responses . For instance , “ impact ” is a term respondents had to interpret , and it could translate to academic success as well as general daily performance during a rotation . It is also important to note that the study may have selfselected for a certain type of student respondent . Students who possess the characteristics and attributes we identified may also be the type of students more likely to respond to a survey and subsequently the same people who more often enter the specialties discussed .
Further research could be performed to validate the claim that older students are able to transition more effectively into the clinical setting based on their age and resulting prior experiences . This information could be elucidated by expanding on the survey we used and adding a question about student preparedness for the clinical environment based on age and experiences . It could be helpful to understand students ’ experience working specifically in a team setting and the impact that played in working in a clinical environment . In line with that , the specific type of experiences a student had before attending medical school could elucidate differences in performance in the clinical setting . Studies have found that prior research experience is associated with better academic performance but lower ratings on professionalism and expertise [ 28 ]. Additionally , students who have previous professional healthcare qualifications often feel they can draw on their experience to aid in their professionalism , communication , teamwork , and general familiarity with the healthcare environment . These skills are all valuable aspects for medical students to develop during clinical rotations [ 29 ].
It may also be interesting to compare age and experiences to academic performance on clinical rotations . Although this may be a short-term barometer of student success , it could be helpful in determining an appropriate age or set of experiences needed for acceptance into medical school . The previously mentioned study at McGill University also found that older students had lower preclinical grades but performed equally well during the clinical years . The authors hypothesized the similarity as largely
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