ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the contributions of psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and coping strategies (self-compassion, leisure-time exercise, and achievement goals) to engagement and exhaustion in Canadian medical students. METHODS: This was an observational study. Two hundred undergraduate medical students participated in the study: 60.4% were female, 95.4% were 20–29 years old, and 23.0% were in year 1, 30.0% in year 2, 21.0% in year 3, and 26.0% in year 4. Students completed an online survey with measures of engagement and exhaustion from the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory–student version; autonomy, competence, and relatedness from the Basic Psychological Needs Scale; self-compassion from the Self-Compassion Scale–short form; leisure-time exercise from the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire; and mastery approach, mastery avoidance, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals from the Achievement Goals Instrument. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. RESULTS: The need for competence was the strongest predictor of student engagement (β= 0.35, P= 0.000) and exhaustion (β= −0.33, P= 0.000). Students who endorsed mastery approach goals (β= 0.21, P= 0.005) and who were more self-compassionate (β= 0.13, P= 0.050) reported greater engagement with their medical studies. Students who were less self-compassionate (β= −0.32, P= 0.000), who exercised less (β= −0.12, P= 0.044), and who endorsed mastery avoidance goals (β= 0.22, P= 0.003) reported greater exhaustion from their studies. Students' gender (β= 0.18, P= 0.005) and year in medical school (β= −0.18, P= 0.004) were related to engagement, but not to exhaustion. CONCLUSION: Supporting students' need for competence and raising students' awareness of self-compassion, leisure-time exercise, and mastery approach goals may help protect students from burnout-related exhaustion and enhance their engagement with their medical school studies.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Mental Competency , Observational Study , Schools, Medical , Students, MedicalABSTRACT
PURPOSE@#To investigate the contributions of psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and coping strategies (self-compassion, leisure-time exercise, and achievement goals) to engagement and exhaustion in Canadian medical students.@*METHODS@#This was an observational study. Two hundred undergraduate medical students participated in the study: 60.4% were female, 95.4% were 20–29 years old, and 23.0% were in year 1, 30.0% in year 2, 21.0% in year 3, and 26.0% in year 4. Students completed an online survey with measures of engagement and exhaustion from the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory–student version; autonomy, competence, and relatedness from the Basic Psychological Needs Scale; self-compassion from the Self-Compassion Scale–short form; leisure-time exercise from the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire; and mastery approach, mastery avoidance, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals from the Achievement Goals Instrument. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed.@*RESULTS@#The need for competence was the strongest predictor of student engagement (β= 0.35, P= 0.000) and exhaustion (β= −0.33, P= 0.000). Students who endorsed mastery approach goals (β= 0.21, P= 0.005) and who were more self-compassionate (β= 0.13, P= 0.050) reported greater engagement with their medical studies. Students who were less self-compassionate (β= −0.32, P= 0.000), who exercised less (β= −0.12, P= 0.044), and who endorsed mastery avoidance goals (β= 0.22, P= 0.003) reported greater exhaustion from their studies. Students' gender (β= 0.18, P= 0.005) and year in medical school (β= −0.18, P= 0.004) were related to engagement, but not to exhaustion.@*CONCLUSION@#Supporting students' need for competence and raising students' awareness of self-compassion, leisure-time exercise, and mastery approach goals may help protect students from burnout-related exhaustion and enhance their engagement with their medical school studies.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Lifelong learning is an integral part of health professionals' maintenance of competence. Several studies have examined the orientation toward lifelong learning at various stages of the education and career continuum; however, none has looked at changes throughout training and practice. The objective of the present study was to determine if there are differences between groups defined by their places on the education and career continuum
Methods: The authors performed a group-level meta-analysis on studies that used the 14-item Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning or its variants. Eleven published articles, which reported on studies with post-secondary health professions students, residents, and practicing health professionals met the inclusion criteria. In total, there were 12 independent data sets, with four data sets per group
Results: In total, over seven thousand students, residents, and practicing health professionals responded to the Jefferson Scale [N=7.269]. Individual study means tendency to be high, suggesting a high orientation toward lifelong learning among the trainees [students and residents] and practicing health professionals. Metaanalysis results indicated that the orientation toward lifelong learning tended to increase gradually along the education and career continuum. Significant differences in the group means were found between the trainees and practicing health professionals
Conclusions: In the reviewed studies, the orientation toward lifelong learning among students, residents, and practicing professionals was high. Nonetheless, although based on separate cohorts, it appears that the orientation toward lifelong learning continues to develop even after the completion of formal training