Influence of the subject of Family and Community Medicine taught during the degree in medicine, in the choice of specialty

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The presence of the subject of Family and Community Medicine (FCM) is important in the medical degree and should be taught by family doctors. The aim of the study was to assess whether its inclusion as a discipline in the degree influences students and graduates in their choice of specialty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Descriptive, observational and analytical study of surveys carried out on 422 students of the FCM subject who studied during the 2017-18 to 2023-24 academic years at the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Murcia and on 96 graduates of this university who, in the process of choosing a specialty, opted for FCM. In a first phase, the students of each course completed 2 surveys, one on the first day of class and another on the last, both in person. In each survey, 5 questions were asked on a 10-point Likert scale and one multiple-choice question. In the final survey, 4 questions were added, also on a 10-point Likert scale. In the second phase, a seven-question survey with dichotomous answers was sent electronically to the graduates in May 2024. RESULTS: 74% of the students were women, mean age 23.2 years SD=1.6. 290 (68.7%) answered the initial survey and 352 (83.4%) the final one. Most of them thought that FCM is important for the National Health System (NHS) and that it is not well valued by either the NHS or the patients. When asked if they considered the subject important in the degree, 75% of them gave it a score >9. The percentage of students who considered FCM as a future option with an average score >7 was 42% and after taking the subject this percentage increased to 57% (mean score at the beginning 5,9 SD=1,6 and at the end 7,7 SD=2.6, p<0.001). Regarding the academic and teaching staff evaluation, the average score was: interesting subject 7.9 SD=1.8 (44%>9), useful subject 8.57 SD=1.6 (61%>9) and different approach 7.6 SD=2 (78.2%>7). The average evaluation of the teaching staff was >9. 74.2% of the graduates were women, average age 28.4 years SD=2.8. 62 (64%) answered the survey; 66.1% did not know the specialty well before teaching the subject. For 51.6% of them, the subject changed their perception of the specialty, for 48.4% it made them consider the specialty as a future option and for 33.9% it influenced their choice of specialty. 91.9% chose the specialty by their own decision. Almost all of the graduates stated that the subject should be in the medical degree. CONCLUSIONS: The fact that the subject is taught by family doctors and the quality of teaching has positively influenced the choice of medical science as a specialty by students and graduates. Medical students considered the inclusion of the subject in the degree to be important and felt that medical science, as a specialty, is not well valued. The subject should be included in all medical schools and the teaching should be given by family doctors.