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Medical students welfare and education survey

July 2007


This report presents the results of a national survey of medical students by the BMA's medical students committee to ascertain students' views and concerns with regard to welfare and education issues at medical school.

This includes the provision of support services, experiences of bullying, accommodation issues and teaching in medical schools.

Summary

• This report presents the results of a national survey of medical students on their views and concerns with regard to welfare and education issues at medical school.
• More than two thirds of respondents were female and the majority of respondents described their ethnic background as ‘white’. The vast majority of respondents described their sexual orientation as heterosexual. While half of respondents associated themselves with Christianity, more than a third stated that they do not have a religion.
• Three quarters of respondents agreed that the welfare needs of medical students in general were adequately met by the medical school/faculty at their higher education institution.
• In most cases, between a fifth and a third of respondents thought that the provision of support services to students was sufficient. The exception was with regard to support services for substance misuse, where less than 10% of respondents regarded the provision of support services by their medical school as sufficient. However, at least half of respondents did not know whether support services were sufficient at their medical school.
• The majority of respondents regarded the provision of free accommodation whilst on clinical attachments as being very important.
• Less than one in ten respondents were of the opinion that they were actively discriminated against at medical school or made to feel uncomfortable because of either their age, race, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation.
• Around a fifth of respondents were aware of procedures in place for dealing with incidents of discrimination, victimisation or harassment. In the majority of cases, respondents did not know whether such procedures are in place at their medical school.
• While the majority of respondents reported that they have never been a victim of bullying and harassment whilst at medical school or on placement, 14% reported being subjected to bullying or harassment in the last six months.
• Respondents who reported that they have been the victim of bullying or harassment, were more likely to be the victim of verbal abuse or exclusion by doctors, nurses or other students. In more than a third of cases, victims did not respond to the incident of bullying or harassment.
• Almost two-thirds of respondents did not know whether their medical school had a policy on whistleblowing. More than a quarter of respondents reported that they had witnessed inappropriate behaviour or misconduct during their time at medical school and of these, less than a third had reported the incident. The most common reason given by respondents for not reporting an incident was that they were worried they would be ‘labeled a troublemaker’.
• Only 16% of respondents regarded the level of support in place for individuals who whistleblow as adequate at their medical school, whilst almost three-quarters did not know.
• Two in five respondents thought that career advice at medical school was very important and a further 40% thought that it was quite important. The main source of careers advice was friends/other medical students, followed by inspirational clinicians.
• Only two in five respondents reported that their medical school prepared them to deal with patient death and almost a third did not know. Less than a fifth of respondents reported that dealing with patient death was covered in depth in their curriculum and a fifth reported that this was not covered at all.
• Respondents were asked whether they knew what proportion of their course subjects were taught by medical academics. At least half of respondents in all years of study did not know and this increases considerably in the later stages of medical school.
• Less than half of respondents were of the opinion that all medical school teachers should have direct knowledge and experience of medical practice. Three-quarters of respondents were of the opinion that the degree of direct knowledge and experience of medical practice of teachers at medical school makes a difference to the quality of teaching.