Discussion
This study showed that age and experience play a role during clinical rotations of medical school and help shape career decisions of medical students . Our findings showed that nontraditional students (> 25 years ) were more likely than traditional students to believe that age , previous work experience , and life experience had an impact on their clinical rotations during the third and fourth years of medical school . The implication is that older students are able to rely on their age and experiences to help them perform well on rotations . A previous study at McGill University in Canada found similar results , in that older students ( aged 25 or older ) relied on their age and experience to enhance their clinical work ; that study specifically mentioned that older students felt they had a great grasp of “ human experience ” that allowed them to better interact with patients [ 12 ]. Additionally , other reviews of previous research have found that maturity and more life experiences helped students feel more prepared for entering clinical rotations [ 13 ]. This may be because these students can harness their experiences when moving from the classroom into the clinical setting .
Both groups of students had similar reasons for choosing medicine as a career and entering medical school . Regardless of student age , the main reason for entering medical school was altruism . The next most common answer was prior exposure to the field . This finding highlights that age doesn ’ t provide any further rationale for students to pursue a career in medicine . It may simply be that a younger student has strong reasons to enter the field without the experience of an older student . Conversely , an older student may need more work and life experience to make that decision and find the rationale to become a doctor . Previous research suggests that a large proportion of older students also report career dissatisfaction as a significant factor in entering the field of medicine [ 14 , 15 ]. The altruistic nature of medicine may have been more appealing to those changing careers , but at the same time younger students may have felt that pull all along . Thus , age does not seem to be a deciding factor when choosing to enter medical school . It could be helpful to ask about other factors such as financial incentives , social status , and family pressure to form an even deeper understanding of students ’ rationale to become a doctor .
An interesting finding from our study was students ’ perceptions of their peers . Both traditional and nontraditional students identified preparedness , interactions with attendings , interactions with patients , and clinical acumen as the attributes that allowed their peers to perform well on clinical rotations . Previous research found that peer ratings are more valuable in predicting student success in internship than academic success or faculty ratings [ 16 ]. Similarly , peer evaluation is a reliable measure of physician performance in areas such as communication , humanistic qualities , and clinical skills once students move on to becoming practicing physicians [ 17 ]. This suggests that students are able to intuitively understand the traits they must possess and develop to perform well in the clinical setting . Furthermore , both groups of students selected age the least amount of times as the attribute that allowed their peers to perform well on rotations . A similar finding in other research found that mature students ’ ease of transition into the clinical environment is more a result of prior life experience than age [ 13 ]. This highlights the fact that age doesn ’ t necessarily impact the intrinsic factors that make a good doctor . Thus , the experiences students possess are likely the factor that allows them to perform well clinically .
The attributes identified by the student respondents align well with the 15 core competencies the Association of American Medical Colleges has identified for students entering medical school [ 18 ]. While not a perfect correlation , the main concepts are similar in that students must interact well with others , be reliable , think critically , and have a strong knowledge base . Additionally , other reviews of the literature have summarized professional competence as “ the habitual and judicious use of communication , knowledge , technical skills , clinical reasoning , emotions , values , and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served ” [ 19 ]. This summary of a fully competent physician aligns with our findings and suggests students have recognized and developed these attributes through experience irrespective of their age .
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