Developing a broad perspective of future work and career in medical students through field trips to a disaster area: a qualitative study

TL;DR

Medical students who visited a disaster area gained a broader perspective on their future careers and the role of medicine in communities.

Contribution

The study identifies specific themes from students' experiences in a disaster area, highlighting educational benefits of such field trips.

Findings

Students developed a spirit of scientific inquiry and a foundation for lifelong learning.

They broadened their understanding of the medical profession and its community-based practice.

Ambiguity in their roles encouraged personal reflection and career perspective.

Abstract

Field trips to disaster-affected areas (FTDAs) without a specific purpose, such as medical cooperation, are widely used in medical education. However, what medical students gain from FTDAs remains unclear. The present study aimed to clarify what medical students gain from FTDAs. Five medical students who had visited the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan participated in a semi-structured group interview to ask what they gained from such a visit. The narratives were analysed using open coding.

The following four themes emerged: “Spirit of scientific inquiry”, “Foundation for lifelong education and personal growth”, “Broadened understanding of the medical profession”, and “Importance of practicing medicine in the community setting”. The ambiguity of medical students’ specific roles in the field trip compared to the fieldwork may have encouraged them to make sense of the experience from their perspective. As a result, students may have gained a broader perspective of their future work and career through the FTDA. If medical educators can gain consensus from the residents of a disaster site, different disaster-affected areas can be potential sites for medical education using FTDAs.