Abstract:
BACKGROUND : In the South African healthcare system, mentally ill patients first come into
contact with primary care physicians who then refer these patients for specialised care if
needed. Medical students therefore need to acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence to
treat mentally ill patients.
AIM : To evaluate the perceptions of medical students regarding their career readiness as
doctors after their clinical rotation in psychiatry.
SETTING : The University of Pretoria, South Africa.
METHODS : Data were collected retrospectively from questionnaires completed by final year
medical students from 2011 to 2015. These data were analysed overall and by year using Chisquare
tests and regression analyses (N = 770).
RESULTS : Overall, 93.10% of medical students felt adequately prepared for their role as medical
practitioners after their clinical rotation in psychiatry. The proportion of medical students exposed
to post-traumatic stress disorder (p = 0.012), obsessive-compulsive disorder (p = 0.006) and alcoholuse
disorder (p = 0.046) was found to vary significantly by year. Exposure to any one psychiatric
condition did not influence perceptions of career preparedness. Students perceived themselves to
be career ready if they had sufficient exposure to mentally ill patients, knowledge about prescribing
appropriate psychiatric medication and especially psychiatric interviewing skills.
CONCLUSION : Students who completed practical and clinical training in psychiatry perceived
themselves to be career ready.
