The Effect of an Information Intervention on Medical Students' Career Commitment: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial

• In Event: Exploring Learning, Evaluation, and Assessment in Professions Education

Abstract

Background: The needs-based shortage of healthcare workers is severe around the world. Maintaining and improving medical students' career commitment may be a feasible way to reduce medical student attrition.
Methodology: We designed an RCT to test whether the information intervention based on role modeling could enhance medical students' career commitment. We randomly assigned the sample (N=36,482) to the treatment group (N=18,070) and control group (N=18,412). We used a difference-in-differences model to identify the effect of information intervention.
Results: The results showed that the information intervention significantly reduced medical student dropout intention by 2.7 percentage points (95% CI: -0.037 to -0.016,). Male and senior students were influenced more than their female and junior counterparts.

Authors

• Chunqing Li, Peking University
  Presenting Author

• Hongbin Wu, Peking University
  Non-Presenting Author