Department of Allied Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Department of Haematology, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2020 May;20(2):e187-e193. doi: 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.009. Epub 2020 Jun 28.
After completing the pre-clinical phase of a Doctor of Medicine (MD) curriculum, undergraduate medical students may choose to add a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in health sciences to their MD degree. Limited data exists on the motives behind students' decisions to undertake such intercalated degrees. Hence, this study aimed to identify the factors that influence students in making this choice.
Undergraduate students who chose the research-based academic track of the intercalated phase of the BSc programme at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman, between 2014-2018 were enrolled. A standardised and validated self-explanatory questionnaire examining motivations to join the intercalated phase was administered to all students in the first week of enrolment.
Over a five-year period, out of 557 eligible students, 18 (3%) were enrolled in the intercalated phase and all completed the questionnaire. The mean age was 22 ± 1.5 years and the majority (83%) were female. Out of the 18 students, 10 (55%) had taken the university's foundation programme. A total of 45% of students chose to intercalate out of their own interest, regardless of career ambitions. The main reasons to intercalate were an opportunity to enhance research experience, alignment with long-term career goals and a chance to publish in indexed journals.
Despite the benefits of obtaining an additional degree, a relatively small proportion of MD students were attracted to the intercalated phase. A better presentation of the BSc degree is needed to help students make a more informed decision.
在完成医学博士（MD）课程的临床前阶段后，本科医学生可以选择在其 MD 学位之外增加健康科学的理学士（BSc）学位。关于学生做出此类插班学位决定的动机，相关数据有限。因此，本研究旨在确定影响学生做出此选择的因素。
在 2014 年至 2018 年期间，阿曼马斯喀特苏丹卡布斯大学医学院和健康科学学院的本科学生选择了 BSc 课程的研究型学术轨道，我们招募了这些学生。在注册的第一周，向所有学生发放了一份标准化和验证的自我解释问卷，以调查加入插班阶段的动机。
在五年期间，在 557 名符合条件的学生中，有 18 名（3%）注册了插班课程并完成了问卷。平均年龄为 22 ± 1.5 岁，大多数（83%）为女性。在 18 名学生中，有 10 名（55%）参加了大学的基础课程。共有 45%的学生出于自己的兴趣选择插班，而不考虑职业抱负。选择插班的主要原因是有机会增强研究经验、与长期职业目标保持一致以及有机会在索引期刊上发表文章。
尽管获得额外学位有很多好处，但只有相对较少的 MD 学生对插班阶段感兴趣。需要更好地介绍 BSc 学位，以帮助学生做出更明智的决定。
