Association for Surgical EducationIdentification of communication apprehension in medical students starting a surgery rotation
Section snippets
Methods
Two scales that measured apprehension were selected for use in this study: The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24 (PRCA-24) and the Willingness to Communicate (WTC) scales.19 These scales were selected because of their published reliability and validity and consistent results among different populations and cultures.20, 21, 22 The PRCA-24 has high interim reliability (alpha >0.90), the four subscales (alpha >0.85) and strong evidence of criterion validity. The WTC has strong
Results
Eighty-one students entering their surgery rotation completed the two-sided scannable sheet containing the WTC, PRCA-24, and the demographic items. However, since eight forms were missing items, only 73 subjects were entered into the analysis. Initial results produced individual total scores on both scales for every student. Those who fell below the standard means were easily identified.
Comparisons were then made between the third- and fourth-year medical students and standard means for college
Comments
One of the criticisms of modern medical education in the United States is that it tends to isolate young physicians, and especially surgeons, from the general population through important years of adult social development. Young physicians tend to socialize with other physicians who share similar schedules and academic backgrounds. Sociology studies in the 1970s found physicians to be “socially immature” as compared with the rest of the population due, researchers speculated, to this isolation.
Summary
This study demonstrates two different scales of communication apprehension that may have value for a clerkship or program director. Since many medical schools do not require an interview for admission, this type of scoring method would establish guidelines for earlier detection of problems and appropriate referrals could be made. Large groups could be processed quickly and efficiently. Current practice usually allows a surgeon to progress until a complaint in some activity (eg, oral examination
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2011, Patient Education and CounselingCitation Excerpt :Moreover, many studies suggest that medical students suffer high levels of stress and anxiety throughout their undergraduate training [25–27]. Research reveals that medical students’ skills and confidence in the acquisition of basic physical examination and communication with patients have been attributed to lack of practice, observed instruction and anxiety levels [27–30]. Several studies have examined the attitudes of medical students towards learning communication skills [7,20,23,24,28], but we have not found reports in which attitudes and anxiety have been measured together.
Communication challenges in surgical oncology
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