ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In order to meet the changing needs of health care, the University of Turku has introduced a graduate entry programme aimed at students with previous education and experience in health care professions. AIMS: In this study, we look at the study performance of students with different educational backgrounds with special emphasis on graduate entry students. METHODS: We surveyed the study orientations of 145 first-year medical students with different educational backgrounds in the Medical Faculty of the University of Turku, Finland. Special emphasis was placed on graduate entry students (n = 25) with previous education and work experience in health care professions. The students were characterized based on student records and the questionnaire Inventory of General Study Orientation (IGSO). RESULTS: Our results revealed that after the first year of medical studies the graduate entry students showed exceptionally strong theoretical and practical commitment to their studies with a strong work-life orientation which makes them a distinct group among medical students.
