Korean Medical Students' Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Characteristics / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: Medical schools and graduate medical schools should understand the personality and psychological qualities of graduate medical students, medical students, and premedical students and link them with the curriculum. METHODS: In this study, through June 2010 we analyzed medical papers that were published in Korea. The search terms were psychological terminology, including emotion, cognition, intelligence, social ability, stress, motivation, judgment, and learning style. RESULTS: In the cognitive and learning aspects, preliminary doctors were under the influence of prior knowledge; cumulative learning; self-efficacy; and visual, logical, non-self-led learning types and had external learning motivation. In the emotional adaptive aspects, they appeared to be the ISTJ (introversion, sensing, thinking, judging) personality type with regard to the Myers-Briggs indicators and perfectionists, suffering from severe academic stress. Their motivation on matriculation was associated with their interests and aptitudes, and through community service, they adapted to the learning and living environment of medicine. In the social and moral aspects, they did not have high moral judgment, felt devaluated about their job than before, and tended to have an open and flexible doctor-patient relationship. CONCLUSION: Medical graduate students, medical students, and premedical students have greater likelihood to cultivate their character and capacity for adaptation.

The Relationship between the Level of I-conscousness We-consciousness and Interpersonal Problems of Korean Medical Students / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: In Korea, students should have the consciousness of 'I' and 'we' to adapt well in society. Medical students in Korea must develop interpersonal and intrapersonal characteristics that are in accordance with Korean culture. This study intends to determine the relationship between the level of I-consciousness/we-consciousness and interpersonal problems in medical students. METHODS: The I-consciousness/we-consciousness Inventory and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems were used for 212 first year medical students and 191 second year medical students at Yonsei University College of Medicine in 2008. RESULTS: The levels of I-consciousness/we-consciousness and interpersonal problems in medical students were higher than those of other general college students. There was a significant inverse correlation between the level of I-consciousness/we-consciousness and interpersonal problems for 118 of 130 factors. The higher the level of I-consciousness/we-consciousness in medical students is, the fewer interpersonal problems there are. CONCLUSION: Educational programs that take into account the consciousness of 'I' and 'we' are useful for the development of medical students' personalities.

Evaluation of a Complementary Cyber Education Program for a Pathophysiology Class / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a complementary cyber education program for a required pathophysiology class for nursing students. METHODS: The cyber education program comprised electronic bulletin boards, correspondence material storage, an announcement section, a report submission section, reference sites, and statistics on learning rates. Twelve online lectures complemented five lectures in the classroom. To evaluate the course's educational effectiveness, we performed an online objective questionnaire and an open questionnaire survey anonymously, and compared the complementary cyber education program with traditional classroom education. RESULTS: The complementary cyber education program effected significant improvements in scores for importance with regard to major, clarity of goals and education plans for courses, professor readiness, preciseness and description of lectures, amount and efficiency of assignments, and fairness in appraisal standards compared with the traditional classroom education group. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that a complementary cyber education program provides nursing students with the flexibility of time and space, the newest information through updated lectures, efficient motivational aids through intimacy between the lecturer and students, and concrete and meaningful tasks. The complementary cyber education course also increased student effort toward studying and student satisfaction with the class.

Medical Professionalism Development of Oliver R. Avison / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: How does professionalism develop while becoming a great doctor? This study based on the life of Avison, a great doctor, aims to identify the developmental features of an excellence and professionally ethical doctor. METHODS: We chose Oliver R. Avison, who founded the first modern hospital and medical school in Korea, now known as Severance Hospital and Yonsei University College of Medicine. Sixteen pivotal events in Avison's life were extracted, based on 2 standards: self-memory and strong feeling. Further we analyzed Avison' life using a professional development analysis model. RESULTS: Oliver Avison's medical professionalism development was divided into 4 periods: 'Motivating in Medicine period', 'Medical Training period', 'Medical Doctor period', and 'Medical Educating period'. A hallmark of Oliver Avison's medical professionalism development was the growth of motivation and social responsibility, medical knowledge, medical creativity, intra-personal intelligence, and relationship forming abilities. CONCLUSION: To excel in medicine, a medical student should be encouraged to understand his unique intellectual potentials and interest as a medical worker, and try to understand problems in the established domain and field of medicine, to develop new medical symbol systems, and climates.