Measuring Strength of Motivation for Medical School

Purpose. Students vary in their strength of motivation to start and pursue medical training. This study was conducted to investigate the psychometric properties of a Strength of Motivation for Medical School (SMMS) questionnaire. Method. The questionnaire was designed using an iterative method. The instrument was applied to medical students (N= 296) at the start of medical school and to potential applicants (N= 147). The stability of the concept over a six months time and associations with other motivation measures were studied. A separate group of potential applicants and their parents (N= 169) were asked to validate the items of the questionnaire. Results. Cronbachs alpha reliability of .79 was found. Test-retest reliability of SMMS-scores with a six months interval was .71. Little to no association with specific dimensions of motivation was found, except for a negative correlation with ambivalence towards studying. SMMS-scores were associated with potential applicants plans to apply for medical school (Spearmans rho .65) and differentially with potential applicants and their parents judgements of item validities (.13 to .57). Conclusions. The SMMS-questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure strength of motivation for medical training in students who have just entered medical school. It may be used to evaluate the validity of selection procedures and to identify associated variables that could be used in selection procedures

Characteristics of the medical profession, considered applicable to youth health (YHP profile) by students with a high preference and students with a low preference for a career as a youth health physician

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Correlations of knowledge and preference of medical students for a specialty career: a case-study of youth health care"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/14</p><p>BMC Public Health 2008;8():14-14.</p><p>Published online 14 Jan 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2254611.</p><p></p> Students' views were compared with the standardized YHP profile as reported by professionals (the zero-line) (*p < 0.001

Characteristics of the medical profession, considered applicable to youth health (YHP profile) by first-year students and final-year students

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Correlations of knowledge and preference of medical students for a specialty career: a case-study of youth health care"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/14</p><p>BMC Public Health 2008;8():14-14.</p><p>Published online 14 Jan 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2254611.</p><p></p> Students' views were compared with the standardized YHP profile as reported by professionals (the zero-line) (*p < 0.001

Characteristics of the medical profession, considered applicable to youth health (YHP profile) by students with experience in a youth health clerkship and all other final-year students with clerkship experience

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Correlations of knowledge and preference of medical students for a specialty career: a case-study of youth health care"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/14</p><p>BMC Public Health 2008;8():14-14.</p><p>Published online 14 Jan 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2254611.</p><p></p> Students' views were compared with the standardized YHP profile as reported by professionals (the zero-line) (*p < 0.001