The Effectiveness of a Career Design Program for Medical Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a career planning program for medical students and to examine its effectiveness with regard to career choice motivation and career maturity. A total of 89 medical students participated in the study. Forty-four were in the experimental group and 45 were in the control group. The collected data were analyzed with the t-test, analysis of covariance, descriptive statistics, and analysis of frequency by PASW SPSS ver. 18.0 (SPSS Inc.). A career planning program was developed using the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) model. The contents of self-understanding and career exploration were included in this program. The program was conducted as a seminar with preferred major professors. There was a significant difference in the intrinsic motivation score between the control and experimental groups (p<0.05). The score of the experimental group (M=4.59) was higher than that of the control group (M=4.40). Significant differences in decisiveness (p<0.01) and realistic choice (p<0.05), the sub-factors of the career maturity test, were found between the control and experimental groups. The score of decisiveness of the experimental group (M=2.94) was higher than that of the control group (M=2.79). The score of realistic choice in the experimental group (M=3.17) was lower than that in the control group (M=3.37). Most medical students were satisfied with the career planning program. It is hoped that these results provide useful information for designing career guidance programs for students in medical schools.

Evaluation of a systematic career coaching program for medical students in Korea using the Career Readiness Inventory

“…However, in contrast with the previous study of Yoo et al [ 7 ], the ‘career decision’ score significantly decreased after the program. This difference can be explained in terms of the different characteristics of each subject group.…”

“…This difference can be explained in terms of the different characteristics of each subject group. In the study of Yoo et al [ 7 ], the participants in the career coaching course were students in academic year 2 in a post-graduate medical school. Although their study used a different evaluation tool, the sub-factor ‘career decision’ in ‘career maturity’ improved compared to the control group.…”

Analysis on Students’ Career Preparation in One Korean Medical School: Based on the Relationship and Trend Between Career Maturity and Specialty Indecision

“…Choosing a lifelong career path as a doctor is a necessary career development process, but many regards the decision-making process as a personal matter of the student. 1 2 3 …”

Development of a systematic career coaching program for medical students

“…In reality, however, career-coaching has been limited to the provision of a perfunctory counseling program at a student counseling center, and usually involves one-off counseling. Consequently, there are few programs that can actually help students develop their career paths [ 3 , 12 , 22 ]. Given this background, rather than being offered one-off counseling or a perfunctory team counseling session, to be successful in their desired careers, medical students must have access to systematic career-coaching that gives them the opportunity to explore various career paths based on accurate information; acknowledges their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses; and teaches them to make rational decisions regarding their careers.…”

“…In this context, the demand for career guidance programs is growing. Many studies have emphasized the need for career guidance [ 6 - 9 ]; however, very little research has explored how systematic career-coaching programs (SCCPs) could be designed to help medical students evaluate their career options [ 10 - 12 ]. Instead, medical education negatively impacts medical students’ career choices, because they are offered only informal career-coaching, which is buried in the hidden curriculum.…”