Exploring the Validity of an Instrument That Measures Final Year Medical Students' Career Choice Preferences.

IF 1.7 Q2 EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES
Advances in Medical Education and Practice Pub Date : 2025-07-29 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.2147/AMEP.S529450
Agrithaa Guru, Marcus Alexander Henning, Craig S Webster, Bridget Kool, Tim J Wilkinson, Warwick Bagg
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Abstract

Purpose: The influences on medical graduates' career choices and destinations are varied but not well quantified. This study aimed to explore the validity of an instrument that measures the factors that influence Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) medical students' career choices.

Methods: The Medical Schools Outcomes Database (MSOD) questionnaire containing 24 question items entitled "Factors Influencing Career Choice" (FICC) section was psychometrically analyzed. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to identify underlying constructs associated within these question items. This was followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), conducted on a subsequent cohort to confirm the validity of the identified factor structure.

Results: The EFA (n=300) identified four main factors: Placement Experiences, Work Flexibility, Vocational Characteristics, and Finances and Rewards. The CFA (n=343) confirmed the same factor structure. A parsimonious factor structure was achieved after modification of indices and removal of nine items that did not contribute to enhancing the model fit. Two of the four fit indices were within acceptable limits, indicating a reasonable fit of the factor structure. The four factors identified in this study are conceptually consistent with published literature on medical students' career choices.

Conclusion: The current FICC section of MSOD questionnaire is useful in identifying key factors influencing NZ students' career choice. Items removed in the CFA model indicate possible issues underlying the current wording of the item stems, obscuring the effectiveness of the questionnaire. Future research to enhance the scope and sensitivity of the current FICC section can further improve the utility of this tool in informing curriculum developments and shaping the needs of the future medical workforce.

Abstract Image

探索一种测量最后一年医学生职业选择偏好的工具的有效性。
目的:对医学毕业生职业选择和目的地的影响是多种多样的,但没有很好地量化。本研究旨在探讨一种测量影响新西兰(NZ)医学生职业选择因素的工具的效度。方法:采用“影响职业选择的因素”(FICC)部分共24个问题的医学院校结果数据库(MSOD)问卷进行心理计量学分析。探索性因素分析(EFA)用于识别这些问题项中相关的潜在构念。随后进行验证性因子分析(CFA),对后续队列进行验证,以确认所识别的因素结构的有效性。结果:全民教育(n=300)确定了四个主要因素:实习经历、工作灵活性、职业特征以及财务和奖励。CFA (n=343)证实了相同的因子结构。通过对指标的修改和剔除9个不利于模型拟合的项目,得到了一个简洁的因子结构。四项拟合指标中有两项在可接受范围内,说明因子结构拟合合理。本研究确定的四个因素在概念上与已发表的关于医学生职业选择的文献一致。结论:当前MSOD问卷FICC部分有助于识别影响新西兰学生职业选择的关键因素。CFA模型中删除的项目表明了项目系统当前措辞可能存在的问题,模糊了问卷的有效性。未来的研究将增强当前FICC部分的范围和敏感性,可以进一步提高这一工具在通知课程开发和塑造未来医疗劳动力需求方面的效用。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Advances in Medical Education and Practice
Advances in Medical Education and Practice EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES-
CiteScore
3.10
自引率
10.00%
发文量
189
审稿时长
16 weeks
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