McFarland Sarah L, Meyers Peter, Sautter Robin, Honsvall Amanda, Prunuske Jacob
University of Minnesota Medical School.
Fam Med. 2016 Mar;48(3):203-11.
Few US medical school graduates receive a public health degree. We sought to identify factors involved in medical students' decisions to pursue dual medical and public health degrees and describe the decision-making process.
We conducted focus group discussions and telephone interviews with medical students considering, or enrolled in, a public health degree program. Participants described early exposures to public health, perspectives on physician public health roles, advantages and disadvantages of a public health degree, and the relative importance of factors influencing their decision to pursue a public health degree. Data were coded using open codes, and thematic analysis was performed.
Medical students' decisions about pursuing a public health degree are based on consideration of advantages and disadvantages of academic, personal, and financial factors. Students place weights on various factors and value guidance.
Access to training and information about public health programs and career opportunities may facilitate decision-making. Knowledge of factors involved in students' decisions and the decision-making process will allow mentors, advisors, faculty, and staff working to recruit students into MPH programs to support students interested in earning dual medical and public health degrees. Future research should explore avenues for supporting medical student decision-making and further reducing barriers to public health training.
美国医学院毕业生中很少有人获得公共卫生学位。我们试图确定医学生决定攻读医学和公共卫生双学位所涉及的因素，并描述其决策过程。
我们对考虑攻读或已就读公共卫生学位项目的医学生进行了焦点小组讨论和电话访谈。参与者描述了早期接触公共卫生的经历、对医生公共卫生角色的看法、公共卫生学位的优缺点，以及影响他们攻读公共卫生学位决策的因素的相对重要性。使用开放编码对数据进行编码，并进行主题分析。
医学生关于攻读公共卫生学位的决定基于对学术、个人和财务因素优缺点的考虑。学生对各种因素进行权衡并重视指导。
获得有关公共卫生项目和职业机会的培训与信息可能有助于决策。了解学生决策所涉及的因素和决策过程，将使致力于招收学生进入公共卫生硕士项目的导师、顾问、教师和工作人员能够支持对获得医学和公共卫生双学位感兴趣的学生。未来的研究应探索支持医学生决策并进一步减少公共卫生培训障碍的途径。
