Impact of hands-on workshops on future medical students' motivation, confidence, and career aspirations: an observational study.

Abstract

Workshops serve as an extrinsic motivational tool for medical students, enhancing their knowledge, self-confidence, and practical skills. These workshops could have a similar impact on future medical students, who may have various reasons for their aspiration to follow a career in medicine. The main goal of our study was to demonstrate that participating in hands-on workshops boosts the motivation of future medical students to work toward a career in medicine. The second goal was to evaluate the amount of first aid assistance participants provided, their willingness to deliver first aid, and the impact on self-perceived confidence in their practical skills after attending this experience. Workshops were conducted across multiple cities, engaging 540 participants between March and November 2024. At year-end, a custom questionnaire assessed their motivation, self-confidence, and medical career aspirations. A total of 186 participants met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Participants had a median age of 18.5 years (18-19.75) and graduated high school (55.4%). Most chose to follow medicine due to a strong desire to help or an exclusive desire to practice in this field. Significant increases in respondents' Likert scale ratings were observed before and after the workshops (P < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). No significant differences were found when comparing responses between different workshops. In conclusion, the results of the motivating factors align with the trends in other high-income countries. Also, workshops serve as an extrinsic motivational source, increasing students' self-confidence and theoretical and practical knowledge.