Motivation for and concerns about entering a medical programme

The motivation for and concerns about studying medicine and future career plans of students at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies (UWI), were studied using a cross-sectional survey that included Year 1 medical students at both the Mona (Jamaica) and St Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago) medical schools of the UWI. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire containing structured questions on demographics and family background, motivation for and concerns about studying medicine and future career preferences. A total of 193 students took part in the study, 103 from Mona and 90 from St Augustine (88% response rate). Seventy per cent of the students were between 18 to 22 years of age with 59% being females. The highest rated motives for studying medicine were the 'opportunity for working with people' and an 'interest in human biology'. Female students scored significantly higher for the motive of an 'opportunity for working with people', while males rated the 'social prestige/status' significantly higher. The greatest concerns of the students were 'fear of failure' and 'contracting diseases'. The female students had a greater concern for dealing with the long hours involved in medical training than their male counterparts. Surgical specialties (43%), family medicine (38%) and paediatrics (34%) were the top choices of the students for future specialty and more women than men chose obstetrics. Although the motives that students have reported are varied, there was a reasonable spread of desirable motives. This study provides a baseline for observing possible changes as students advance through medical training. A programme of study that strives to maintain these well-placed motives while providing opportunities for dealing with the concerns of the students will assist in creating caring, empathetic physicians for the Caribbean.     

浅谈原料药车间结构设计

年产300t头饱菌素中间体GCLE合成车间是一座典型的原料药生产车间。该车间工艺流程复杂,车间内设备众多,单个设备重量达10～30t。围绕结构平面构件的复杂性,针对采用PKPM系列软件进行结构建模分析过程中出现的问题,从荷载等效,梁布置原则,计算结果调整等几个方面对结构建模进行调整、简化,总结出一些切实可行的设计经验,希望对同类型的车间设计有一定的参考作用。     

五年制和八年制临床医学专业学生基本情况调查分析

目的：调查五年制和八年制临床医学专业学生在学习、生活及对未来的期望等的相同与不同之处。方法：设计调查问卷，调查某重点大学临床医学专业154名五年制和八年制大二学生的学习、生活情况。结果：八年制学生考试成绩较好，正在恋爱的比例较高，更希望出国。结论：虽然八年制和五年制学生存在共同点，但总的来说，两者在很多方面仍有较大的不同。     

Use of medical information by computer networks raises major concerns about privacy.

The development of computer data-bases and long-distance computer networks is leading to improvements in Canada's health care system. However, these developments come at a cost and require a balancing act between access and confidentiality. Columnist Michael OReilly, who in this article explores the security of computer networks, notes that respect for patients' privacy must be given as high a priority as the ability to see their records in the first place.     

Fatigue and concerns about quality of care among Ontario interns and residents.

In postgraduate medical training the heavy and irregular workloads are thought to result in fatigue and a potential decrease in the quality of care provided by interns and residents. We investigated these concerns among Ontario interns and residents. Information from 1805 house staff in all specialties and different years of postgraduate education suggested a relation between hours of work, fatigue and concerns about the quality of care.