An Introductory Qualitative Exploration of Medical Student Perceptions of Professionalism at One Medical University.

Introduction: Professionalism as a competency in medical education has been defined in multiple ways. Irby and Hamstra offered three frameworks of professionalism in medical education. This study examines medical students' definitions of professionalism to assess whether they align with these frameworks.

Comparison of disaster preparedness between Upstate and Downstate community hospitals in New York.

Objective: This study sought to determine whether differences exist in disaster preparedness between Upstate and Downstate community hospitals in New York.

Design: A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional survey study was conducted using a 35-element questionnaire. These questions examined six disaster preparedness components: disaster plan development, onsite surge capacity, available materials and resources, disaster education and training, disaster preparedness funding levels, and perception of disaster preparedness.

Comparison of Disaster Preparedness Between Urban and Rural Community Hospitals in New York State.

Objective: The intent of this study was to determine whether there are differences in disaster preparedness between urban and rural community hospitals across New York State.

Methods: Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional survey study of 207 community hospitals; thirty-five questions evaluated 6 disaster preparedness elements: disaster plan development, on-site surge capacity, available materials and resources, disaster education and training, disaster preparedness funding levels, and perception of disaster preparedness.

Results: Completed surveys were received from 48 urban hospitals and 32 rural hospitals.

Assessment of community hospital disaster preparedness in New York State.

Objective: The intent of this study was to assess disaster preparedness in community hospitals across New York.

Design: Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional survey study. The survey instrument consisted of 35 questions that examined six elements of disaster preparedness: disaster plan development, onsite surge capacity, available materials and resources, disaster education and training, disaster preparedness funding levels, and perception of disaster preparedness.

Clinical training in the rural setting: using photovoice to understand student experiences.

Introduction: Attracting and retaining healthcare providers in rural locations in the USA has been an issue for more than two decades. In response to this need, many health sciences education institutions in the USA have developed special programs to encourage students to become healthcare providers in rural locations. One approach is the use of community-based education experiences through rural track programs.

Emerging practice concerning vitamin D in primary care.

The establishment of practice patterns concerning the diagnosis and management of hypovitaminosis D seems to be heterogeneous among primary care physicians. We conducted a qualitative study to explore the emerging practices among primary care providers regarding screening and treatment for hypovitaminosis D, as well as factors that influence practice patterns. Trained researchers facilitated focus groups among primary care providers.

A qualitative study of medical students in a rural track: views on eventual rural practice.

Background: Rural tracks (RTs) exist within medical schools across the United States. These programs often target those students from rural areas and those with primary care career interests, given that these factors are robust predictors of eventual rural practice. However, only 26% to 64% of graduates from RTs enter eventual rural practice.

The temporal decline of idealism in two cohorts of medical students at one institution.

Background: A number of studies have indicated that students lose idealistic motivations over the course of medical education, with some identifying the initiation of this decline as occurring as early as the second year of the traditional US curricula. This study builds on prior work testing the hypothesis that a decline in medical student idealism is detectable in the first two years of medical school.

Methods: The original study sought to identify differences in survey responses between first-year (MS1) and second-year (MS2) medical students at the beginning and end of academic year 2010, on three proxies for idealism.

Decline of medical student idealism in the first and second year of medical school: a survey of pre-clinical medical students at one institution.

Background: Idealism declines in medical students over the course of training, with some studies identifying the beginning of the decline in year 3 of US curricula.

Purposes: This study tested the hypothesis that a decline in medical student idealism is detectable in the first two years of medical school.

Methods: We sought to identify differences in survey responses between first-year (MS1) and second-year (MS2) medical students at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of academic year 2010 on three proxies for idealism, including items asking about: (a) motivations for pursuing a medical career; (b) specialty choice; and (c) attitudes toward primary care.