Ashikawa H, Hojat M, Zeleznik C, Gonnella J S
Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Acad Med. 1991 Aug;66(8):458-64. doi: 10.1097/00001888-199108000-00009.
A reexamination of the possible relationships between medical students' undergraduate academic majors and their medical school performances and career plans seems appropriate, given the continuing changes in the characteristics of the medical school applicant pool in the last several years. This study investigated these relationships by comparing cognitive and noncognitive characteristics of medical students who had had different undergraduate majors. The study sample consisted of 812 students who entered Jefferson Medical College between 1985 and 1988. They were classified into six categories based on their undergraduate majors: biological, chemical and physical, social and behavioral, other sciences, humanities and arts, and indeterminate majors. Results indicated that performances in the basic science component of medical education were about the same for students with different undergraduate majors. The groups had similar rates of delayed graduation, but the attrition rate was highest for students who had majored in humanities and arts. The students in undergraduate disciplines traditionally oriented toward medicine (biological, physical, and chemical sciences) were younger and had made the decision to become a physician at earlier ages than had their counterparts with undergraduate majors in social sciences and humanities. Also, the groups differed with regard to their estimates of their future incomes and plans for professional activities after graduation. Similarities concerning the students' preferred professional activities were also noticed among the groups.
鉴于过去几年医学院申请者群体的特征不断变化，重新审视医学生本科专业与其医学院学习成绩和职业规划之间的可能关系似乎是恰当的。本研究通过比较不同本科专业医学生的认知和非认知特征来调查这些关系。研究样本包括1985年至1988年间进入杰斐逊医学院的812名学生。他们根据本科专业分为六类：生物、化学和物理、社会和行为科学、其他科学、人文和艺术以及不确定专业。结果表明，不同本科专业的学生在医学教育基础科学部分的表现大致相同。这些群体的延迟毕业率相似，但人文和艺术专业的学生流失率最高。传统上倾向于医学的本科专业（生物、物理和化学科学）的学生比社会科学和人文专业的本科专业学生更年轻，并且更早做出成为医生的决定。此外，这些群体在对未来收入的估计和毕业后职业活动计划方面也存在差异。在这些群体中也注意到了学生们偏好的职业活动方面的相似之处。
